The real events of this duo's cross country spree of hold-ups, heists, and robberies are fictionalised in Bonnie and Clyde. On its 1967 debut it was groundbreaking for its frank depiction of sexuality and the amount of on-screen violence it contained, in particular the iconic final slow-motion shootout. Despite their ineptness as bank robbers and the seedy dust-bowl backdrop, Bonnie and Clyde gives a very romantic view of these legendary lovers— aided of course by the charismatic leads Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.

A vital film to understanding the influence French New Wave and New Hollywood Cinema had on one another (it was very nearly directed by François Truffaut), Bonnie and Clyde was a stylistic breath of fresh air. Despite attempts from studio heads to dump the film in second-run drive ins, as Roger Ebert recalled it opened "like a slap in the face. American filmgoers had never seen anything like it." With a little help from a rave review by influential critic Pauline Kael, Bonnie and Clyde tapped into the late 60s anti-establishment zeitgeist to become a runaway hit and a landmark start to the "New Hollywood" era.