Bonnie and Clyde : 1967 Movie Review

'' Some day they go down together,''
 ''And they bury them side by side,''
 ''To a few it''ll be grief ,''
 ''To the law a relief ,''
 ''But it's death for Bonnie and Clyde.''

- Bonnie Parker-

1967 Movie Poster

Review Summary

Producer/star Warren Beatty had to convince Warner Bros. to finance this film, which went on to become the studio's second-highest grosser. It also caused major controversy by redefining violence in cinema and casting its criminal protagonists as sympathetic anti-heroes. Based loosely on the true exploits of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker during the 30s, the film begins as Clyde (Beatty) tries to steal the car of Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway)'s mother. Bonnie is excited by Clyde's outlaw demeanor, and he further 

stimulates her by robbing a store in her presence. Clyde steals a car, with 

Bonnie in tow, and their legendary crime spree begins. 

The two move from town to town, pulling off small heists, until they join up with Clyde's brother Buck (Gene Hackman), his shrill wife Blanche (Estelle Parsons), and a slow-witted gas station attendant named C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard). The new gang robs a bank and Clyde is soon painted in the press as a Depression-era Robin Hood when he allows one bank customer to hold onto his money. Soon the police are on the gang's trail and they are constantly on the run, even kidnapping a Texas Ranger (Denver Pyle) and setting him adrift on a raft, handcuffed, after he spits in Bonnie's face when she kisses him. That same ranger leads a later raid on the gang that leaves Buck dying, Blanche captured, and both Clyde and Bonnie injured. 

The ever-loyal C.W. takes them to his father's house. C.W.'s father disaproves his son's affiliation with gangsters and enters a plea bargain with the Texas Rangers. A trap is set that ends in one of the bloodiest death scenes in cinematic history. The film made stars out of Beatty and Dunaway, and it also featured the screen debut of Gene Wilder as a mortician briefly captured by the gang. Its portrayal of Bonnie and Clyde as rebels who empathized with the poor working folks of the 1930s struck a chord with the counterculture of the 1960s and helped generate a new, young audience for American movies that carried over into Hollywood's renewal of the 1970s. Its combination of sex and violence with dynamic stars, social relevance, a traditional Hollywood genre, and an appeal to hip young audiences set the pace for many American movies to come.

Acting Credits

• Warren Beatty - Clyde Barrow
• Faye Dunaway - Bonnie Parker
• Michael J. Pollard - C W Moss
• Gene Hackman - Buck Barrow
• Estelle Parsons - Blanche
• Denver Pyle - Frank Hamer

Production Credits

• Director - Arthur Penn
• Screenplay - David Newman
• Screenplay - Robert Benton
• Producer - Warren Beatty
• 
  

Awards

Win

• 100 Greatest American Movies - 1998 American Film Institute
• Most Promising Newcomer - Faye Dunaway - 1967 British Academy of Film and Television Arts
• Best Supporting Actor - Gene Hackman - 1967 National Society of Film Critics
• Best Screenplay - David [wr-6789:] Newman - 1967 New York Film Critics Circle
• Best Screenplay - Robert [wr/di] Benton - 1967 New York Film Critics Circle
• Best Cinematography - Burnett Guffey - 1967 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
• Best Supporting Actress - Estelle Parsons - 1967 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
• U.S. National Film Registry - 1991 Library of Congress

The real Bonnie and Clyde