"They're young... they're in love... and they kill people."

Review: Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

An Augustus Review of 8.5/10

Travel back to the 1930s, where the Depression is at its highest, and people are scrounging for cash. People are resorting to violence due to lack of food, water and occupation. Some are committing crimes while others are falling in love. A certain couple is doing both; the infamous duo, Bonnie and Clyde. 

This 1967 flick loosely follows the lives of the real Bonnie and Clyde of the 1930s. They are outlaws who rob banks, murder and continually fall more in love with each other and the game. Bonnie is played by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty stars Clyde. Together, this couple cause havoc across the United States.

 The movie begins with Clyde, a junkie, trying to break into Bonnie’s car. Bonnie meets Clyde for the first time and is intrigued by him. Bonnie up until this point, worked as a waitress in which she hated doing. She decides to join Clyde and become partners in crime.

At first, the crimes the couple commits are miniscule and extremely sloppy. However, the two gain a passion for crime and the excitement of breaking the law. Their crime spree escalates when they team up with C.W Moss (Michael J. Pollard), a dim and lousy gas station owner.

The three expand their gang when Clyde’s brother and sister-in-law join. The women immediately butt heads and argue continuously.  The group takes the crimes up a notch and begin to rob banks. After robbing a bank, Clyde shoots the bank manager in the face.

The gang is followed by law enforcement officer Frank Hamer (Denver Pyle). However, they end up capturing him and harass him. They make the mistake and let him go after tormenting him. The outlaws are later caught off guard when the police find them and open fire. Clyde’s brother is fatally shot and his wife is also wounded. Bonnie, Clyde and C.W. barely escape; they continue to run, but pursuit is tight on their trail.

Bonnie and Clyde was the first movie to break the sex/violence ratio in movies. With its intense violence and sex scenes, this movie actually opened up the new style of movies. Warner Bros was sceptical and offered to give Warren Beatty (star-producer as well) 40% of the gross income because they felt the movie would not be a hit. Little did they know that this movie would gross over 70 million worldwide. Bonnie and Clyde also was nominated for numerous awards and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and Best Cinematography.

-          Augustus