Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

I really liked the way this film began.  The lighting created a dark mood for the gambling outlaws as well as the way the light was filtered through the camera lens.  It had a gritty look to it which matched the tough-looking cowboys sitting around the poker table.  I knew I was going to like it--it felt much more modern than anything else from this time period.  Then, it changed.  It moved to full-on technicolor and lost its edge.  


As the film progressed, it was fun to get a deeper glimpse into the characters' personalities.  It was obvious that Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) was the brains of the outfit while the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) was the brawn with his gunslinging skillz.  The film became more playful than I have ever seen in a western (excluding any that had Don Knotts in them).  


Once the girlfriend was introduced, I lost a lot of respect for the film.  Burt Bacharach's "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" plays through a dreamy 1960s sequence of Butch Cassidy riding a bike with the Kid's girl sitting on the handlebars.  It was weird.  And not western.  At all.


The storyline was interesting but predictable--outlaws trying to escape the Law.  They end up high-tailing it to Bolivia, and somehow the phantom-esque posse that was chasing them found them there anyway.  The only unpredictability was how the film ended (which was pretty much true based on the information I was able to find about the real Butch and Kid)--the final shootout shocked me and left me feeling quite unsatisfied.  But I won't spoil it for you.


If I were going to re-make this movie, I would have stuck with the tone that was set at the very beginning of the film and forget about trying to make the audience like the characters (I think their camaraderie would have endeared me to them anyway).  The cheesiness of the score really sent me over the edge into unbelievability.


As far as any spiritual insight--it was lacking.  I suppose you could point out how the pursuit of wealth never ends well and that holds true with what Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:9-10, "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."  


It got the attention apparently because so much money was spent making it (filming on location and hiring expensive actors).  It definitely needed to be reined in with a more cohesive tone.  I, for one, would have enjoyed it more.  However, I must say that I did enjoy it at times, and it wasn't a complete waste.  But don't expect Lonesome Dove.