Director George Roy Hill's freewheeling, Oscar-winning comic western was one of the biggest box-office hits in the genre's history. It features the unforgettable pairing of Paul Newman and Robert Redford, whose exhilarating performances turn the ruthless real-life desperados of fact into lovable rogues and, ultimately, tragic heroes. Some of the credit must go to the Oscar-winning trio of William Goldman, Conrad Hall and Burt Bacharach for the witty script, luminous photography and jaunty score respectively, but all of the charm of this ever-popular picture lies with the charismatic outlaws. The adventure was made in a vintage year for the western, with The Wild Bunch and True Grit joining it among the releases, and in many ways it's the genre's equivalent to Bonnie and Clyde.

As the west rapidly becomes civilized, a pair of outlaws in 1890s Wyoming find themselves pursued by a posse and decide to flee to South America in hopes of evading the law.