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Buddy movies can range from the divine - Thelma and Louise (1991), Toy Story (1995), and Sideways (2004), to the appalling - Dude, Where's My Car? (2000) and Envy (2004). Even cinematic greats like Robert De Niro have had trouble creating the magic twice in the genre - Midnight Run (1988) is a hoot but Showtime (2002), anyone? Paul Newman, Robert Redford and director George Roy Hill have produced classic companion tales twice, once with the beloved The Sting (1973) and, four years previous to that Best Picture winner, the even more cherished reality-based account of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Hill presents us with the incredibly watchable Western tale of Butch (Newman) and his partner Sundance (Redford) leading the infamous Hall in the Wall gang on their notorious and mainly successful robbing sprees. The real-life gang caused endless instances of calculated havoc and Hill showcases these unconventional (by today's standards) but amusing incidents in a continuously eye-catching manner without making them stale or repetitive. The interaction between Butch and the Union Pacific's jittery supervisor Woodcock is particularly funny, especially when followed by an ingenious train explosion - you will gasp and then chuckle instantaneously. The Princess Bride (1987) screenwriter, William Goldman, keeps the witticisms coming between our two dazzling leads and he even throws Sundance's girlfriend, Etta Place (Katharine Ross) into the eventful proceedings. Interestingly, in reality, Place's destiny has remained the historical mystery of the posse. Hill, ably helped by Burt Bacharach's "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head", even paints a decent silent episode of Butch seemingly vying for the attention of Sundance's girl, in quite possibly the most famous sequence of the film. This, coupled with a humorous leap into a violent creek satisfy the celebrated buddy moments the film promises to a virgin viewer, but Hill's overall effort certainly contains more depth. A couple of nicely edited montages create an aura of myth under the surface of what is ultimately a true story, but strangely these also add to our own eagerness to see these common outlaws survive. As an audience it is almost impossible to eradicate your subconscious inkling that Butch, Sundance and Etta contain no characteristics of Robin Hood at all aside from the droll and robbing aspects of their personalities; they're blatantly not going to help the underprivileged. The three are only interested in living the risky life, even moving location to Bolivia in order to discover some action. So much charm and gusto has been dedicated to the core roles, from the writing to the application on screen, that you will be rooting for one of cinema's most legendary pairings throughout.
The extras
Four principal crew, including George Roy Hill, contribute to a decent commentary track with interesting particulars, even though it contains quite a few unvoiced gaps. The 40 minute "Making Of" is rather old, possibly made at the time of production, but it is still a very fine behind-the-scenes look at the film. It is interesting to realise the obstacles Hill had to undergo in order to cast Redford. The interviews with the main players act as the package highlight however. Newman, Redford, Ross, Goldman, and Bacharach participate well in the consultation process and divulge fascinating answers. These interviews range from three to eleven minutes and are good additions for an early 'Special Edition' in the DVD revolution.
The summary
With wit and charm in abundance, this is the definitive buddy movie.
