Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a 2013 American romantic crime drama film written and directed by David Lowery.

The film stars Casey Affleck as Bob Muldoon, Rooney Mara as Ruth Guthrie, and Ben Foster as Patrick Wheeler.

The film received positive reviews overall, with critics praising its original take on the Bonnie and Clyde archetype, and commending its style and western iconography influences.

Meanwhile, three bounty hunters, led by an individual called Bear, visit Skerrit's hardware store and make general inquiries about the town.

[5] Lowery wanted to capture the feeling of the actions and write a script based on that in the vein of 1960s and 1970s movies and folk songs.

[7] In April 2012, Lowery officially announced that he had written a contemporary story in the vein of Bonnie and Clyde and that he would direct the film, named Ain't Them Bodies Saints.

It really comes down to this kind of sixth sense that you have about the person, and i immediately felt like i trusted him ... he exudes a very generous spirit, [he is] a very intelligent guy Rooney Mara cited the script as the main reason for why she accepted the role, saying that it "felt right", and Casey Affleck cited his meeting with and instincts about Lowery as a director as the reason he accepted the role.

Nate Parker also cited the script as the main reason he joined the cast, describing it as 'raw and emotional', but furthermore went on to state that the opportunity to work with the D.P Bradford Young was also a motivating factor.

[21] Hart had recently worked with Lowery on his 2011 short film Pioneer, and was given the script for Aint Them Bodies Saints in December 2012.

[21] Hart cited his previous experience in providing sound for Lowery's 2009 short St.Nick and 2011's Pioneer as the reasons for him scoring Ain't Them Bodies Saints, as he felt the film was "the right fit for another collaboration".

[13] Lowery encouraged a collaborative effort in regard to how his actors interpreted the script and the behavior of their characters, as long as it stayed true to their elements.

[31] Ben Foster confirmed this approach to the acting for the film, stating that "nothing was nailed down on paper" and that he had to "fill in the cracks" himself before shooting the scenes.

[32] Lowery and Young encountered problems in acquiring their desired look due to an agreement with their bond company, who wouldn't allow extensive decay on the negative.

Lowery has stated that the changes were not foisted upon him, but rather he agreed with them and felt that the pre-Sundance editing process had been too rushed, and went on to say that even so, the film apparently hasn't been drastically reshaped.

[21] He had a smaller string ensemble designed with low brass and atmospheric drones and wrote a piece for the montage sequence in which Bob goes to prison and Ruth gives birth to their baby.

[56] On January 25 it was announced that Cassian Elwes and WME Global's Graham Taylor and Alexis Garcia closed a deal with IFC Films' Arianna Bocco reportedly worth slightly more than $1 million for the US distribution rights.

Trunick gave the film a score of 9 out of 10,[68] as did Philip Martin of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, opining that "there are real virtues to this movie; it's remarkably well crafted and beautifully shot ... if it drifts a little too much toward romanticizing its tender outlaws, it's just following in the footsteps of the masters.

"[70] Richard Brody of The New Yorker also praised the film's visual style, maintaining that "the feel of the movie is intimate and handmade, as if Lowery were renewing, lovingly and poignantly, the landscape's ruined landmarks and infusing them with his own memories and dreams.

[72] David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph gave the film a 4/5 saying "Lowery has said he wanted Ain't Them Bodies Saints to have the quality of an old folk song, something Bob Dylan might once have covered.

"[74] Adam Woodward of Little White Lies focused his praise on the contributions of Bradford Young and Daniel Hart, maintaining that the film "[wears] its influences on its sleeve [without] feeling stale or derivative ... [it] is an immaculate piece of storytelling that boasts serious talent whichever way you look.

Special mention must go to Bradford Young's gorgeous sun-bleached cinematography, which coupled with Daniel Hart's ubiquitous score of nervy, tiptoeing strings and soft handclaps gives the film a dream-like quality.

"[75] Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a positive review, stating that "David Lowery's Ain't Them Bodies Saints landed with the excitement of a bold new voice, and yet, there's also something undeniably old-fashioned in his approach, suggesting a lost artifact freshly unearthed from the 1970s.

"[76] Lukewarm reviews praised the ambition but questioned the execution and integrity of the film, with Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian commenting, "It's a poignant story of sundered love, earnest and intense, without being exactly tragic, and although writer-director David Lowery interestingly refuses certain romantic cliches, you wonder if he knows exactly where he's going with the narrative.

"[77] The review in the Los Angeles Times was particularly critical of the narrative, stating that "[even] though Lowery is skillful with dialogue, there are ways he ties the events together that are knotty.

Though a natural fall guy is right at their feet, felled by the cops and long past complaining about issues like loyalty and betrayal, Bob grabs the gun that shot the sheriff.

"[80] In a negative review, A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote, "Authenticity is rarely a fair standard for judging movies, which always depend on overt and invisible artifice.

But this film's longing for just that quality—for a simple, elemental truth that will be both specific to its time and place and ripe with deeper meanings—is precisely what makes it unconvincing.

The setting of 1970s Texas, the impressionistic wisps of memory, the quiet naturalism of warm sunlight and the dusky magic-hour melancholy—they're all there, all those signatures that are reminiscent of the master filmmaker.

They have big ideas, bigger emotions, and a sense of dramatic urgency—all qualities fatally absent from this well-shot but bloodless crime fable.

"[79] Ain't Them Bodies Saints had its US domestic opening on the weekend of 16–18 August 2013 in 3 theatres, where it made $26,419, ranking at number 58 in the Box office charts.