SNMR 4.10: "Bonnie and Clyde"

Tonight marks the 100^th movie reviewed on SNMR. Doesn't that bit o' trivia just give you goosebumps?

I didn't think so.

Tonight's feature is "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967, NR, 112 minutes), starring Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, Michael J. Pollard, Estelle Parsons and Denver Pyle. The film was directed by Arthur Penn. The film won two Oscars in 1968 and was nominated for eight others

I've heard a lot about this movie over the years, how good it is and all. I've never watched this movie before tonight.

PLOT SUMMARY: This is the screen version story of the 1930's real life bank robbing duo Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) and Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty). It tells the tale of when they first met through their grisly deaths at the hands of Texas Ranger Frank Hamer (Denver Pyle) and about 1,000 rounds of bullets.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS MOVIE: Beatty and Dunaway give decent performances in the lead roles. I was amused to see Denver Pyle in a role other than the white-haired Uncle Jessie from the "Dukes of Hazzard" (1979-1985) television show. I liked reading the production notes included on the DVD to learn that the movie was filmed in the real Texas towns (and some of the actual banks) that Bonnie and Clyde actually visited when they were a robbing.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE ABOUT THIS MOVIE: I really have no idea what all the fuss was surrounding this movie forty years ago. I suppose this film was groundbreaking back in 1967 but nowadays seems quite tame. Gene Hackman's voice in this movie just seemed weird to me. Maybe it's because he was a young actor here or maybe because his imitation of a Southern accent is so bad.

On the whole I was expecting more (what exactly I have no idea) and didn't get it.

**1/2 out of *****