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Friday, April 30, 2021

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

 


Synopsis: Post-Classical Hollywood romanticizes spree-killing outlaw couple…..oh wait, that’s the Synopsis for Badlands

Blurb From the DVD jacket: “Adrift in the Depression-era Southwest, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker embark on a life of crime.” 

What Did I Learn?: Apparently, it was relatively easy to shove seven people into an early-1930s Ford and then ride comfortably. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You know that any gang led by a guy named Clyde has to be bad news.

Really?: 1) So, why exactly is Clyde impotent? This isn’t properly explained. I also have to wonder why Bonnie would stay with him when he can’t satisfy her, sexually, and he’s wanted by the cops. 2) It’s strange how neither Bonnie nor CW react all that much after Clyde ices a bank employee - the gang’s first murder. This should have been a much bigger moment in the film. 3) The characters mention a couple of interesting events - a group of farmers protecting the gang from the police with their pitchforks, and the gang robbing a local armoury to obtain Tommy-guns and grenades - that I can’t help thinking should have been filmed and actually shown to the audience. 4) Why in the world would the gang bring Blanche along for their robberies, considering she does nothing except scream during gunplay? 

Rating: Famed critic Roger Ebert called Bonnie and Clyde “a work of truth and brilliance,” and I’m inclined to agree with him. The film is a very enjoyable biopic that manages to make its title characters sympathetic, even though they’re violent and narcissistic criminals with a warped sense of right and wrong. And holy cow, what a cast - during a car ride we get to see Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman and Gene Wilder (in his screen debut) exchange jokes and laughter. Highly recommended. 9/10 stars. 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061418/?ref_=rvi_tt


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