Bonnie and Clyde [1967]

Lots of great movies get made, but few manage to attain iconic status such that they linger in public conscience long after their sell by dates in theatres. Easy examples of such movies would be Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, Easy Rider, Breathless, Sholay or perhaps even Jaws; Bonnie and Clyde is easily part of that elite group. The real-life tale of two lovers – Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow – hitting on a cross-country crime spree, happened to be Warren Beaty’s pet subject, and under Arthur Penn’s hands the movie went on to achieve stratospheric popularity despite the initial criticism it had to face because of its then-graphic depiction of crime, violence, lawlessness and the characters’ notorious detachments where things concerning morality and ethics were concerned. Played with amazing charm and skill by Warren Beaty and Faye Dunaway, two actors who would go on to achieve great glory in their respective careers, their terrific screen chemistry is stuff that legends are made of. Though I feel the movie hasn’t dated well – the acting of the supporting characters (including Gene Hackman, and especially the lady who played his wife) seemed way over the top to me, the attempts at humour were a tad lame, and the plot too at times seems not tight enough, but there’s no denying the movie’s place in cinematic folklore. And the fact that it has inspired such famous inspirations like Terrence Mallick’s lyrical Badlands and Oliver Stone’s hyper-violent Natural Born Killers, makes its claim to fame that much more strong.








Director: Arthur Penn
Genre: Crime Drama/Gangster Film/Road Movie
Language: English
Country: US