Mama I'm in love with a criminal - his name is Clyde

It would be unfair and wrong to even think about writing an article about no other than the most iconic outlaw couple in history and cinema: Bonnie and Clyde. There have been many depictions of their love in film, but the best one was released in 1967, three decades after their shared adventures and aftermath.

This pair met in Texas during the Great Depression when the stock market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high unemployment, famine, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth as well as for personal advancement. That explains why Clyde was trying to steal Bonnie's mother's car when they saw each other for the first time.

Instead of being scared, Bonnie, who is bored by her job as a waitress, is intrigued by Clyde and decides to take up with him and become his new partner in crime. Everyone was penniless and there was a general loss of confidence in the economic future, so joining this intriguing men's escapades may have seemed like a no-brainer.

It's important to remember that in 1933 the nationwide homicide mortality rate hit a high for the century until that point, at 9.7 per 100,000 people. This made gangsters become national celebrities, as the FBI targeted them for capture. By 1935, most of the famous outlaws had been killed or captured.

Bonnie and Clyde pull off some holdups at first, however, their amateur efforts may have been exciting but they were not very lucrative. That is why they turn from small-time heists to bank robbing. Some other notable bank robbers of this time include Nash, who was known as the "most successful bank robber in U.S. history", and Richetti, who was associated with Pretty Boy Floyd and was implicated in the Kansas City massacre.

The duo's crime spree shifts into high gear once they meet a dim-witted gas station attendant, C.W. Moss. Their exploits also become more violent, they start hurting their victims and even killing them. Clyde's older brother Buck and his wife, Blanche, a preacher's daughter, also join them and that is how their gang is started.

I don't want to spoil the movie going into detail but the most important thing for us is how criminality has always had a certain innate sex appeal, especially on screen. There’s something about crime that reminds us of darkness and danger and raw, fiery passion. In the movie, after their first robbery together, Bonnie is completely enthralled, she’s high on the thrill of it and as Clyde makes their getaway she kisses him passionately as they drive.

Their sexual tension is intense during the film, highly anticipating the consummation of their relationship. But most importantly their love becomes separate from sexual attraction and it is shown to be centered on their deep personal connection to one another. Clyde is repeatedly shown desperate to protect and defend Bonnie, whether from a hail of gunfire or a spit in the face - his love for her is unquestionable.

Ultimately they're a couple in love that wants more out of life than Depression-era America could ever hope to give them. Can we blame them? They’re highly violent toward authority, and institutions, and the world that made them. I think that because of this complexity, it’s a lot harder to identify them as villains or even idolize them. This movie turns Bonnie and Clyde into flesh and blood, and perhaps that’s the real reason why their violent deaths and their passion still resonate on screen 50 years later.