The Wild Bunch

Don José: We all dream of being a child again, even the worst of us. Perhaps the worst most of all.

Probabile the best west movie ever

Easily one of the greatest American westerns. It's hard-hitting, gritty and full of characters you love to hate. Peckinpah really had a way with hard-nosed fellas. The violent, bloody conclusion packs quite a punch.

I just watched The Wild Bunch today and found myself a little perplexed. Overall, I enjoyed the film, but like many older movies, it feels somewhat dated in certain aspects. That said, its strengths—particularly in performance, cinematography, and its influence on the western genre—are undeniable.

The cast delivers strong performances, with William Holden and Ernest Borgnine standing out. They seem tailor-made for Peckinpah’s brutal, unflinching world, embodying aging outlaws clinging to a violent way of life that is quickly fading. Supporting actors, including western stalwarts like Strother Martin, help bridge the gap between traditional westerns and the darker, more cynical vision Peckinpah presents.

For its time, The Wild Bunch must have been revolutionary. Peckinpah didn’t just push boundaries—he bulldozed them, ushering American cinema into a new era of violence, moral ambiguity, and overt sexism that would become hallmarks of 1970s filmmaking. The film’s balletic bloodshed, especially in its infamous slow-motion shootouts, would go on to influence everything from The Godfather to Reservoir Dogs.

The cinematography is another highlight. Peckinpah crafts a world that feels expansive yet claustrophobic, using large sets and hordes of extras to heighten the chaos. Instead of the sweeping Monument Valley vistas of a John Ford western, he fills the screen with dust, grime, and heat, making the environment feel as unforgiving as the characters themselves.

Upon release, The Wild Bunch was met with controversy due to its extreme violence, shocking even in an era that had already seen Bonnie and Clyde push the envelope. Critics were divided—some saw it as a masterpiece of revisionist western filmmaking, while others condemned it as nihilistic and excessive. However, audiences responded well, and the film performed respectably at the box office. Over time, its reputation has only grown. What was once shocking is now seen as groundbreaking, and Peckinpah’s vision has been re-evaluated as one of the most important films in American cinema.

While The Wild Bunch may feel dated in some respects, it remains an essential and fascinating piece of film history—a movie that not only redefined the western but also left a lasting mark on the industry as a whole.

A great western. The shootouts were awesome and there were a ton. The characters were interesting and the story was good. It felt a little long.

I think one of the great misconceptions about westerns is that they are usually about a bunch of gunfights out in the old west. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, I find that westerns tend to have more interesting characters. In many movies you won't get a background on a character (Clint Eastwood in "The Man With No Name" triology). Instead, you just get a bunch of strangers and the film is about their interaciton. I would put this film into that category. While you do get some background, the theme of the movie is the similarities and differences between the characters.

Decent main storyline with an amazing ending

Gritty, brutal stuff from Peckinpah. Some fantastic scenes with a great score. Lots to digest, but the theme of patriarchal loss and the decline of the traditional man seems prevalent. Would like to have seen the audience reaction to some of the violence in 1969.

Those gunfights and action sequences are really something else, and seem to have set the blueprint for all action movies to come. Outstanding work. The rest of the movie I found to be a little ho-hum, with some setup sequences that really drag and characters I didn't feel strongly about. But when the movie gets loud, it gets amazing.

Cinema Paco 1. Image 3.25 / 5 Sound 3.5 / 5. Good Western with large bloody shootings, not like now