Rating: 
Summary: Before the Movie There were Only the Real Killers
Review: Hollywood has had a long history of rewriting the record of anti-social and even criminal characters (Billy the Kid, Al Capone et al) by glossing over their backgrounds of crime and glamorizing their deeds. Usually, this whitewashing of history was done for financial reasons since the paying public was more likely to plunk down ticket money if they felt that these glitzed up criminals were less of a hard core miscreant and more the product of a broken home or an uncaring society. Director Arthur Penn in BONNIE AND CLYDE continued this tradition but to it added the splicing of a 1960s style morality based on a youth-oriented anti-establishment credo to the harsh dustbowl morality that still resonated in the minds of the over 40 crowd. The result was a film that appealed to hippies who saw Bonnie and Clyde as a gun-toting rock band (hence the banjo music) and the veterans of the depression who could see in the targeted banks a hated symbol of the heartlessness of a system that could foreclose on a lifetime of dreams. Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) were, in real life, neither attractive nor very likable people. Barrow had no qualms about killing. His gun moll, Bonnie Parker, was much less a factor than Faye Dunaway in controlling his hair-trigger temper. Beatty's Clyde Barrow was a decent, if sexually impotent sort, who the movie implies used his misplaced testosterone as the reason for his crime sprees. Dunaway's Bonnie Parker is seen as a woman who is looking for more in a man than a dinner as a prelude for sex. When she discovers Clyde's impotency, she learns that she can rechannel that pent-up energy in a way that could give her vicarious thrills: a life of crime. Together they carve a swath through the west, announcing to one astonished onlooker, 'We rob banks.' And rob banks they do, all to the banging twangs of banjo music, which imply that their acts have the tacit approval not only of the producers of this movie but also of the audience. Along the way, they add to their gang Buck Barrow (Gene Hackman), his wife (Estelle Parsons, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress), and C. W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard), all of whom add varying degress of humor and the unexpected to a blend that carries within its humor a sense of unavoidable tragedy. The often discussed conclusion of slow-motion bloody violence was startlingly original in its day, but even before the bullets hit home, director Penn gave plenty of warning that this movie was headed nowhere but death.
Penn went to great pains to get all the details right: the cars, the clothes, the guns, even the dusty little towns that the Barrow gang rumbled through. The viewer got the sense that he knew why Clyde and Bonnie turned outlaw, and it is precisely this sense of identification of viewer to protagonist that renders the movie Bonnie and Clyde more palatable than their real life counterparts who were much less attractive in both body and mind.
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Summary: best movie ever!
Review: even though it doesn't really respect the true bonnie and clyde story (some stuff just isn't true. ^_^;) it is still quite good. i've seen this movie 25 times (yes i know. call me obsessed) and everytime i watch it, the ending really gets to me. i think it's one of the best part in it (it's just...woah. you gotta see it yourself). dunaway and beatty are great actors - you really get attached to them during the whole movie (which makes the ending even more frustrating). whoever said old movies weren't good really needs to see this one. i've first seen it when i was 9 - and now i'm 18 and i still say this is the best movie ever made. and if you weren't interested in the REAL bonnie and clyde...you might just be after seeing this movie. i know it got me interested. maybe way too much for my own good. ^_^; anyhow, i highly recommend buying this movie. trust me, you won't regret it. (also, it's better on dvd. the image quality is amazing).
Rating:
Summary: A Perfect Ten
Review: I saw this movie last when I was a teenager and loved it. I recently saw it again (25 years later) and thought it was even better. This film is a masterpiece in every way. For Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, it definitely represents the best performances of their careers (and did Faye Dunaway look fantastic!). The supporting cast (Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, Michael J. Pollard) were also great. The depression era 1930's are lovingly reproduced to the smallest detail, and the musical score, including the wonderful bluegrass number by Flatt and Scruggs, is note perfect. The tone of the film is also perfect, the violence inflicted by the Barrow gang on others, and by others on them, steadily escalates throughout the movie. This contributes to the sense of impending doom which pervades the film. We empathize with these beautifully nuanced characters, but recognize they have passed the point of no return, and are well down the road to annihilation. One of my favorite scenes is when they visit Bonnie's seemingly senile mother, and Clyde patronizingly tells her "We'd like to settle within three miles of you." Her reply: "Then you won't live very long. You best keep on running." I could go on and on. Suffice it to say this is one of the truly great films, and has lost none of its lustre over the past 35 years. If you only buy ten movies in your lifetime, this should be one of them.
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Summary: A powerful movie....even today
Review: Even today there is no denying the power of 'Bonnie And Clyde'. At the time it was viewed as sensationilising violence, but whether it does or not doesn't take away from the fact that it's utterly amazing. It's about the infamous Barrow gang that terrorised America during the Depression era, focusing specifically on Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. She's just a waitress and he's just a petty thief but together they manage to pull off great bank robberies, with the aid of friend C.W and Clyde's brother and sister-in-law.The movie's best feature is that it shows the allure of an exciting life whilst never shying away from the complexities of it. One scene where Bonnie gets to see her mother for one last time is expertly done, with the gang finally realising that they have passed the point of no return. In this sense if the movie does sensationalise violence - a slow motion showdown has in particular worried many people - then it does at least show the other side of it. No doubt the actual story of the couple's relationship is romanticised for the big screen, but even this is unconventional, and the sympathy given to the two criminals is well done. The acting is sublime, especially the two leads, who pull off the two complicated characters with panache. This is a real landmark in cinema and still resonates today with its message of the power of violence and the allure of 'getting away from it all' at whatever cost.
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Summary: dazzling and heartbreaking
Review: BONNIE AND CLYDE works well walking a fine line between laughter and terror, thanks to vivid title performances and a tart supporting cast. Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) begin a life of robbing banks during the Great Depression, more for something to do than for the money itself. Soon, however, Clyde has brought on his brother, Buck (Gene Hackman) and his new bride, Blanche (Estelle Parsons), as well as kooky driver, C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard). Gradually, the tone of the film changes; a humorous first act introduces the characters, in the second act Bonnie starts wanting to go home, and in the blood-soaked third act where we see the heartbreaking conclusion. The performances are sublime; Beatty plays Clyde as a little boy trapped in a man's body, corrupted by his jailbird brother and the need to make his mark. Faye Dunaway is luminous as Bonnie, seduced by Clyde and by a reckless lifestyle that is so colorful compared to her dull small town. Michael J. Pollard and Gene Hackman are superb. Estelle Parsons (in her Oscar-winning performance) is heartbreaking as the loyal Blanche who unquestioningly follows Buck even though she already knows the outcome. With cracking direction by Arthur Penn, a screenplay by David Newman & Robert Benton and a jubilant musical score by Charles Strouse, BONNIE AND CLYDE is a true classic.
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Summary: In one word:GREAT!!!!
Review: The story of this film is quite simple, Clyde (played by Warren Beatty) and Bonnie (played by Faye Dunaway) fall in love and both like playing with fate (and with guns). So they just decide to live a risky life, making robberies in banks, stores, and to win their money doing that. They ally up with Clyde's brother and his wife, and they steal money and live a special kind of life. But they are looking for trouble a little too much...they reveal their names to the people in the banks they are robbering. And then come the cops....and then comes the REAL trouble....I loved the whole film, especially the ending, which was a shock nobody forgets in many ways...The acting is excellent, it was THE Role with a capital R for Warren Beatty...his best performance for sure. Faye Dunaway did an excellent job too, playing a girl who loves this man Clyde, who is not THE romantic guy...It was not like watching any other love story, because the lovers were criminals, and they were happy being together in that situation...and incredible chemestry of violence and love. I enjoyed it a lot.
Rating: 
Summary: This Is Art
Review: Mr. Bonesteel characterized this movie as art. I'd have to agree with that because art is entirely subjective. However, his statement about these two hoods being heroes to the people at the time is not accurate (more misinformation from the movie). B&C rarely robbed banks. In fact, they robbed mom-and-pop stores and stole people's cars. A couple of times Clyde killed "pop" in the process. This killing of innocents, as well as law enforcement, did not endear them to the public.
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Summary: Visionary
Review: Although this film may play fast and loose with the facts, it nevertheless rises to the level of art. The cast, which includes Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, Michael J. Pollard, and Gene Wilder, is uniformly superb. The Depression-era milieu is wonderfully recreated through the use of bluegrass music and authentic-looking supporting actors. The rage that people felt against the government in a time when banks were closing and people were losing their property is palpable, making it clear why a couple like Bonnie and Clyde might become heroes to the average man.
Rating: 
Summary: Shot In The Hide
Review: ...Beatty and Hackman are great, as usual. Parsons's Oscar is baffling to me; she howls and cackles throughout but doesn't do much else. What makes BONNIE AND CLYDE is Faye Dunaway. Her performance is beyond anything any woman attempted between WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF and SOPHIE'S CHOICE. The fact that she didn't win the Oscar is stupifying. And she looks like a million bucks.
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Summary: Tinsel Town Rapes History
Review: This film is an irresponsible rape of history for commercial gain. I'm not talking about omissions because of the limitations of movie making. I'm talking about outright lies. I can almost forgive making stuff up about B&C since they were a couple of dirt bags, but I can't forgive making Frank Hamer (mispronounced in the movie) and other lawmen look like fools. Frank's service to society was quite remarkable. It was so remarkable that the justified slaughter of B&C was but a footnote to his illustrious career. And what of the officers and innocents killed or injured by the Barrow gang? The movie makes their loss seem like so much fun at the penny arcade. Director Penn should be ashamed. I doubt the positive reviewers of this film would be so quick to praise a movie that made Charlie Manson's group out to be a fun-loving bunch of misguided hippies. This is the exact sort of thing this movie did. The only difference is how old the crimes are. In fact in terms of the suffering they caused, the Barrow gang was worse than Manson. Those that glowingly praise this movie would be well served to crack a history book once in a while. I suggest Milner's The "Lives and Times of Bonnie and Clyde." If you do decide to read about B&C, you'll be surprised to find that some of the most interesting facts were left out of the movie. For example: They broke one of their buddies out of a major Texas prison from the outside. Clyde was a small Beaver-Cleaver-looking guy who deftly used a large machine gun (a Browning Automatic Rifle) because tommy guns, which are revered by Hollywood, could not reliably penetrate the steel of early 30s cars. And best of all, they really loved each other. All that lover's tension and sexual dysfunction in the movie is BS. The actors did a decent job. They probably didn't even know that the script had very little to do with Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. Even if they did know, they probably wouldn't care. The casting was horrible, but hey, once you cast off the annoying constraints of what actually happened, who cares? If the movie had been titled Bob and Suzy, it would have been worth watching in its day. Even if it were, these days it would be a waste of money.
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