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Was everything I had read about was this Sam Peckinpaugh movie. Was explicit bloody violence and those shootout scenes were the longest I had ever seen! Probably too long. Looked more like a Civil War battle than a western shootout! glad he toned it down 95% in his next movie "Ballad of Cable Hogue". But the movie was well cast! With a couple different faces that usually I had not seen making a western. Those being Ernest Borgnine and William Holden! They were both excellent in their roles. And so was the old cowboy Robert Ryan! Am now viewing the special features of movie, clips, directors cut etc!
If there were a 10-star rating, this action/western would certainly warrant at least eight stars. If you never had the opportunity to see this film, you clearly have missed what is probably the best western/action/war/gang type movie ever made. This is perhaps a unique genre with some possible similarity to an earlier film, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. Director Sam Peckinpah stuck his head through the porthole of time and produced a movie with a level of violence and malevolence wrapped around a time in the Mexican Revolution when life was cheap and gold was available to those cruel enough to do anything. Enter the "wild bunch"; a gang of 1912 ex-military men who had fought the good fight for the U.S. Army in the Spanish American War, but now were nothing more than mercenaries for profit. The cast of characters, led by William Holden, with his second in command, Ernest Borgnine, along with Robert Ryan, Warren Oats, Edmond O'brien and others weave a tale of death and violence through South Texas and Civil War torn Mexico, all for the pursuit of gold. This pursuit gradually turns to vengeance as their own violence begins to be dwarfed by the level of cruelty displayed by the Mexican commander and his troops towards the simple people caught up in the conflict. The resulting battle and level of graphic violence that results far exceeds anything ever before seen on film. When critics first screened this production, they were horrified! They predicted nothing less than absolute rejection by the movie going public. They were wrong. This movie was such an overwhelming success, that thousands of viewers went to see this movie dozens of times! This picture subsequently ushered in the era of blood-n-guts special effects that was to define all future action style movies, and elevated director Sam Peckinpah to the status of one of the greatest action directors of all times. This is a hard core movie of realistic action and is very violent. It is not for children or the squeamish. It is the definitive action/western/cowboy movie. EXCELLENT!Read full review
I like this work of art from director Sam peckinpah's, as a child growing up with toy-western guns and stick horses, long befor video games keep the child in us lock in our seats, I can say I enjoy this type of out door adventure film, it is full of slick vision, and die-hard principals,well tune for these over the hill actors who fit the part like they were born for it.I also bought this for the child in me who love the western..for it's grit..for it's action...and yes for those rough desperados who live one second at a time! and as a child before cable became the norm,I never did get to see the full director's cut. now it's one of my collection pieces I don't collect all the westerns however this one is #2 on my list. R.G.
A gritty classic western with dirty "heroes" that has a nice balance of action, drama, humor and emotion.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
THE WILD BUNCH, huh ? You better believe it. These outlaws mean business; and they are quite proficient in regard to their business. They certainly aren't good men; but they do have a few good character traits. After all, it is partly their loyalty to (and maybe even brotherly love for) Angel which sets up the film's final confrontation; although those attributes were almost certainly conditional on the fact that he was a member of their outlaw band; so I wouldn't say that the loyalty they show qualifies them to be considered particularly "noble". It is something, though. It's enough that you feel some sympathy for these hombres as they walk towards a fateful showdown. Professional robbers and killers though they are; it's not hard to identify with them in this circumstance. The fact that they are vastly outnumbered enhances the feeling. (If the previous words sound somewhat vague; remember: I don't want to give away too many details for those who haven't seen the movie.) THE WILD BUNCH is for the most part very realistic and believable. The motivations of all the characters are completely credible. It is a great film, and is widely considered a classic -- and not just in it's own genre. The final shootout simply boggles the mind.Read full review
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