Katharine Ross, Paul Newman and Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

The box-office duo of Robert Redford and Paul Newman first struck movie gold with this 1969 Western and they do make it fun to watch. Besides being two of the most beautiful men ever born, they are both extremely talented actors and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are two of their most iconic roles.

This movie, along with Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, helped launch a new but short-lived era in the horse opera. Whereas that movie broke new ground in onscreen violence Butch Cassidy had a very modern, subversive attitude that connected with America's youth. We aren't given much background into their past or shown what events or people helped shape them into the men they became. In that sense, like Bonnie and Clyde, the bad guys are the heroes.

Today the movie holds up as a decent comedy-western with a memorable ending. But in all honesty it hasn't aged that well. The first 35 minutes are slow and rather uninteresting. It is not until the two outlaws begin to be tracked down that the story gets rolling. This builds to the famous jump into the river. Then the movie has to start all over and rebuild its momentum after the scene shifts to Bolivia.

The final thirty minutes still has punch but it is a long time coming.

Don't get me wrong, this is still a good movie. The "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" scene with Newman showing off on a bicycle for Katharine Ross while Redford sleeps, still has charm. But instead of a timeless classic it now plays more like a Sunday afternoon movie. I guess it is at that awkward in-between stage that movies go through. You know, still too new to be canonized as an immortal classic but old enough to appear really dated. Keep checking back, who knows in another 10 years I may have a completely different take on it.

Did you enjoy Patrick's review? +4 -4

Robert Redford and Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Newman and Redford are definitely the two best things about this movie. They argue and banter like an old married couple. Butch is the thinker and planner while Sundance is the man of action. They share a terrific male chemistry and it is their interactions that keep you watching. Certainly their relationship is stronger than the one between Sundance and Etta, which doesn't do much except slow down the film.

I think the problem with the pacing is that there isn't really a strong plot, but just a series of adventures that Butch and Sundance go through. There are definitely a few scenes that could have been cut. It might be blasphemy to some, but the first scene I'd cut would be the "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" scene. It has nothing to do with the plot and it is incredibly dated at this point. It just screams the late 1960s. The other scene that could go is the photo montage of Butch, Sundance and Etta in New York on their way to Bolivia. Later, there's another montage of bank robbing and dining that could also have been trimmed.

Having said that though, there are stretches of this movie that are brilliant and classic. The extended chase scene where the duo are pursued by the unstoppable posse is a classic, ending as it does with the famous cliff jumping scene you mentioned, Patrick. There's another classic little scene where the two of them decide to go straight for a while by becoming payroll guards in Bolivia, with a scene-stealing Strother Martin. And of course the final gunfight with one of the most famous movie endings ever, is pure cinematic gold.

Without a doubt though, it is the camaraderie of Newman and Redford that make this movie work. They are charmingly handsome rogues, who, with their constant banter (Butch with his ideas, Sundance with his mocking stoicism), make you care about these villains. If not for these talented actors and a seemingly magical chemistry, this movie probably wouldn't be remembered as well as it is today.

Did you enjoy Scott's review? +3 -2