Part of Weekend Classics: Robert Redford
Robert Redford as blue-eyed, laid back train robber Sundance and Paul Newman as his equally charming partner-in-crime, Butch, star in this soulful, romantic look at the infamous Hole in the Wall gang. As the West rapidly becomes civilized, the law finally catches up to Butch, Sundance and their gang. Chased doggedly by a special posse, the two decide to make their way to South America in hopes of evading their pursuers once and for all.
“It would be no stretch to use the word ‘iconic’ for Redford’s turn as Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, a.k.a. the Sundance Kid…. The Sundance Kid, with his steely nerves and composure, is an emblem of a certain kind of cool masculinity, loyal and unafraid.” —Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times “Redford, famously held in close-up by director George Roy Hill to establish his presence, broods with all the good nature of the Fastest Gun In The West, staring the camera down and providing a perfect foil — both comic and serious — for Newman. (And to think, Warren Beatty turned down the role, Steve McQueen bailed at the 11th hour and Newman was originally down to play the Kid until he suggested swapping roles with Redford — which just goes to show how haphazard making a classic movie can be.)” —Bob McCabe, Empire Magazine “Redford, whose contribution to the shrewdly timed comic interchanges with Newman are crucial and precise, profits most, with the best role he has had since BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, a far better assignment and performance than that and one by which his stardom may at last be defined.” —John Mahoney, Hollywood Reporter (Sep 10, 1969)
