Legends of the Wild West, those individuals who fueled the mystique of horse-riding gangs robbing banks and trains, or getting in shootouts with posses, make for great storytelling. Those on the wrong side of the law are viewed as masters of the outlaw lifestyle who only meet their end after betrayal or at the hands of an equally legendary lawman. As time passes, the stories of Wild West exploits grow the romantic imagery of the period and its people. The movies can practically write themselves. 

At number 73 on AFI’s Top 100, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is, to cut to the point, a good movie, an iconic movie. Paul Newman and Robert Redford bring memorable scenes to life, and they create interesting versions of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, accompanied by a soundtrack that is both appropriately cinematic and anachronistic. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, however, does not continue the trope of placing Western heroes on a pedestal. Where Sundance is portrayed in the film as a fearsome gunfighter, appropriate to his legend, Cassidy is a flawed character. He is supposed to be an infallible mastermind, and while Butch uses his head before a gun, his plans in the film feel more like exercises in ineptitude than exquisitely orchestrated criminal acts. Perhaps, I am too accustomed to the likes of Ocean’s Eleven or The Italian Job, where the mishaps end up being part of the plan. In this film, however, when the plans go wrong, the outcomes are not positive, and that propels the story from beginning to end. As a viewer, you keep watching because events are not playing out as you would expect from typical cinematic fare. How will Butch and Sundance escape their next pickle? Will they find permanent freedom and peace? Those are the questions you want answered.

This movie is a no-brainer to be on AFI’s list. When you put Paul Newman and Robert Redford together in the same film, you get something good. There is no singular standout aspect of the movie; it is simply solid throughout. The sum of the components creates a mandatory and entertaining watch. Not only is this a worthy entry on the AFI Top 100, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a movie I am glad to have in my collection.