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| DIRECTED BY |
| Arthur Penn
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| STARRING |
| Warren Beatty |
| Faye Dunaway |
| Michael J. Pollard |
| Gene Hackman |
| Estelle Parsons |
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Warning: Spoilers in Fourth Paragraph
Sure it�s glamorized and romanticized to quite a large degree, but how boring would this film have been if it weren�t? Perhaps it would�ve made for a reasonably entertaining cops-and-robbers entertainment, but it wouldn�t have been nearly as memorably subversive if it turned out any other way. Plus, any moviegoer with half of a functioning brain should quickly be able to discern that what these two are doing is incredibly wrong, and any moviegoers who let themselves think otherwise were already too disturbed to be taken seriously anyway. The thing to be considered here is that epoch-making films are ones that take cinematic dares like �Bonnie and Clyde� did, even if those dares happen to be reprehensible in nature.
We�re not really given any real reason to sympathize with these characters. Clyde�s background story is merely brushed upon, so we can only assume that he was born into a horrible family. It seems as if Bonnie, on the other hand, was clearly raised in a fairly respectable manner. So, director Arthur Penn clearly had no reservations in just depicting the two as they probably were � innately amoral murderers. And sure, he also makes it all seem largely fun, because there�s a good chance that the Barrow Gang probably did behave in the indifferent and free-spirited manner that we see in this film. If that is indeed the case, then why not dive headfirst into the story and take the gang�s POV instead of going about it in a less direct fashion?
Although the violence in this film does, at times, appear to be mindless, it�s actually done in quite a tasteful fashion and it is, of course, essential in the telling of this story. �Bonnie and Clyde� even appears to be going for a Godardesque French New Wave whimsicality at times, with some scenes speaking for themselves and being delivered without dialogue (Bonnie and Clyde�s first bed scene.) Too much has already been said about the performances, but Beatty is infinitely entertaining here with his clumsily intense portrayal of Clyde � his �I�m gonna� hold up that bank and take it!� outburst remains particularly memorable in my mind. And Dunaway hauls off no small feat in allowing viewers to believe that her unbelievably beautiful countenance actually conceals a murderous dark side.
One occurrence that hurt the film in my mind was something that just didn�t make sense � why would the authorities take shots at a deserted car after its occupants have already fled? It certainly doesn�t hurt that Penn�s slightly stylized direction and Burnett Guffey�s cinematography are both amazing to watch, though. The final shooting is one of ambivalence for many viewers � some have let themselves become endeared to the criminals, and others are relieved to see them finally get their comeuppance. Just like most great films, �Bonnie and Clyde� has the power to cast two greatly divergent spells upon general viewers.
