The Original Partners in Crime

Bonnie and Clyde. Dir. Arthur Penn

Feat. Warren Beatty (Clyde Barrow), Faye Dunaway (Bonnie Parker), Gene Hackman (Buck Barrow), Estelle Parsons (Blanche Barrow), Michael Pollard (CW Moss)

Warner Bros, 1967.

When I hear the term “partner in crime” I think of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. They are described as “partners in crime” because they were partners for a drawn out robbery and murder spree, throughout the south-central United States. They were accompanied by another “partner in crime” duo: Blanche and Buck Barrow (Clyde’s brother and sister in law). Another fellow who goes by the name of CW Moss also tagged along for the journey; together they made the “Barrow Gang.”

The Barrow Gang was something. Nationwide manhunts were put in place following several robberies and murders drawn out by them. Most of the people killed by the gang were law enforcement officials. This goes to show that the Barrow Gang was not afraid. They knew what was going on; they knew that there were headshots of them that read “wanted”, and they still continued on their way.

The Barrow Gang met CW’s father one day and that came back to bite them. Once he met them he initially knew who they were, but he was very welcoming towards them. Behind closed doors he wanted to rip his son to shreds if he kept associating with them. One day he told CW to not come back in the car with them. He posted a set-up which resulted in their death. They saw him working on his truck, got out of their car, and before you know it, they were ambushed by several sherriffs. And that was the end of the infamous Barrow Gang.

This was a great movie, and one of my favorites, this year. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good old crime thriller. The only thing that held me back from really enjoying this movie was: Blanche. Blanche was someone that I would love to punch in the face. She was just very emotional. In a way, I don’t think she belonged in the Barrow Gang, because she was not always up to their shenanigans. Oftentimes, she ticked Bonnie off to a point where they both needed a cooldown. Besides this one character, I can assure you that this was a fantastic movie.