... the film serves as a blueprint for the modern ‘buddy film.’
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George Roy Hill´s film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is considered one of the finest buddy films to have hit cinema. The picture was released at a time when the western genre was trying to find a way to appeal to audiences who were upset with the Vietnam War and audiences who had grown bored with the notion of a traditional western picture. Screenwriter William Goldman based the story loosely upon the true story of American outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. With Hollywood stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford cast in the lead roles, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" mixed the grand vistas of the American western with a touch of contemporary humor along with two potent leads to create a mixture that has stood the test of time and is just as entertaining nearly forty years after the film debuted in theaters.
The film was initially to star Paul Newman and Steve McQueen, but the two men were the biggest stars of the time and they butted heads over who would receive top billing. After McQueen backed out of the project a number of other actors were considered for the role opposite of Newman. Max Olsen, Warren Beatty and Marlon Brando were possible lead actors, but after time passed and against the blessings of the studio, George Roy Hill managed to cast a relatively unknown actor, Robert Redford, in the role and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" managed to make a star out of Redford as a direct result of his performance in the film after the studio allowed the actor they considered to be too clean cut to share screen time with Newman. Today, the pairing of these two actors serves as a template for the ´buddy picture.´
While the film loosely follows the adventures and lives of Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford), the story tries to remain faithful to the primary events that occurred in the two lives of the legendary outlaws. Goldman had initially face scrutiny for adhering to the historical events that found the bank robbers meeting their demise in Central America and not in a large shoot out in the Old West. Much of the perceived demeanor of the historical figures is kept by the film, but the story is given the Hollywood treatment to make the film a little more exciting and grandiose to appeal to audiences. The 110 minute film focuses on two large events in the history of the men and focuses less on much of the back story of the two legends and some of their motivations.
In the picture, Cassidy and Sundance return to their hideout called "Hole in the Wall." There they find that Cassidy has been ousted as the leader of the Wild Bunch and that the gang has decided that Harvey Logan is the new leader. Cassidy uses his stronger intellect to disarm and defeat Harvey in a knife fight and re-secure his position as the leader of the gang. However, Cassidy finds Harvey´s plan to rob the Union Pacific Flyer train on its initial and return trip instead of the typical bank robberies. The first robbery does not yield an overly large payday, but the return trip by the Flyer guarantees far more money when the expectation is made that the return trip should be far safer as the train would not be robbed after it had already been done so.
Unfortunately for Butch and Sundance, the owner of the Union Pacific Flyer was very upset that the outlaws would rob his train and sends a specialized train car behind the Flyer with a load of law men, gunslingers and trackers to hunt down and kill Butch and Sundance. The second train does have far more money on board and while the safe is blown to smithereens, the robbery ultimately fails when the second train arrives and a number of the Wild Bunch is killed by the bounty hunters. Butch and Sundance find themselves travelling across the frontier and they cannot distance themselves from the horsemen that are successfully tracking them. Eventually, they manage to lose those that want them killed and Butch, Sundance and Sundance´s girlfriend Etta Place (Katharine Ross) joins them as they flee to Bolivia.
In Bolivia Butch and Sundance continue their lavish lifestyle that is fueled by bank robberies and soon the two men become wanted men in the South American country. The new country treats the bank robbers well, but their pursuers soon arrive in Bolivia. To keep from being found by the men hired to kill them, Butch and Sundance decide to go straight and get honest jobs. They find themselves getting a job as payroll guards, but that does not last for long as the payroll is hijacked by Bolivian outlaws and it isn´t long afterwards that the two decide to return to robbing banks and face the risks they are more accustomed to. Etta leaves Butch and Sundance to return to America. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, however, never return to America as they find themselves in a tragic gunfight with Bolivian police.
The picture does take some justice with the story behind "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." For instance, the historical record lists only one Bolivian officer killed during the shootout, but the film depicts that the two outlaws take down a large number of Bolivians before they are brought to justice. The final gunfight is shown to be far more heroic than it actually was. The movie is revisionist to entertain and thankfully, the changes made to the story do not take away from the affable gunslingers and the adventures they had undertaken. Goldman fought hard to keep intact as much as the real history as he could and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" effectively mixes fact with fiction to make a convincing Western film that helped define the notion of a ´buddy picture.´
Much of the success of the film and the primary reason it remains as entertaining today as it did in 1969 is the chemistry and partnership of Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The outlaws were considered to be quite affable and it is unknown whether any of the men had truly killed anybody in their earlier careers. This notion is echoed by the performances of the charismatic Newman and Redford. It is said that Cassidy was a well loved figure during his time and it takes an actor of Paul Newman´s stature and likability to fully deliver the spirit of the many he portrays. Both actors bring to life the intelligent and charismatic outlaws, but the strength of their performance is how well the two men mesh together. Newman and Redford had not worked together before this film, but they do well in appearing to be lifelong friends.
The film is a beautifully shot western that appeals to a more contemporary audience than the more serious westerns that spent more time on the open range than it did in the barroom. The film contains a little more humor than the typical western and this suits Newman and Redford well. It features some absolutely stunning vistas during the picture that is a reminder of the American wild west of yesteryear. The more primitive nature of Bolivia is also captured very nicely by the film´s cameras and while the centerpiece of the picture is Newman and Redford, the actors are supported with splendor by the gorgeous backdrops and sunsets shown in the picture.
"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is an entertaining and likeable picture that isn´t as revered as an old John Wayne picture or the far younger Clint Eastwood film "Unforgiven." A number of Westerns are remembered more fondly than the George Roy Hill film, but this is unfortunate as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is a worthwhile western that may not be as hard edged as the ´bigger´ genre pictures, but you´d be hard pressed to find another western that depicts the partnership of the two famous outlaws. The final shootout may not be as exciting or bloody as "The Wild Bunch" and John Wayne´s presence is not felt in this film (as some feel the only western is a John Wayne western), but "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" injects a little humor and a lot of character between its credit sequences and with Robert Redford and Paul Newman providing powerful performances, this is a classic western in every sense of the word ´classic.´
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