review: BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (Blu-ray)

Fox  //  Buy from Amazon.com Paul Newman and Robert Redford set the standard for the "buddy film" with this box office smash set in the Old West. The Sundance Kid (Redford) is the frontier's fastest gun. His sidekick, Butch Cassidy (Newman), is always dreaming up new ways to get rich fast. If only they could blow open a baggage car without also blowing up the money-filled safe inside... Or remember that Sundance can't swim before they escape a posse by leaping off a cliff into rushing rapids... Times are changing in the west and life is getting tougher. So Butch and Sundance pack their guns, don new duds, and, with Sundance's girlfriend (Katharine Ross), head down to Bolivia. Never mind that they don't speak Spanish - they'll manage somehow. A winner of four Academy Awards (including best screenplay and best song), here is a thoroughly enjoyable blend of fact and fancy done with true affection for a bygone era and featuring the two flashiest, friendliest funniest outlaws who ever called out "hands up!" I hadn't seen this film before - no surprise, given my lack of enthusiasm for any film made before about 1981. I've never been big on either Redford or Newman, but I can definitely appreciate the fact that they're regarded as true masters of the craft... and that this film, along with "The Sting," is considered their best film(s). Well, despite the age, the fact that it's a western, and the sugary-sweet dialogue and character development in this film, I surprisingly enjoyed myself. Aged, cliched, saccarine and watered down? Yep. Delightfully entertaining? Yessir. It's a well-shot movie, and there's no denying the talent or charisma of the two lead actors. I may not rush to watch this one again anytime soon, but I'm glad for having sat through it this one time, and would definitely give it a nod of approval. Video Well, it's a 1080p/MPEG-2 high def transfer, which is good, but whether due to the age of the material (nearly 40 years) or the lack of any perceived clean up, this is not a great looking Blu-ray disc, unfortunately, Not bad, and likely the best this film as looked in any format for home viewing, but it's just not as slick as I would've hoped. Audio You can't fault Fox for trying, as they deliver a DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 surround mix, but given the age of the film, it sounds like (and, truly, is) a mono movie through and through. Extras audio commentary w/ director, lyricist, associate producer & cinematographer audio commentary w/ screenwriter making-of documentary "The Wild Bunch: Fact vs. Fiction of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" featurette deleted scene trailers Closing Thoughts Entertaining, classic western + nice collection of extras = worth a viewing