Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- warm
- droll
- lazy sunday
- classic western night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film pleasant and visually attractive but slight, with weak suspense and insufficient chemistry between its leads.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The plot follows Robert Parker and Harry Longabaugh as they first meet and establish the identities and partnership associated with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Butch wants to reduce his criminal activity for Mary and their two sons, while Sundance seeks increasingly lucrative crimes.
Butch supplies planning and persuasion while Sundance provides volatile gun-fighting ability, creating the basis for their professional union.
The film emphasizes Wyoming and Utah locations, period towns, costumes, horses, gunfights, and stuntwork.
Films like Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, and why
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
western outlaw partnership, comic banter, and charismatic buddy dynamics
The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid
period western heist structure, outlaw camaraderie, and wry humor
Cat Ballou
comic western tone, frontier adventure, and mismatched criminal partners
The Long Riders
outlaw mythology, train robbery elements, and revisionist western atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Richard Lester
- Release Date
- 1979-06-15
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 5.0 / 10 (43)
Cast
- William Katt
- Tom Berenger
- Jeff Corey
- John Schuck
- Michael C. Gwynne
- Peter Weller
- Brian Dennehy
- Christopher Lloyd
- Jill Eikenberry
- Joel Fluellen
Common questions
- What is Butch and Sundance: The Early Days about?
- A warm, lightly comic western prequel charts how two very different frontier outlaws become the legendary Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
- What is Butch and Sundance: The Early Days like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Butch and Sundance: The Early Days as measured, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Butch and Sundance: The Early Days violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Butch and Sundance: The Early Days as moderate.
- What did critics think of Butch and Sundance: The Early Days?
- Critics generally found the film pleasant and visually attractive but slight, with weak suspense and insufficient chemistry between its leads.
- Which films are like Butch and Sundance: The Early Days?
- Films with a similar feel include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, Cat Ballou, and The Long Riders.
- How long is Butch and Sundance: The Early Days?
- Butch and Sundance: The Early Days runs 111 minutes.
