Bonnie and Clyde- Melissa Villanueva

When you think of a villain, you probably think of villains who murder their enemies or innocent people that just happen to be in the way, or even villains that plot to steal from enemies and seek revenge in an extreme way. However, in Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde, Bonnie and Clyde are not your average criminals, in the sense that they do not steal from or murder innocent people but they steal from banks to ensure that they are doing no harm to others.

            In the scene where Buck engages in his first robbery with Bonnie and Clyde, Clyde notices that there is a dollar bill sitting on the counter in front of the bank teller. He looks at the farmer that is standing in front of it and asks if it is his money. The farmer tells him it is, so Clyde tells him that he can keep it as long as it does not belong to the bank. In this moment, Clyde takes on a role that is similar to Robin Hood’s, showing that he does not want to take from the innocent but instead in a way give back to the poor. Clyde is generous with the money that he steals, and it is shown in the scene where he gives Blanche a couple dollars as a thanks for keeping an eye on the bank, in which Bonnie quickly objects. This is also shown when they kidnap Velma and Eugene and spend all day driving with them, even buying them hamburgers.

            Another scene in which Clyde proves that he cares for average people is when he is outside shooting with Bonnie in the abandoned house and the former owner makes a visit. Clyde tells the man to watch him as he shoots the sign that states the bank bought out his house, then hands the gun to the man so that he too can shoot the sign. In this way, both Clyde and the man find relief by shooting the sign of the thing that takes the most from both of them: the bank. The Great Depression caused all of the banks to go bankrupt (as shown when Clyde tries to rob his first bank with Bonnie and the man tells him they have been wiped completely clean), which in turn made banks take properties and other possessions to gain their wealth back. I think that this is why Clyde decides to take from the banks, since he sees other people losing their most prized possessions and in this way sees it as a way to give back.

            Bonnie and Clyde spend a lot of their time trying to convince others that they are completely harmless, and they make this evident in the scene where they first encounter ranger Frank Hamer and Bonnie takes a picture kissing him. Even after Frank spits on her, Clyde does not shoot Frank but instead handcuffs him and sends him off in a boat. In fact, every time Clyde accidentally shot someone he almost had a panic attack. I think that this proves their “innocence” in wanting to give back in a way, which for them means benefit themselves without causing any harm.