Bryson City, North Carolina – 2024

Archival Pigment Print

“Train robbers hold a firm place in the mythological lore of the American West. Attacks on trains were a common occurrence when the rule of law was either difficult to implement or simply non-existent. Thin governance was an accepted danger on the Final Frontier.

What is perhaps surprising is that history has looked fondly on the bandits, as if their means of living was laudable and even romantic. Our affection for the underdog knows no bounds and Hollywood played to this emotion by often characterising the bandits as lovable and misunderstood rogues. The narrative was often that the bad guys were the train owners for having the wealth in the first place; maybe they had disposable moral fibre as well. It was a dog-eat-dog world.

No more was this better articulated than in the classic 1969 Western buddy film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The film – which was loosely based on fact – cemented both actors at the top of the Hollywood A-list, not just because of their acting, but because the public found affection for their characters and their affable, wise cracking roles. It was as if they played the good guys.

– David Yarrow