If you ever harbored deep suspicions that the captain of the football team and the prettiest cheerleader were capable of capital crimes, this is the flick for you. The impossible handsomeness of Beatty and Dunaway profoundly informs this story; you can't help but speculate on whether the titular real-lifes were similarly formed, and what role that played in their short lives of crime. It certainly gets you wondering just what made these two people go on such a spree. Speaking of looks, a lot of this film is a feast for the eyes beyond its perfectly pretty stars; the era is meticulously recreated, the '30s expressed in the '60s with a gorgeous veracity. The cars alone are sights to behold. And, of course, the violence--high-ranking even by today's standards--is its own weird selling point. You also get to enjoy what may be the ur-source of the now standard banjo-chase scene music, plus a touch of social commentary that suggests that our heroic sociopaths may not have been all that bad in the eyes of certain peoples. No doubting that it's a rich tapestry. Overall, though, I'm not sure this outing is quite the all-time great it is reputed to be--but it's entertaining enough to be worth a look.
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