Bonnie and Clyde is heralded as one of the films that marked the end of the Hays Code and the beginning of the New Hollywood era, filled with sympathy, freedom and nihilism. Gone were the moralising, stifling didacticism and stereotypical villainous criminals. Bonnie and Clyde tells the story of the titular duo and their accomplices in a way that celebrates their wildness, much like Robin Hood with less excuses. The actors are to be commended for feeling like regular down-to-Earth individuals who have gotten caught up in the excitement and don't always know what they are doing, but can evade a shootout and play the media game better than the police. The portrayal of this film was groundbreaking for the time with its extensive violence and criminals getting away with everything (not quite shocking by today's standards, of course), setting the scene for newer crime films.
Review of Bonnie and Clyde
