2020 Blind Spot Series: Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

I didn't know much about Bonnie and Clyde when I picked it for my Blind Spot Series. I knew it told the story of a couple of thieves, that it won a couple of Oscars while scoring tons of other nominations, and that it is widely loved among cinephiles. The latter two are the reason why I had very high expectations about it. Sadly, Arthur Penn's film didn't meet them as I found it a rather bland and repetitive lovers-on-the-run film.

Texas, 1931. One morning, as she wakes up, Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) notices that a man is trying to steal her momma's car. She runs down in a hurry and, as the man looks up at her with an embarrassed look, she decides not to report him. Instead, the two go for a walk, he introduces himself as Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and tells her that he just got out of prison for armed robbery. Of course, she doesn't believe him and to prove he isn't lying, Clyde robs a small grocery shop right away and escape with Bonnie in a stolen car.

Since she is looking for a way out of her humdrum life and is smitten by Clyde, Bonnie decides to become his partner in crime. Following some small-time heists, the two turn to rob banks. But it's when they pick up a young man who works at a gas station, C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard), that their exploits become more violent as Clyde has no other option than kill a man. Their crimes become even more brutal and violence when Clyde's brother, Buck (Gene Hackman), and his wife, Blanche (Estelle Parsons), a preacher's daughter, join the gang.

One of the issues I had with Bonnie and Clyde is the story. While I didn't care for historical inaccuracies as I wasn't familiar with the story before seeing the film and hence could not possibly spot them, I found the story to be too simple and too straightforward for me to be really intrigued and captivated by it. Yes, it blends well elements of crime and love, drama and comedy, while dealing with themes such as the obsession with celebrity, the Robin Hood mentality, the corruption of police agencies and the violence in American society. However, I found its exploration of themes to be not as complex as it could have been, and the story to be repetitive and dragged and, although it was off to a good start, I was soon bored with the story and uninterested to see the predictable ending play out. Also, the romantic subplot involving Bonnie and Clyde often felt forced and out of place.

The other and last issue I had with Bonnie and Clyde is the characters. I felt like the writers, David Newman and Robert Benton, tried to make the characters likeable and attractive without, however, providing them with enough characterization and development to achieve that. As a result, I spent almost two hours with a group of characters I barely knew at the end. I didn't know what drove them — apparently, Clyde became a criminal because he couldn't have sexual satisfaction —I didn't care for and didn't particularly like as they all felt like some cheap characters came straight out of a soap opera. My guess is that the writers only cared about the people who already knew the story.

If you take out the very flawed writing and the slow pacing, the result is a fairly good film. The acting, for starters, is great. Warren Beatty does a fantastic job in the role of Clyde, specifically when it comes to portraying the outlaw's sexuality — it's erectile dysfunction in the film but some went as far as saying that he was homosexual, and I think that's what Beatty went for as I couldn't help but feel, whenever one of those painful sex scenes was happening, that Clyde was gay. Which is reinforced by the chemistry the character has with the young C.W. Moss. Faye Dunaway nails the sweet Southern young woman turned into a troubled femme fatale. Both Beatty and Dunaway are so likeable, they still manage to inspire sympathy for the characters in spite of the writing, and their on-screen chemistry is terrific. The supporting cast — specifically Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons and Michael J. Pollard — also does a great job, and it was such a nice surprise to see Gene Wilder as he delivers a performance that adds a subtle comedy to his scenes.

The film also looks pretty incredible. While Theodora Van Runkle's costumes are delightful, it's Burnett Guffey's cinematography that steals the show — it is truly breathtaking and does a wonderful job at recreating of the atmosphere of 1930s America. The musical score by Charles Strouse too adds intensity and authenticity to the film.

Ultimately, Bonnie and Clyde succeeds in portraying its leading duo, two criminals, as folk heroes, and manages to not glorify its violence and decently deal with sexuality — it was the 60s, after all. However, if falls sort in creating deep and likeable characters and a throughout engaging story.