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Master Rank #134

Bonnie and Clyde

1967

GCML Total9.0840% Greatness · 40% Engagement · 20% Ease

Directed by Arthur Penn

CastWarren Beatty · Faye Dunaway · Gene Hackman

USAEnglishCrime / Drama111 minNot Rated
AFI 100Narrative FeatureBrisk pace
Find Where to Watch
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Oscar · 2BAFTA · 1

Spoiler-free premise

A restless young couple becomes a pair of bank robbers during the Great Depression.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Small-town waitress Bonnie Parker meets ex-convict Clyde Barrow and joins him in robbing stores and banks during the Depression. Their excitement attracts Clyde's brother Buck, Blanche Barrow, and young driver C. W. Moss, forming a gang pursued across several states.

Why it belongs

Bonnie and Clyde makes outlaw romance exhilarate and disturb, deploying New Hollywood energy, shifting tones, and abrupt violence to dismantle folk legend.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Arthur Penn moves from playful banjo-driven escape and sexual frustration to increasingly graphic consequence, while Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway frame publicity-conscious criminals as restless performers whose glamour cannot contain the damage around them.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Academy Awards2 wins1968 · official ceremony record ↗
Actress in a Supporting Role1968 · Estelle Parsonsofficial ceremony record ↗

Plus 1 additional win

BAFTA1 win1968 · official BAFTA 1968 Film Awards results ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

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