The American Film Institute lists Bonnie and Clyde at number 5 on their list of the top ten gangster films of all time, and 42 on their “100 Years…100 Movies” collection. IMDb holds it at 218 on their top five hundred. For the older film generation this will come as no surprise. Bonnie and Clyde‘s release was loud and unforgettable, and represented a jump to the “New Hollywood.” Violence and sex were no longer suggestions, and the previously established style of filmmaking was beginning to unravel. In hindsight the film still distinguishes itself from it’s peers, along with The Graduate, a fellow Best Picture nominee from that year. But the unfortunate truth of Bonnie and Clyde‘s place in modern day cinema is it’s senescence. The film simply hasn’t aged well. It’s legacy lives in it’s forward momentum, and less and less in it’s quality. It glimpses at things to come, but is by no means an example of transitional perfection. A brave film that comes from a time where progress was as significant as caliber.
Peter Wertz
Wertz of Wisdom 
