Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

“All I can say is, they did right by me – and I’m bringin’ me and a mess of flowers to their funeral.“

1967’s Bonnie and Clyde is an interesting blend of romance and thrill. Based on the story of two depression-era heartthrob bank robbers, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty play the titular characters Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.

Bonnie and Clyde come from much different backgrounds. Bonnie, a socialite from West Dallas. Clyde, a rapscallion scammer from a small farm town forsaken by the depression. Their differences are clear. Clyde steals from stores and banks to make ends meet. Bonnie comes along for the thrill.

It makes sense that Dunaway and Beatty are cast as Bonnie and Clyde. They are straight charisma machines that are difficult to root against. They are very attractive with million dollar smiles. And all through the movie, they give Robin Hood moments where it’s clear they are not addicted to the violence of their crimes, but instead desperate people who see crime as a means to an end.

Bonnie and Clyde features breakout performances from Gene Hackman as Buck Barrow and Estelle Parsons as Blanche (Buck’s wife)–Parsons earning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in her role.

The film is tight and does not try to do too much. There are a handful of car chases which are a bit silly in a period piece. For a modern audience, watching old jalopies race at 35 miles per hour is inherently difficult to take seriously. You can blame 2 Fast 2 Furious for my short attention span on this. It works for what it is supposed to be. But I drive more aggressively on my daily commute.

The film itself is pretty tight at 111 minutes, and the character arcs are no more complicated than they need to be. I’m going to be brief on this review. Check the film out. It’s solid. Not my favorite, but I’ve certainly seen worse. But if you want to watch an objectively better movie with a pair of thieves, I’d say Thelma and Louise is a much better use of your time.

One quick shoutout… If you know nothing of the movie, one of my favorite actors of all time gets his film debut a full hour into the movie. I lost my mind because I did next to no research going in.

Enjoy the film.

7.7/10

111 minutes

Available on HBO Max