Bonnie and Clyde Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Bonnie and Clyde
Year: 1967
Director: Norman Jewison
Country: U.S
Language: English

Like the decade before and after, the 60's was a great period for American movies. A Fistfull of Dollars incited a wave of spaghetti Westerns, Psycho shocked audiences across the world and 2001: A Space Odyssey changed the way people looked at Science Fiction film. Among this elite class of American films was Bonnie and Clyde, perhaps the first major movie to acknowledge that North America seems to get turned on by violence.

The plot  involves a bored small-town girl named Bonnie (Faye Dunaway)and a small-time bank robber named Clyde (Warren Beatty) who leave in their wake a string of violent robberies and newspaper headlines that catch the imagination of the Depression-struck Mid-West in this take on the legendary crime spree of these archetypal lovers on the run.

We rob banks. Clyde famously says to a rancher who was forced to give up his home to the bank. The actions Bonnie and Clyde do in this film could be considered monstrous in any other circumstance, yet we sympathize with them. Why? It is the great depression and money is scarce, people are doing what they need to survive. We rob banks is much more than a simple statement, it's an affirmation of rebellion against the system, against authority that tries to hold us down.

While the film was set in the 30's, it was made in the 60's when the Vietnam war was raging. The lines between "good" and "evil" were quickly disappearing and a new rebellious youth culture was rising. The fast paced and entertaining Bonnie and Clyde arrived at the right moment. Though it faced some scathing reviews during its first few months in the theaters, eventually critics warmed up to it and re-thought their views. Within a year of its release it was hailed as a modern masterpiece.

In conclusion, Bonnie and Clyde is an audaciously made classic that has clearly stood the test of time. The performances by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway are tremendous, the dialogue is fresh and often witty. There is a tremendous amount to praise about this film, like the lingering sense of doom that begins during the opening credits which fade, not to black, but to blood red. It's also worth noting the courage it took to make Clyde an ambiguous male character. Praise it! 5/5