Uploaded September 2023 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a landmark 1969 American Western buddy film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Loosely based on history, it follows outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman), and his partner Harry Longabaugh, the “Sundance Kid” (Robert Redford), as they try to outrun a relentless U.S. posse after a string of train robberies. Along with Sundance’s lover, Etta Place (Katharine Ross), the pair flee to Bolivia in search of a new life—only to meet an unforgettable fate.
The film’s blend of wit, charm, and melancholy helped redefine the Western genre and cemented the on-screen chemistry between Newman and Redford as one of Hollywood’s most iconic duos.
Over time, its reputation has only grown. In 2003, it was added to the U.S. National Film Registry as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The American Film Institute ranked it 73rd on its list of the 100 greatest American films, named Butch and Sundance the 20th-greatest heroes in movie history, and placed the film seventh on its “10 Top 10” list of greatest Westerns
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a landmark 1969 American Western buddy film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Loosely based on history, it follows outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman), and his partner Harry Longabaugh, the “Sundance Kid” (Robert Redford), as they try to outrun a relentless U.S. posse after a string of train robberies. Along with Sundance’s lover, Etta Place (Katharine Ross), the pair flee to Bolivia in search of a new life—only to meet an unforgettable fate.
The film’s blend of wit, charm, and melancholy helped redefine the Western genre and cemented the on-screen chemistry between Newman and Redford as one of Hollywood’s most iconic duos.
Over time, its reputation has only grown. In 2003, it was added to the U.S. National Film Registry as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The American Film Institute ranked it 73rd on its list of the 100 greatest American films, named Butch and Sundance the 20th-greatest heroes in movie history, and placed the film seventh on its “10 Top 10” list of greatest Westerns
