Bonnie and Clyde has great cultural significance. Roger Ebert was correct in calling it a milestone in American cinema. The seed of this story, which is based on true events, can be found in many other classic films, such as Badlands, Thelma and Louise, True Romance and Natural Born Killers.
Some people have claimed that the film glamorises the lives of the real Bonnie and Clyde, who committed multiple murders. But I don’t think it’s as simple as this. When I watch this film, I don’t see their lives as something to admire and strive towards. The film doesn’t seem to condone or romanticise violence in any way. However, it certainly humanises Bonnie and Clyde.
As to the historical validity of the film, I don’t think it aligns a great deal with the real Bonnie and Clyde (and I don’t think it was meant to). Even though many of the events did actually take place, from what I’ve read the real Bonnie and Clyde seem more ruthless and less likeable than the characters in the film. In the film, Bonnie and Clyde are initially very reluctant to kill anybody. It is only when they are practically forced to that things snowball out of control.
In the film, Clyde initiates the crimes and lures Bonnie from her humdrum life, though it certainly didn’t take much to lure her. But even as the initiator, there is something endearingly naïve about Clyde. He just wants to steal cars and money and be left alone. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He also has sympathy with the average folk he comes across. For example, when stealing from a bank he doesn’t take any money from the civilians, only from the bank reserves. He also, after the first killing, gives Bonnie the opportunity to leave before she gets in too deep. She refuses of course. But this demonstrates that Clyde is relatively thoughtful and has some morals.
The main theme of the film, and what renders this story so archetypal and appealing, is that it captures the deep sense of restlessness that many feel in our civilised, urban lives. The idea of breaking free from social norms and conventions, of liberating oneself from conformity and normality, strikes a chord with many people. There is something anarchic and subversive about doing this. But importantly, and this is why I feel the film doesn’t glamorise violence or crime, Bonnie and Clyde shows us that when you begin a life of crime, things can easily spiral out of control. Things will usually end violently and tragically (especially if you're naïve).
The first few scenes of the film are magnificent pieces of cinematic storytelling. We see Bonnie pacing around her room restlessly in her little country house. We see lots of closeup shots of her, immediately signifying a sense of claustrophobia. At one point she flops on the bed and her face is obscured by the metal framing of the bed stand. She hits at the metal framing multiple times in a fidgety way. Here we are looking at a caged animal. We are looking at someone who feels oppressed by her humdrum life. We see someone who is yearning for something deeper and more meaningful. All of this is told to us without any dialogue. This is cinema at its best.
The performances from Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty are perfect. Their first interaction is particularly great. They both perform that initial awkwardness well. We can see they’re both trying to act cool but are coming across as a little effected. At the same time, they are both immediately drawn together. Gene Hackman plays Clyde’s brother Buck brilliantly. He's a jovial type who isn’t much of a deep thinker, but who clearly loves his brother and who you could say has just got swept up in Clyde’s escapades. The performance of Michael Pollard, as CW Moss, is also hard to forget. He plays the simple, suggestible, backcountry type brilliantly. His first scene in the gas station is particularly good. He comes across very plausibly as the kind of oddball character you would meet on the road.
The film seems to sympathise, in a fairly subtle way, with those in poverty. Early on in the film, we come across a family who have had their home taken from them by a bank. Clyde sympathises with these people. We then see Clyde asking a civilian in one of the banks they are robbing whether the money on the counter is his, to which the civilian replies yes. Clyde then lets the civilian keep his money. Toward the end of the film, when Bonnie and Clyde are seriously wounded, CW stops by a campsite with poor-looking, traveller types in it. They generously give water to the injured Bonnie and Clyde and give a pot of soup to them. The film, without being preachy, could be seen as making a comment on the wealth disparity in America and the corruption of the banking system. It's also worth noting it was set during the great depression.
Another element I like to the film is that Clyde isn’t a “lover boy”. He has trouble getting intimate with Bonnie, even when she makes advances. I like this as it is atypical. In your run of the mill film, romantic relationships are milked and men are seen as the pursuers in this regard. But Clyde’s actions aren’t motivated by a desire to get into Bonnie’s knickers (though at the end of the film they do get it on). The film isn’t scared to be different. This plot element adds a deeper layer to the story and shows the characters as more psychologically complex.
On a purely aesthetic level, the film is beautiful to watch. The colour is great, as is the cinematography. There is an artistry to the way it’s filmed, which helps raise it above your average action or crime film. The costume design and sets are also beautiful. On top of the aesthetic beauty, the film manages to balance multiple elements in a delicate and enjoyable way. We have humour, action and tragedy deftly woven together. While being entertaining, riveting and funny, it also manages to be deep, thought-provoking and artistic.
It’s possible for some to look at this classic and just see a violent crime film. But scratch the surface and you’ll find there’s much more to it. It also might be easy to take its influence for granted, as many of us are now familiar with films like Thelma and Louise and True Romance. But this was one of the first of its kind. I can see why Ebert rated this film so highly.
