Review of Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde was a short, violent film with a number of great shots of violence. It's intensity in 1967 must have been high. The almost non-stop action with robberies and shootings are highly entertaining. I was particularly taken with the scene early on in the movie where Beatty shoots the banker in the face and blood spurts all over the window. Truly another level of depictions of violence was reached with the scenes from this movie

I saw other movies that have borrowed from this one, namely Stone's Natural Born Killers. The driving sequences instantly recalled that film to my mind. Killers and Pulp Fiction, which also has some similarities to Bonnie and Clyde, set another marker for violence in films. Before Bonnie and Clyde violence in movies was muted, blood was rarely shown. Comparisons to other shoot 'em up movies always showed people getting shot in the stomach without much blood. I think Bonnie and Clyde changed the game. The film ushered in not only the start of "New Hollywood" but also a re-thinking of the boundaries of what was acceptable in depictions of violence.

I was led to watch Bonnie and Clyde by reading Peter Biskind's Easy Riders and Raging Bulls. In it he describes how Beatty had to lobby hard to get the picture made. Initially Bonnie and Clyde played only a few select theaters and was pulled after a short stint. Eventually it was re-released and went on to huge success.