One of the most famous American westerns ever made, it catapulted Robert Redford into movie stardom and cemented Paul Newman as a leading man capable of complex roles.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is the ‘based on real life’ story of Butch Cassidy, famed train robber and outlaw. The movie follows Cassidy’s life loosely, with more story friendly plot points, but really outdoes itself with the chemistry between Newman and Redford.
I’ve always liked watching Paul Newman at work he’s the master of working the camera in closeup, with no dialogue. Him and Robert De Niro should face off, neither of them talking, both smoking a cigarette, just staring each other down, waiting for hte diamond tipped blade to fall and shatter the tension.
My money would be on De Niro. Anyone that could put on 40 pounds to play a sociopathic boxing champ is more than likely to win a battle of wills.
Don’t turn your back on Newman, though. As Butch Cassidy, he knows when to appear dangerous. Most of the time he’s laughable foolish, childish, talking too much and inspiring fear in no one.
It’s an act. When one of Cassidy’s gang tries to start a mutiny and challenge the leader to a knife fight, Cassidy starts yammering away, distracting his opponent until he can kick him hard in the cojones.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was one of the top-grossing movies in American history but it’s almost more relevant to watch it now. With the tension in the Middle East and the increasing militarization of Western States, you can almost appreciate the mood of those Al Queda members hiding in the mountains of Afghanistan.
As the ‘posse’ goes out after Butch and Sundance, we desperately cheer for the outlaws to get away imagine how the Afghanis and Iraqis must feel? The Americans form their own Super Posse, with high tech weaponry and a relentless appetite for vengance but the citizens of the Middle East cheer on their own underdogs.
I think that’s an important idea to understand, if we ever want to hope for peace in the Middle East. People support the underdogs.
The other reason why Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is interesting to watch now, is the parallel with Brokeback Mountain, the infamous gay cowboy movie.
Watching Newman and Redford hang out like ol’ fishing buddies, you can’t help and wonder if there’s a homosexual subtext. They’re so loyal and friendly they visit the bawdy house together and they sleep outside together by neccessity.
Sure, back in ’69, it would have been unthinkable. ‘They’re just really good friends,’ your mother would probably say.
But is there a little more to the story?
I say: A fantastic movie, and one not easily forgotten. If you’ve never seen it, get a copy and watch it four times… Compared to all the ‘clever’ dialogue in modern films, it’s refreshing to watch something with simple, sparse conversation.
See it for: The Super Posse chasing Butch and Sundance is, as I mentioned before, conceptually similar to the invasion of Afghanistan, BUT it comes out on film like the Lord of the Rings.
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