One cannot overstate the importance of Bonne and Clyde on the development of American cinema. Heavily influenced by the French New Wave (and the first Hollywood film to depict such graphic violence), Arthur Penn's film shocked the establishment so much - and was such a counterculture box office hit - that Warner Bros. was forced to support it after their executives wanted to dump it; it was also desperately trashed for its historical inaccuracies; and got Bosley Crowther fired from the New York Times for his negative review (he was replaced by Pauline Kael, who loved the film). Considered perhaps the first film of the New Hollywood era, influencing filmmakers throughout the 1970s and 1980s (most notably Terrence Malick and Michael Cimino), and beyond through Quentin Tarantino, Oliver Stone, and perhaps even Kelly Reichardt and Sean Baker. Launched the careers of both Gene Hackman and Gene Wilder; Estelle Parsons won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, as did Burnett Guffey for cinematography. Surprisingly modern to this day, with violence that is still unsettling. Absolutely essential viewing.

By Tom Alexander