Movie Review: BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

1969
Not Rated


"You just keep thinkin', Butch. That's what you're good at."
-- Sundance Kid

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 Academy Award-winning western directed by George Roy Hill that tells a loosely-based-on-fact tale of the two titular criminals. After making a successful career for themselves, Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) finally find themselves in a bit of a pickle. After attempting to rob the same train on two consecutive trips, the railroad owner decides to organize a special team to stop the bandits. This crew of the best lawmen and trackers in the West chases Butch and the Kid all over the terrain, eventually forcing them to consider going abroad to escape. And so, with the Kid's woman Etta (Katharine Ross) in tow, the trio sets their sights on Bolivia, where they once again start their bank-robbing ways. As they gain notoriety in the Spanish-speaking country as well, it's only a matter of time until they start to worry that the aforementioned crew of lawmen and trackers finds them there as well.

Despite its massive success and popularity, I had actually never seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid until I sat down to watch it today (I'll pause for a moment while you question my movie-watching prowess). Having always been partial towards Newman and Redford, it's all the more surprising that I hadn't taken this one in just yet, but having finally sat down to watch it, I can honestly say I'm glad for the experience. That being said, however, I did not think it was the greatest movie I had ever seen.

The storyline offers an interesting tale of two aging criminals who just might be at the end of their career, and yet they're doing their best to cling onto what little they still have left. If that means running off to another country in order to find their fortune once again, then that's exactly what they feel is necessary. The story is interwoven with some fantastic dialogue, especially when it comes to the conversations between Butch and the Kid. The screenplay itself is bitingly hilarious, and it offers quite a few laughs for those of you paying close enough attention. That being said, I did think that the story dragged on a little bit here and there, and the film feels every bit of its 110-minute run-time. That's not really the best thing for a film that's simply offering pure entertainment.

We are getting a couple of stellar performances from our two leads, and the chemistry between Newman and Redford is probably the selling point of the film. The performances seem so natural, and their relationship in the film seems so genuine, that it's easy to fall into the characters and believe them from the start. To be fair, when you have two big-time actors like Newman and Redford, you really shouldn't expect anything less, but they make this film everything that it is. Ross does well in a limited supporting role, but her character isn't offered a lot with which to work. And because there are no other truly central characters, a lot of the film rests on the shoulders of Newman and Redford, who definitely step up to the plate and deliver.

One of the biggest issues I had with the film was with its soundtrack, which has received numerous accolades. Both the score by Burt Bacharach and the original song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" earned Academy Awards for the film, but I personally couldn't see how any of the film's music helped craft or enhance the film experience as a whole. It's almost as though this film is a western that doesn't quite know it's a western, if that makes sense. It seemed to throw a little too much of the contemporary atmosphere into its constructs, and I personally thought that detracted from the film as a whole. Fortunately, the film's screenplay does help salvage the film, offering a decent story as well as a fantastic final shootout sequence.

Although I didn't think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was one of the best movies I have ever seen, I do see why it has found such an honored place in the annals of American cinema. Accompanied by fantastic cinematography and a true sense of entertainment, this film does offer quite the enjoyable experience. Yes, it has its flaws, but if you can focus on the performances of our two leads, I'm sure you'll find plenty to like about this western.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: A-
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Movie Review: THE CONSPIRATOR

THE CONSPIRATOR

2011
PG-13

The Conspirator is a 2011 historical drama directed by Robert Redford that portrays the trial of the men and woman accused of conspiring to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln in the days following the "end" of the Civil War. The film essentially starts on the night of the assassination, where we meet Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy), a Union soldier and lawyer who is celebrating the imminent end of the war. After the President is shot, mass chaos erupts in the streets of Washington, D.C., and in a whirlwind of days, a number of individuals are either killed or brought into justice on suspicion of having something to do with the assassination plot. Aiken is brought into the military tribunal by Senator Reverdy Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) to defend Mary Surratt (Robin Wright), the only woman accused of the treasonous act. Aiken initially struggles with the posting, citing that he fought the Southerners throughout the war and has no desire to defend one who may have helped kill Lincoln. However, as the trial commences, it becomes increasingly clear that the cards are stacked against Mary, who seems to be much more innocent than the government is willing to accept. With the help of Mary's daughter Anna (Evan Rachel Wood), Aiken sets out to prove the tribunal of Mary's innocence despite his personal beliefs to the contrary.

I was initially drawn to this film simply because it presents a historically-based story centered around one of the most tragic moments in American history. Because I'm fascinated with the history of the United States, I was intrigued to see a film that talked about the aftermath of Lincoln's assassination rather than just the murder itself. The screenplay works relatively well, and it presents a compelling argument for the innocence of Surratt, who proved by the the first woman ever sentenced to death under the United States legal system. We receive a slew of great courtroom scenes that show the lengths that the government took in order to achieve justice (read: revenge) as swiftly as possible. My only beef with the screenplay was that the dialogue all seemed a little too simplistic. I couldn't find the characters entirely believable because I just didn't believe that they would speak in the way that they did. Aside from that, however, we get a solid and easily understandable storyline to follow.

We also get a nice bit of acting from the ensemble, center-pieced by a fine performance from James McAvoy. It took me a little while to warm up to his character, but as the film progressed, I felt more and more connected with him. Aiken is given a rather complete character arc as he struggles with the loopholes the government uses in order to make the tribunal as unconstitutional as one can imagine. What starts as a terrible bit of luck turns into a fight for basic human rights as Aiken does his best to convince the generals that serve as the tribunal's jurors. I wouldn't quite say that McAvoy delivers a tour-de-force performance, but he definitely steals the show from an otherwise pedestrian group. Robin Wright is okay, but she's given a lot less screen-time than one would imagine considering her top-billing. Sadly, she doesn't do much with a role that isn't entirely developed, so it's probably not her fault. Wilkinson is rather good in a limited amount of scenes, but he definitely makes you notice him. Be on the lookout for some other relatively well-known actors, such as the following: Alexis Bledel, Kevin Kline, Danny Huston, an inexplicable Justin Long, and Norman Reedus (who's most memorable from his starring role in The Boondock Saints).

Overall, there's definitely some flaws with The Conspirator (one of the biggest being its incredibly slow pace), but there's still enough for you to latch onto and enjoy if you're in the mood for a period piece like this. If anything, go for McAvoy's performance - give him a little time, and I guarantee you that you'll fall for the character at some point.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: B-
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