Chicago Tribune

'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' at 50: Is it a relic or a classic?

A lot of huge movies never become cultural reference points the way "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" has, in the near-half-century since its fall 1969 premiere.

In the movie, Butch and Sundance spend half their own movie being pursued by a relentless posse. "Who are those guys ?" The outlaws keep asking. The question I'm asking is a little different: Why are those lovable outlaws who photograph so very prettily, still the go-reference in what's left of modern Hollywood for a certain brand of buddy movie?

Its reasons for popular success aren't a secret. The movie turned

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