Bonnie and Clyde

Starring: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, Denver Pyle, Dub Taylor, Gene Wilder
Directed by: Arthur Penn
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Drama
1967

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Bonnie (Faye Dunaway) and Clyde (Warren Beatty) go on a violent crime spree across the country.

Review:

Tim: Bonnie and Clyde is certainly a landmark film of the late 1960s. If you watch the film purely through the eyes of today's audience, you'd probably think this was a good movie, but not much more than that. This is a film that you need to understand the context to truly appreciate. Arthur Penn directs a very solid movie- there's no question about that. However, to understand the significance of this film, you really need to understand when it came out and why it was so different to everything else before it.

It's a given these days that movies are violent and bloody. This was not always the case. Through most of the early days of cinema, murder was depicted as bloodless. This was one of the first films to use squibbs to depict gunshot wounds to simulate bullet hits. The murders at the end of the film were believed to be among the bloodiest in film history (they are beyond mild in today's perspectives). To understand what makes this film great, you need to understand that at the time, this film was one of the bloodiest, most shockingly violent films audiences had ever seen. And, along with that, the main characters are murderers and the movie glorifies that. We are very much supposed to support and care about Bonnie and Clyde- we want them to escape arrest. We want their crime spree to continue. This was all pretty shocking in the 1960s. If you think about what this movie meant, it was one of the films that opened the doors to bloody violence in Hollywood. Think of all the films that came after this one that were influenced by what was depicted here. That alone makes this one of the more influential films of all time.

It helps that this also happens to be a great movie in other aspects, too. Arthur Penn directs a really entertaining story. From the chance meeting between Bonnie and Clyde, to their early crime mishaps, to rounding out the gang, to more brazen robberies and the fame that came with it, we're carried along on this entertaining joyride. At just under two hours long, the film feels lean and Penn never lets the momentum die down. It's a beautiful film to look at, so it's not surprising that it won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography (one of 10 nominations and one of 2 wins).

The cast is obviously a highlight. It's pretty stunning that the film was nominated for Best Actor, Best Actress, two Best Supporting Actors, and a Best Supporting Actress. That's basically everyone of substance in the cast. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway are obviously excellent in the lead roles. They didn't give overly flashy performances, just strong fearless, reckless ones. They help you to understand the spirit of Bonnie and Clyde while making them feel like people, not myths. They work very well together. Gene Hackman earns his nomination by playing it up more than the other actors can. His Buck is larger than life, charismatic yet dangerous. His performance is exceptionally strong. I also enjoyed Michael J. Pollard, who gives this fascinating performance- at times, he seems so simple and kind, but he also has a mean streak in him. Between Beatty, Dunaway, Hackman, and Pollard, you have quite the cast. And yet, the only person who turned their nomination into a win was Estelle Parsons, for Best Supporting Actress. It's kind of interesting, because I felt like Parsons was the weakest member of the cast. Yes, she has moments where she can go all out with her character, but she was so annoying and grating. I understand that was the character, but it was a turn off for me- I started to cringe whenever she'd have substantial lines to say. I'm actually surprised she won the Academy Award. I would not have awarded it to her. Still, it's not like she is bad in the role. It's just that in such an amazing cast, it's strange that the fifth best actor was the only one to win an Oscar. Also, I haven't even mentioned the small role for Gene Wilder, who gives a good supporting turn. The cast is really outstanding.

Bonnie and Clyde is a landmark film, one of the most influential films of the 1960s. It's an important film, one that has stood the test of time.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Midnight Cowboy, Easy Rider