Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979)
Before the adventures that made them legends, they were charming mastermind Robert Leroy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy, and crack-shot outlaw Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, soon to be known as The Sundance Kid. This is the 'prequel' of how they met, their first clumsy robberies, the heroic dangers that abound them together, the secret that nearly tore them apart, and the impossible train heist that made them notorious for life. Saddle up and ride with the showdowns, shootouts, bad guys and good times in the days before the fame when fun was the name of the game.
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Fantastic!
Absolutely Fantastic
A brilliant film that helped define a genre
The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
I Was surprised by Butch and Sundanese: the early days, since I'm not a big fan of westerns, but this movie was fun. I haven't seen the original Butch Cassey and the Sundanese kid yet, but I'm sure this movie is just as good. MY favorite parts were the snow, taking out a billet out of someone, a skunk spraying his oder at someone, the mountains, the scenery. The movie stars Tom Berenger as Butch Cassidy and William Katt as the Sundance Kid this time around and they did a pretty good job replacing Paul Newman and Robert Redford. John Schuck from McMillan and Wive has a bit part. He is fun to watch- I GIVE BUTCH AND SUNDANCE: THE EARLY YEARS *** OUT OF **** STARS.
This unnecessary prequel to a seminal western is still fairly enjoyable on its own and the two leads (Tom Berenger and William Katt), then virtually unknown, mimic Paul Newman and Robert Redford, respectively, surprisingly well; Jeff Corey is even on hand to reprise his role from the earlier film! Good-looking if forgettable entertainment - and curiously straightforward, given the stylization of the original and the involvement of Richard Lester (A HARD DAY'S NIGHT [1964], PETULIA [1968]) who, earlier in the decade, had also directed two rousing adventures, THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1973) and its sequel, THE FOUR MUSKETEERS (1974)!
I have never been a fan of the original Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. Though enjoyable, the film has been wildly overpraised for its overly cute script. Are these supposed to feared outlaws or a western Laurel and Hardy. Butch and Sundance the Early Days is pretty much of the same thing. It is fairly entertaining but it is also held captive by an overly cute storyline. This movie pretty much goes through the same territory as the same movie. The actors playing Butch and Sundance, Tom Berenger and William Katt, are very good. There are some enjoyable scenes but they go on forever, like the scenes in the snow that vary from slapstick comedy to an attempt at drama. Basically, if you are not a discriminating viewer and you don't have anything better to do, this is OK.
A pretty peculiar "prequel" to "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" has a virtually no-name cast (at the time) pretending to be the famous lead actors from the original "sequel," Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Tom Berenger would later improve by the time "Platoon" came around, proving himself as a worthy villain, but here he's just not amiable and charismatic enough to carry the film.Note the small role by Christopher Lloyd as he lives in the wild west. Eleven years later he would reappear on screen in the wild west with a time machine. Can you guess which movie I'm speaking of? If not, you don't belong on this site.