''Bonnie and Clyde' (1967 film)- Review

Directed by: Arthur Penn
Released: 1967
Country: United States

Genre: Biographical, Crime, Drama

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review

''Bonnie and Clyde'' does not glorify the criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. However, it humanizes them. It humanizes them and makes the two characters real and human. While they are certainly outlaws and not people to be admired, the film takes us on a journey deep into the emotions of the characters.

Bonnie Parker, played by Faye Dunaway, longs for a better life. It is the Great Depression and Bonnie works as a waitress. However, she finds her life monotonous and wants more adventures in her life. She comes across Clyde Barrow- played by Warren Beatty- who has just come out of prison. Clyde robs banks, and thinking that her life will be much more adventurous if she is with Clyde, Bonnie joins him. Together, they rob banks- and soon they are joined by three more people: C. W. Moss- played by Michael J. Pollard; Buck Barrow, Clyde's brother, played by Gene Hackman; and Blanche Barrow, Buck's wife, played by Estelle Parsons. They become notorious, involving themselves in one crime after another. They make headlines, create a fear in people's minds, and the police keep looking for them.

''Bonnie and Clyde'' is, at times, a very intense film to watch. There is a lot of violence that are well-executed and seem real, resulting in a lot of suspense. There were times I looked away from the screen for a moment just because the violence felt way too real. There is heart throbbing suspense throughout the film.

Other than that, there is a lot of humor, a lot of romantic elements in the film. The relationship between Bonnie and Clyde develops over the course of the film, and the chemistry that develops between the two characters is excellent. There are times when their love for each other is so believable and touching that almost made me want to forget that they were criminals. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty are excellent in their roles, humanizing and strengthening the characters they play. The three major supporting characters- played by Pollard, Hackman and Parsons- are developed really well as well. All five of them were nominated for the Academy Award for this film- with Estelle Parsons winning the award for Best Supporting Actress.

While the events of the film are very romanticized and the real Bonnie and Clyde were way more cruel than they are shown to be in the film, the film takes us on a deep journey into the lives of the characters it tells the story of. The ending has to one of the most intense, violent endings I have ever come across. ''Bonnie and Clyde'' does not glorify its title characters. Instead, the film humanizes two such notorious historic figures as Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. While definitely a crime film, the film also focuses a lot on the relationship between the titular characters. Perhaps they would have had a good, long life together had they not made the choice of becoming involved in crime, had the Great Depression not caused them to leave a hard, honest life behind. Perhaps.