Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 American Western film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman (who won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film). Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman), and his partner Harry Longabaugh, the "Sundance Kid" (Robert Redford), who are on the run from a crack US posse after a string of train robberies. The pair and Sundance's lover, Etta Place (Katharine Ross), flee to Bolivia
The Legend of Butch & Sundance had died in Bolivia after the shoot-out [in 1908]. I took that contradiction and thought, 'What a great film that would make.'" Fasano later said that the production team strove for historical accuracy. Actor David Clayton Rogers said he practiced gun handling and horseback riding for the role of Butch Cassidy. "True West Magazine"s Henry Cabot Beck reviewed "The Legend of Butch & Sundance" unfavorably stating "I don't suppose this family-friendly picture would offend anyone who wants to see a return of a Kenny Rogers-type Oater, but true buffs who want an adult and ambitious Western had best look elsewhere."