Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Metascore
58 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 2 out of 8
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  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    63
    This good movie is buried beneath millions of dollars that were spent on "production values" that wreck the show.
  2. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    88
    The movie is jovial without being silly; it retains the sense of adventure that characterizes the Western, but replaces the often somber mood with one that is airy and, at times, almost comedic.
  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Vincent Canby
    70
    The over-all production is very handsome, and the performances fine, especially Newman, Redford, and Miss Ross, who must be broadly funny and straight, almost simultaneously.
  4. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Dave Kehr
    30
    George Roy Hill's 1969 film moves with steady, stupid grace from oozy sentimentality to nihilistic violence.
  5. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ethan Alter
    88
    Butch Cassidy's winking awareness of its own cinematic nature (from the opening "silent movie" train robbery to the famous closing freeze frame) and witty banter give the story a degree of charm and exuberance.
  6. Empire
    Reviewed by: Bob McCabe
    100
    Note-perfect performances, a screenplay steeped in both nostalgia and a timely sense of insight, and anti-heroes you can't help but love.
  7. Variety
    Reviewed by: Whitney Williams
    80
    Action dwells upon the misadventures of the pair as they pursue the outlaw trail, but more importantly, packs the type of fast movement the title indicates.
  8. Time
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    10
    Every character, every scene, is marred by the film's double view, which oscillates between sympathy and farce.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. grandpajoe6191
    7
    Robert Redford and Paul Newman owns "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" with their harmony performances. Its not great, but it will make you stick in your chair till the end.… Full Review »
  2. Scorpion
    9
    The plot with the slow pace and elegant design the best thing in the movie, the main characters, who are perfectly played by Redford and Newman,, conveying to the viewer a relationship of equilibrium and friendship between them… Full Review »
  3. The_MOW
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. "Gorge Cassidy" (Paul Newman), a.k.a. "Butch Cassidy", and "Lonny Longbaugh" (Robert Redoford), a.k.a. "The Sundance Kid, are two of the greatest robbers in the history of the Old West. They pulled jobs on banks and trains with an expertise that made them famous from coast to coast.

    Now, years after being out of the business for about two decades, they decide to pull one last bank heist in Bolivia, with the help of a school teacher (Katharine Ross) with romantic ties to both men.

    I have to say that I am pretty disappointed in this film. I found it to be slow, with not enough action considering the topic of the movie. It dragged so much that I noticed spending more attention to my computer than watching the movie itself on cable television.

    One thing that stood out was the on-screen relationship between Newman and Redford. This is what carries the movie I believe, and most likely why this movie is called a classic now. You feel as if the two are not just partners in crime, but friends with the ribbing that they give one another.

    Another problem with this movie is the soundtrack. The only piece of music that is memorable is Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head by BJ Thomas, and that was a weird tune for a Western set in the Old West. If you ask me, the song was just an odd choice.

    I also barely enjoyed Ross as "Etta Place". Her character was barely developed if you asked me. It appeared that she was there as a romantic interest, and to help teach "Butch" and "Sundance" Spanish for their attempt at robbing the Bolivian bank.

    If you expect a lot of gunfights, you are mistaken on this one. Of what there is in the movie, they are short and well placed.

    The cinematography is hard for me to judge since Encore Westerns used a pan-and-scan format. I had to deal with only half of a scene when two people were talking to one another. But, from wide shots, I could see some spectacular scenery, including the famous scene when the title characters jump from a cliff into the water.

    Because it was declared a classic, I've been wanting to see this movie. I am highly disappointed in it.    … Full Review »
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