Production and style thumb|Advertisement from 1967 The film was intended as a romantic and comic version of the violent gangster films of the 1930s, updated with modern filmmaking techniques.The Movies by Richard Griffith, Arthur Mayer, and Eileen Bowser. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1981 edition. Arthur Penn portrayed some of the violent scenes with a comic tone, sometimes reminiscent of Keystone Cops-style slapstick films, then shifted disconcertingly into horrific and graphic violence. The film has the French New Wave directors' influence, both in its rapid shifts of tone, and in its choppy editing, which is particularly noticeable in its closing sequence.
production and style thumb|advertisement from 1967 the film was intended as a romantic and comic version of the violent gangster films of the 1930s updated with modern filmmaking techniquesthe movies by richard griffith arthur mayer and eileen bowser new york simon & schuster 1981 edition arthur penn portrayed some of the violent scenes with a comic tone sometimes reminiscent of keystone cops-style slapstick films then shifted disconcertingly into horrific and graphic violence the film has the french new wave directors' infl:uence both in its rapid shifts of tone and in its choppy editing which is particularly noticeable in its closing sequence