dworldeater
The Wild Bunch is not only one of the best westerns ever made, but is easily one of the best films ever made. Hands down. This is Sam Pecinpah's masterpiece that was very controversial at the time of its release for its shedding of western clichés or conventions and for violence. As far as violence goes there was already Bonnie And Clyde, but The Wild Bunch far surpasses Bonnie And Clyde and to this day, is the most violent western I have ever seen. The Wild Bunch more than delivers on bloody action and I am sure audiences nearly lost their lunch as violence had never been portrayed so graphically or realistically before. The film is about violence and that is the world that our main characters are part of as outlaws in the early 1910's. While the violence/slow mo blood splattering is a lot of what the film is about, this is a very well written, directed and acted film with great dialouge, exceptional camera-work and a great score by Jerry Fielding. The characters are interesting and complex, with layers and quirks. Performances are the best of the best and the actors had exceptional chemistry. With a brilliant cast of William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Warren Oates, Ben Johnson and others you really can't miss. However, even the lesser characters are interesting and have a lot to do. In my mind, The Wild Bunch is a flawless masterpiece and if this is a film you can't appreciate, you have poor taste.
jadavix
Peckinpah's classic western is considered a masterpiece by many, but time has dulled the sheen a tad. It's not the equal of Once Upon a Time in the West or The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. It doesn't have any scenes that pack the same kind of emotional punch. Mostly it is about epic displays of gun fire: many people in large spaces shooting each other and dying.Plot details are lost in the fracas. Why did Pike leave the young man behind at the beginning of the movie? If he did it deliberately, why did he even bring him along in the first place?I also missed seeing Pike die in the end.It is unquestionably very well made, and perfectly cast. I just didn't get much of an emotional jolt from it.
msmith-87318
Bill Holden is by far the star of this picture, he delivers and absolutely outstanding performance. Truly Legendary. Bill has for the most part of his career if not all of it played a laid back can't be bothered who cares what the hell type of character. The wild bunch is a film about some outlaws who are fully aware that their time has run out. When somebody says he knows somebody with a new fangled flying car they know their time has passed and the new world is not for them. The film is all about the value of a man's loyalty to his companions. If you find it hard to like a person you ride with your nothing more than an animal because at the end of the day all they have is the loyalty toward each other. The try to rescue one of their Mexican comrades but it just goes to show that those who live by the gun die by the gun. I will say some additional good performances by the support cast including O'Brien, Ryan, Borgnine, Oates and Johnson.
Python Hyena
The Wild Bunch (1969): Dir: Sam Peckinpah / Cast: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oats, Ben Johnson, Robert Ryan: Symbolic western masterpiece wherein the term "wild" regards our declining attitude towards violence. The film introduces four aged gunfighters who obey a code. They do not believe in torture but stress that getting in the way of fire is a bad idea. It opens with children huddled around to the delight of seeing two scorpions being tortured by ants. The scorpions symbolize the Bunch while the ants are the rebels they will engage in graphic gunfire. Director Sam Peckinpah brought violent cinema to a whole new level as well as creates one of the greatest and most sincere westerns ever made. William Holden is flawless as the leader joined by Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oats and Ben Johnson, all of whom are effective. They are also being pursued by a bounty hunter who was formerly one of them. He is played by Robert Ryan who knows them and can counter their moves. They have witnessed the very core of violent nature and can only foresee a future of brutal consequence. There are three gunfights that involve severe civilian casualties but the film is really about violence through generations particularly when children joyfully chase after a jeep dragging an Indian behind it. "Boy, do I hate to see that," reserves the worn men who have seen it all before. Score: 10 / 10
AD
