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"Now, THIS is the
Wild, Wild West!" |
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Directed by Sam
Peckinpah - Written by
Walon Green, Sam
Peckinpah
Starring William Holden,
Ernest Borgnine, Edmond
O'Brien, Ben Johnson
Distributed by Warner
Brothers - 1969 -
145mins - Rated R |
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The land had changed. They hadn't. |
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When
first released, "The Wild Bunch" started a storm of controversy. The
amount of violence in the movie was staggering. Every gunshot or knife
stab let loose much of the red stuff and the body count rose and rose
throughout the course of the film. This does not mean it is a bad
film. Actually, it's a great film. The violence today is still brutal
and is the equivalent of a hard R rating, but today, it's hard to see
why an X rating was considered back in '69.
Anyway, the story follows a group of outlaws in the early 1900s. The
golden age of the west is over, and these men are a dying breed. With
most of the crew dead after a botched robbery and bounty hunters
bearing down on them, the bunch, led by a man named Pike, decide to do
one last job and then retire.
What follows is a grand, bloody western. In order for the job to be
done, the group must shoot their way through the US army, Mexican
rebels, and a band of bounty hunters led by a former friend of Pike's.
There are a few things that I do not like about "The Wild Bunch."
First off, some of the supporting cast is awfully cartoonish, and the
musical score, while usually good, occasionally becomes irritating.
Other than that, it's a great film. The characters are fleshed out,
the cinematography is beautiful, and the violence makes the action
scenes so intense that you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat.
The best scene of the film is the climax. A gunfight that is almost a
celebration of violence in cinema. The blood gushes in gallons, the
body count rises very quickly and becomes very high, and the pure
energy given off by the actors is unbelievable. The only film to have
a climax this joyfully bloody to my knowledge is "Kill Bill Volume
One."
This is one to see, folks. You may not like it, but you have to see
it. |
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© Written by Jacob Hall -
Email
Me! |
TC Candler's Comment
n/a
Richard Propes' Comment
While I've
never quite held this film in the same high
esteem as most true connoisseurs of the genre,
it's an undeniable powerhouse. Peckinpah's film
is relentless, and the performances are, as
well. Holden, Borgnine and the rest of the gang
consumer the screen with a fiery intensity and
energy that make this film come to life years
after its release. Every aspect of the film's
production is stellar. For the genre, it has
seldom ever been better than this film.
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