You know from the moment you see Tom Berenger and Tom Katt that they were cast both on talent and their ability to resemble Newman and Redford from a decade or so what they would have looked like a decade or so before the 1969 smash hit. The critics weren't as brutal on this as they could have been, but they didn't exactly express their approval either. Now that I've broken down and finally watched it, I can say it isn't the classic that the original was, but it's quite pleasing, and I can't imagine it needing any more fat trimmed off like Katt does as Sundance when he's trying to make an honest living as a butcher.
These western biographical films aren't supposed to be 100% truthful, but at least reflect the setting and the possibilities of how they ended up in a life of crime. A gorgeous use of location and a terrific musical score reflects the time period and lifestyle of these two legends, and Katt and Berenger do an honorable job of honoring their legend, or at least presenting a tall tale. You get a well rounded viewpoint of their story, not glamorizing them or trying to force sympathy towards them, but the film does what it sets out to do in providing an entertaining scope of what they went through before the raindrops kept falling on their head.
These western biographical films aren't supposed to be 100% truthful, but at least reflect the setting and the possibilities of how they ended up in a life of crime. A gorgeous use of location and a terrific musical score reflects the time period and lifestyle of these two legends, and Katt and Berenger do an honorable job of honoring their legend, or at least presenting a tall tale. You get a well rounded viewpoint of their story, not glamorizing them or trying to force sympathy towards them, but the film does what it sets out to do in providing an entertaining scope of what they went through before the raindrops kept falling on their head.