Bonnie And Clyde DVD > Reviews > Violent but Entertaining

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Advantages:	Superb direction, excellent acting
Disadvantages:	Graphic violence

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Bonnie and Clyde should be considered one of the great ground breaking movies and not just for some of the cinema effects used. Bonnie and Clyde as directed by Arthur Penn told the story not from the side of law enforcement but from the side of the villains. By doing so the crimes of the couple were romanticised and the law enforcers were portrayed as variously stupid and finally cruel. The film continued the development of Warren Beatty as a Hollywood sex symbol and he portrayed Clyde Barrow as a stylish character. Faye Dunaway was seen as elegant and refined and the film established briefly a fashion for a 1930s retro look.

As the film also has a pop theme tune which charted ‘The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde’ and the establishment of crossover culture in fashion and music from the cinema was born. This was the probably the first time that cinema was used in this way where previously the crossover had been from pop artists making films such as Elvis, Cliff Richard etc.

The pace and direction of the film are superb and long before the spellbinding and closing end sequence you are gripped by the film. The final scenes where the couple are killed by the pursuing police is one of the most compelling and infamous sequences in film history. The hundreds of bullets which tore into the car in which they were travelling and the graphic images of the death throes of the ‘heroes’ are unforgettable. Directors like Penn and his contemporary Sam Peckinpah were developing techniques which increased the reality effect of violence and Bonnie and Clyde used this to good effect.

Although the film did draw on some historical fact it is of course not the reality of the gangs existence but the film bears watching on its action and adventure alone. Add to this the high quality of cinematography and strong performances from the supporting cast which included Gene Hackman and Michael J Pollard and you have a very watchable film.