‘Bonnie and Clyde’: The 1967 heist pioneer is an essential Netflix watch
As one of the most important American films ever made, if you see the 1967 heist thriller, Bonnie and Clyde, pop up on your Netflix dashboard, it’s a sign to revisit the cinematic gem while you still can.
Bonnie and Clyde is most famous for changing the blueprint of Hollywood once and forever. Before the movie’s release, mainstream American films abided by strict rules about what could be shown on screen. However, the heist thriller did away with major cinematic taboos, blending intense, stylised violence and sexuality with a youthful, energetic tone.
If you’re a cinephile, Bonnie and Clyde will make sure to offer you a front-row seat to witness the birth of New Hollywood. If not for it, gritty, rule-breaking masterpieces like The Godfather, Taxi Driver, or even Chinatown would have never seen the light of day.
Directed by Arthur Penn, the explosive crime drama, released during the Vietnam War era, transformed real-life Depression-era bank robbers into glamorous, anti-establishment folk heroes, emotive of a Robin Hood-esque vibe.
While Bonnie and Clyde perfectly captures the rebellious spirit of the youth culture at the time, even if you know how the real story ends, the film’s final climax remains one of the most shocking, beautifully edited, and influential sequences in film history.
Watching the crime thriller while on Netflix is a particularly great choice because it sets viewers up for a perfect double-feature pairing. The streaming giant happens to own the global streaming rights to The Highwaymen – a modern movie made directly in response to the late ‘60s classic.
The 2019 Netflix original completely flips the script, stripping away the romance to showcase Bonnie and Clyde from the outset as cold-blooded, terrifying killers, responsible for leaving a trail of bodies across the country. Seeing how showbiz treats these real-life figures in 1967 versus how Netflix addresses them provides a fascinating look at the evolution of storytelling.
All in all, if you have access to the original version on Netflix, it is highly recommended for anyone who loves stylised crime movies or pop-culture history because, for first-time watchers, this is a revelatory experience.
But if you’re here for a second or third round, it’s time to thank Netflix because now you can sit back, relax, and watch cinematic history unfold in real time.