A chronicling of the notorious bank robbing couple and their gang.

Generally, when viewing older movies, I try to separate the historical impact and nostalgia factor of the film from how well it stands on its own merits, and whether or not time has been on its side. It's easy to appreciate a lot of classics, but in some instances, it's not that to easy to actually sit through them. This isn't the case with BONNIE AND CLYDE, but there's no denying that the defining moment it created in revolutionizing cinema—what with how it presented bank robbers/murderers in a laidback and sympathetic light, and how it offered an almost unprecedented amount of violence for the time—is a big part of the reason why people look back on it so fondly. By today's standards, it still holds up as a solid and hugely involving gangster picture, but it's in no way the mind-blowing masterpiece that people have made it out to be.

What prevents BONNIE AND CLYDE from falling under its own weight is its two lead performers, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. They create such a powerful dynamic together that, even during all the mayhem they cause and lives they inadvertently take, they remain likable throughout. These are people that you actually come to care about, and though the movie at times feels like it's glorifying their actions, it's not. It's merely telling the tale of Bonnie and Clyde's rise and fall: they were just two amiable individuals who made stupid decisions without realizing the severity of the consequences, and eventually it came at the cost of their lives.

Video: Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. This newly remastered transfer is a true enhancement over the original, offering a clean and clear picture quality that fans should be very pleased with.

Audio: English Mono. The sound is as good as you could hope for, considering that it's the original mono track.

This is a review of the Two-Disc Special Edition, but there's also an Ultimate Collector's Edition that comes with an assortment of extra material in addition to the two discs. The content at hand may seem minimal, but the two main featurettes have a lot to offer.

The first disc holds only two Theatrical Trailers.

Revolution: The Making of Bonnie and Clyde (1:04:48): This terrific, lengthy featurette covers three main sections: "Bonnie and Clyde's Gang," "The Reality and Myth of Bonnie and Clyde," and "Releasing Bonnie and Clyde."

Love and Death: The Story of Bonnie & Clyde (43:10): An excellent documentary detailing the real lives of Bonnie and Clyde.

Warren Beatty Wardrobe Tests (7:35): Title says it all.

Deleted Scenes (5:23): There are two scenes without sound, since the audio could not be recovered.

As great and entertaining as BONNIE AND CLYDE is, audiences' and critics' fascination with the film seems to stem more from how it revolutionized the landscape of cinema over how good the actual movie is. That said, it's still a DVD worth owning.