Screenplay: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Overview
William Goldman's screenplay for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" dramatizes the final years of two charming outlaws as they evade lawmen and the modernizing forces closing in on the Old West. The script blends action, comedy and melancholy to follow the partnership of Robert LeRoy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy, and Harry Longabaugh, the Sundance Kid, as their luck and era run out. Goldman frames the story as a buddy picture with a strong sense of place and history, moving from small-town bank and train robberies to an ultimately doomed exile in Bolivia.

Characters and Relationships
Butch is affable, inventive and a natural leader whose optimism keeps the crew together, while Sundance is quieter, deadly with a gun and given to private melancholy. Their bond is equal parts friendship, professional partnership and a surrogate family for the Hole-in-the-Wall gang. Etta Place, Sundance's lover, functions as both companion and witness to their decline, offering a human counterpoint to the men's outlaw bravado.
Goldman's treatment emphasizes character through dialogue and small gestures: jokes, bets, and routine exchanges reveal deep affection and the tacit understanding that their lifestyle is unsustainable. The screenplay uses their relationship to humanize the outlaws and to frame larger questions about loyalty and survival.

Plot Summary
The screenplay opens with a series of successful robberies that establish Butch and Sundance as notorious but beloved figures. As their fame grows, so does the pressure from law enforcement, exemplified by a relentless pursuit led by authorities who represent a changing legal and social order. Following a violent ambush and the execution of several gang members, the pair decide to flee the United States to avoid capture.
In Bolivia they try to adapt, taking on odd jobs and plotting a final score, but language barriers, cultural differences and mounting paranoia complicate their plans. After a poorly executed robbery and the loss of allies, the screenplay moves toward a tense, elegiac climax in which the duo face overwhelming odds. Goldman leaves the ending emotionally resonant and haunting, balancing a note of romantic heroism against the inevitability of change.

Themes and Tone
Goldman explores the passage of time, the end of the outlaw era and the collision between myth and modernity. The men are portrayed as remnants of a vanishing world; their skills and codes are increasingly obsolete in a country that values order and institutions. The screenplay juxtaposes lighthearted banter with sudden, brutal violence to underscore how ephemeral their freedom is.
Tonal shifts, comic interludes, brisk action, and reflective pauses, create a bittersweet atmosphere. Humor humanizes the characters and makes their fate feel more tragic, while moments of silence and restraint allow the screenplay's elegiac core to emerge. The result is a story that celebrates loyalty while mourning inevitable loss.

Style and Legacy
Goldman's dialogue is crisp, witty and rich with subtext, turning small exchanges into character-defining moments. The screenplay's structure balances episodic capers with an overarching trajectory of decline, maintaining momentum without sacrificing depth. Visual set pieces, like train robberies and shootouts, are written to highlight both spectacle and character consequence.
The script influenced the modern buddy-film template and remains a touchstone for blending genre entertainment with reflective, character-driven storytelling. Its combination of charm, moral ambiguity and a poignant conclusion has secured its reputation as a landmark American screenplay that redefined how Western legends could be told.