Rating: 
Summary: Wow!
Review: This movie still packs a punch 30 years later! Sam Peckinpah's style of directing was revolutionary and is still used to this day. The climax of the movie is so incredible, you'll have to ask for oxygen afterwards. Watch it and be in awe!
Rating:
Summary: More than Gore
Review: The material may not be original, but Peckinpah's gory celebration of machismo may be the best of all theatrical Westerns. Starting with the border town robbery and ending with the slow-motion shootout, the movie contains at least five distinct set-pieces, all of which are superbly staged action scenes, including the Bunch's ennobling ride from the Mexican village. This slow, majestic procession reveals a poetic dimension amidst an otherwise chaotic world of casual cruelty. Like John Ford, Peckinpah is a poet at heart, but unlike Ford he does not prettify what he values. Rather, in this film as well as others, his sensitive side seems an embarassment to a code that allows aggressive action as the only compensation for moments of weakness. Without the poetic touch, however, Peckinpah would be just another action director; whereas, without the machismo, he could not express his compelling vision of a world among men. It's that struggle to articulate an acceptable version of an artist that drives much of this movie and Peckinpah's career.One way of looking at the film's depth lies in an often overlooked but pivotal moment that occurs near film's end. Despite the odds, the Bunch has finished off the brutal Mapache and his henchman. Then comes a momentary lull as the four gringos exult in their unexpected victory, while Mapache's foot soldiers hesitate to continue the slaughter. From a plot standpoint the pause is unnecessary, since it adds nothing to the outcome. From a thematic standpoint, however, the pause is pivotal. At this point, the Bunch could walk away with the gold and their honor intact, all their dreams fulfilled. But they don't. Instead, Pike shoots the German officer, restarting the gunplay and sealing their doom. Why does Pike sacrifice their dream for a hopeless shoot-out. The screenplay gives no reason. In my view, here as elsewhere there surfaces in the action the outline of what might be called the Bunch's moral progression from the survivalist world of scorpions and ants to the limited but nonetheless transcendent values of comradeship and national identity. These are expressed in the four's shoulder to shoulder march in behalf of a fallen comrade and Pike's killing of the foreign officer. I'm sure Peckinpah would hate this kind of analysis, but I think this is what he makes us feel in a very powerful way. In a movie filled with memorable moments, there's another one easily overlooked that is my favorite. During a brief battlle around the train station, a uniformed messenger no older than twelve brings Mapache a message to retreat. With soldiers falling all around, this scurrilous and venal man stands suddenly erect amidst the hail of bullets, proud and defiant, totally unaware of the bravery of his act. But the boy sees, and in a gesture that echoes across generations, stands with him. In the exchange of glances that follows, we know the one has finally risen to the rank of general, if only for a moment, while the other has found a hero for life, even if a dubious one. It's sublime touches such as these that belie those critics who see in the film nothing more than a pointless, amoral violence. I guess my chief complaint is not about what's on the screen, although too many of the characters are on the cartoonish side. It's about the origin of the material and the fact that the film has borrowed heavily from Richard Brooks' 1966 production "The Professionals", not in just a general way such as the characters, setting, and plot, but down to the brief yet telling dialogue about the sanctity of keeping one's word. There's nothing wrong with seeking ideas from others. However, Peckinpah's production owes more than just inspiration to the Brooks film. Fortunately, this takes nothing away from audience enjoyment, for Peckinpah has raised the material to a sublime level, but it does raise questions about an artist's responsibility to the industry that spawns him. That being said, The Wild Bunch remains the director's masterpiece and a milestone in bringing greater realism to cinema violence. All in all, whatever his subsequent failings, on this one occasion, when confronted by the looming spectre of censorship, Peckinpah rose magnificently to meet the challenge. Just like the tarnished loners he so admired.
Rating:
Summary: A WESTERN MASTERPIECE
Review: The 1969 Western classic, The Wild Bunch, is a true spectacle to behold. The gunfights,especially the one at the movie's climax are incredible. This movie's violence surpassed anything previously shown in a Western. The movie stars good actors and has a good plot. If you love violence that is woven correctlly into a movie's plot, then you will love The Wild Bunch!
Rating:
Summary: Peckinpah's moment in time still packs a punch
Review: There's not much that can be noted about Sam Peckinpah's brilliant 1969 western epic "The Wild Bunch" that has not already been written. It was an unanticipated, influential work where all things came together, but for a moment, the end product a huge, sweeping canvas of intimacy between comrades, violence between combatants, desperate anger amidst changing times. Part Kurosawa, part Siegel, part Fuller, part Ford, Peckinpah combined his inspirations with a healthy dose of 1960s rebellion producing the ultimate work of his generation, and one of the greatest westerns in history. It was Peckinpah's great fortune that the right actors were available for this film - William Holden and Robert Ryan in the twilight of their memorable careers, Ernest Borgnine with just enough youth to be a perfect and loyal presence, Edmond O'Brien chewing up the scenery with tobacco-stained teeth, and of course Peckinpah friends Strother Martin, L.Q. Jones and Warren Oates in salty supporting roles. It was also his great fortune cinematographer Lucien Ballard and composer Jerry Fielding were also on hand to participate in his steadfast vision. Peckinpah also had something to prove at this point in his career, when he was still a hungry director with a vision, before alcoholism, disillusionment and celebrity status took hold. He hid nothing from viewers, and his contradictory heart was laid bare in "The Wild Bunch." The direction and editing during the violent moments of this film - the opening bank robbery and the concluding battle with the Mexican army - are some of the most unforgettable scenes ever put on film. But ironically, and this was usually the case in most Peckinpah films, it is the quiet moments one remembers. Pike (Holden) and Dutch's (Borgnine) melancholy conversation next to a campfire; The Bunch riding out of Angel's village as if in a funeral procession; Deke (Ryan) taking Pike's pistol from it's holster, gently holding it in his hand; and of course Pike standing in the doorway and mouthing two simple words, "Let's go." And of course you have The Walk, in which Holden, Borgnine, Oates and Ben Johnson quietly begin loading their guns, cocking them, arming themselves, smiling at one another, standing shoulder to shoulder. There's not much left for these forgotten outlaws who have lived past their time. Just a code of honor, just their self respect. And so they Walk into the heart of the Mexican army to retrieve their comrade Angel, a prisoner and personal enemy of General Mapache. These surviving members of The Wild Bunch are free to go, but Angel, youthful, love-struck, rebellious, was one of them. They are not going to leave their comrade. After viewing the extraordinary documentary "The Wild Bunch: An Album In Montage" and seeing the rare footage of Peckinpah literally improvising The Walk, walking alongside Holden, Borgnine, Oates and Johnson, inventing by instinct, one realizes how fiercely creative this man was as a director. This film was his moment in time, his vision, his idea, Peckinpah's nightmarish and amazing dream. Peckinpah never really made a film quite like "The Wild Bunch" again. Of course, no director ever really has before or since. His uneven career of 14 films, some good, some not, has been celebrated and honored. Peckinpah the man, adorned in faded jeans and bandanna, certainly perpetuated his myth-like status. But in the end, you will always have "The Wild Bunch," an unforgettable film, raw, gritty, whiskey-soaked, sublime. I cry whenever I watch this film. I cry in awe. All things came together for Peckinpah on "The Wild Bunch," and the moment is everlasting.
Rating: 
Summary: Shall we gather at the river?
Review: The first time you see this movie it has a huge impact. The coldness, fierceness and cruelty of this movie remains unequaled, at least by any other western. The memory stays with you. Your feelings go numb, but it passes. The shootout at the beginning, the train robbery around the middle, and the bloodbath at the end are highlights. This is high drama, with fast action. But some of the scenes drag and make you wish they'd go on to the next one. What better actors can you find to play outlaws than Strother Martin and L.Q. Jones? They actually let them and a few other guys out of prison to catch Holden and his gang. One of them (Robert Ryan} used to ride with Holden but will do anything to get out of the hell hole prison he's in. The story is about aging outlaws who want to make one last big score before they retire. They plan out their robberies well and come away with a big score (they think) from the bank at the beginning. They find out they've been led into a trap. About half of the gang die in the process but 5 manage to escape. They find out they were tricked and don't end up with bags of gold coins. They find another job to steal guns for a Mexican general and plan this robbery well too but as in real life, everything doesn't always go as planned.
Rating:
Summary: A great film
Review: Sometimes imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery. Such is the case with Sam Peckinpah's brilliant classic "The Wild Bunch". Lesser directors like Fincher, Stone and the late Peckinpah himself (along with countless other hacks) have failed to successfully match the Wild Bunch's unique ability to combine introspection and tender quiet poetry with stylistic action. This says nothing of the fact that slow motion death sequences have long since become tiresome. I find it most surprising, considering the admittedly high amount of violence this film does indeed contain, how softly quiet and pensive the film really is. What lesser directors and many viewers often forget, is that Peckinpah builds under his bloody ballets a strong foundation of character, wistfulness, and longing thereby transforming a violent film into an essay not about violence, but rather instead the full gray range of human experience. Countless contemporary attempts to ape this film have missed this key component and built a house of bloody cards that topples easily under the winds of scrutiny. "The Wild Bunch" is a quiet meditation of the nature of man and his frequently foolish attempt to relive the past. As an aged Mexican sage observes to William Holden's weary protagonist in one of the film's many bucolic moments, "We all desire to be a child again. Even the worst of us. Perhaps the worst most of all." "The Wild Bunch" ultimately and solidly depicts the precious search for redemption and the futile efforts to reclaim lost innocence (that maybe, perhaps wasn't all that innocent to begin with). I've always held the conviction that the phrase "The good old days" is nothing more than a sadly shallow marketing tool and this American classic does much to support that idea. In the Bunch's case, they tragically yet logically discover that the good old days weren't all that good to begin with and now the time has come to pay for all their sins. They realize they have continually sold their souls to one Satan after another and now they have ran out of "any soul to sell" (to quote Trent Reznor). However, they do buy back their souls in a savage and bloody moment of reckoning during the famous "Battle of Bloody Porch" sequence. Surprisingly "The Wild Bunch" is not a pessimistic view of the world. The ending allows two aged characters some hope as they head into the mountains to fight the corrupt government soldiers, their freedom bought and paid for by a blood sacrifice. During the course of the film, the main characters desperately struggle to find something to hang on to. They find it in the notion of verbal contracts and codes of ethics, no matter how layered and shifty. They save their very souls by sticking to that code and fulfilling the contract to the end. The film lives like a mad amalgam of styles and artists. In creating this unique film, It is as if Sam Peckinpah hired Tennessee Williams and Ernest Hemingway to collaborated on a screenplay while channeling John Ford and John Huston in his direction and employing Rivera and Orozco as painter/ photographers to this great object.. Peckinpah manages to paint this massive portrait in broad vibrant strokes befitting a Wagnerian opera while capturing the subtle details like a Chopin Nocturne- a proud feat aided in no small part by Jerry Fielding's classic and superb musical score. I cannot say enough about the brilliant ensemble acting in this film. Besides the equally brilliant television mini series "Lonesome Dove", "The Wild Bunch" may contain the finest acting ever seen in a western film. The performances of William Holden and Robert Ryan are simply amazing. They were never better than the weary battle scarred warriors than they are here. Peckinpah supports them with a brazen yet uncannily solid supporting cast featuring superb work by Edmund O'Brien, Strother Martin, Ben Johnson, Ernest Borgnine and Warren Oates. Each man arguably delivers his finest and most layered work. Emilio Fernandez creates a vicious evil as the Devil General Mapache. With this film, Sam Peckinpah showed himself to be many things as an artist: sentimental and tender, bloody and maudlin, evocative and provocative , poetic and profane, regal and common, temporal and eternal, ephemeral and permanent. With the Wild Bunch, he created is one true work of film art (with his earlier "Ride The High Country" riding neck and neck). This glorious DVD reproduces his vision in eye wateringly beautiful color and detail as well as possessing Paul Seydor's illuminating behind the scenes documentary. For its most affordable price, "The Wild Bunch" belongs in any serious film buff's library. No, it's not for the weak of heart. Yes the film is filled with much macho posturing that will turn many viewers off. But for those folks willing to carry this film's heavy load, many rich treasures await in discovering (or rediscovering) this gem.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Hurrah.....The First of it's Kind...
Review: This review refers to the Warner Bros. Original Directors Cut/Special Widescreen Edition(VHS) of "The Wild Bunch".... There was only one thing I didn't like about this film and that was that it ended! It wasn't the ending itself I didn't like, just that the movie was finished. It's the kind of movie, I could just rewind and watch it all over again, all 2 hours and 25 minutes of it. It's definitive Peckinpah, and one that defines the Western Genre of today. "The Wild Bunch" are 6 aging outlaws, coping with the Old West becoming the New West. One last score is what their looking for, and maybe they can retire from their life on the run. They head to Mexico, all the while being hunted down by a posse made up of unscrupulous scalawags, led by an ex-commrade of the bunch,who is blackmailed into the job. Once in Mexico, they strike a deal with a ruthless "Generalisimo" to rob an arms shipment and supply the General and his troops with all the guns and ammunition his troops will need. After some exquiste action scenes of the train robbery, and some crafty negotations with the General, they will be set. But...There's a complication..one of their own has crossed the General and is now being tortured by the Mexican outfit. The theme of this film, which is definitly Honor among thieves, really takes hold, as they return to the village to retrieve their comrade. Peckinpah then films the most bloody and violent gun battle ever seen on the screen until that time and in a style so cinematically unique it was to change the style of westerns, and become a landmark film. A machine gun actually becomes a character in this marvelous story. Compared to the films of today, this one may not seem so graphically violent, but in 1969 it was and huge leap and a cinematic treat to behold. It's not just a story of violence though, Peckinpah explores the bonding of these men. There are some wonderful scenes as the leader of "The Wild Bunch"(William Holden) and the leader of the posse(Robert Ryan), who are ex-buddies, are both thinking back to the past.There are also numerous scenes of the bunch bonding with each other. As mentioned above the film stars William Holden and Robert Ryan, and you will also be delighted with the rest of the legendary cast. Ernest Borgnine, Edmond O'Brien, Warren Oates, Strother Martin, L.Q Jones, Jaime Sanchez, and the wonderful Ben Johnson are excellent in their performances.The music by Jerry Fielding gives the perfect feel to the southwestern story and the cinematography is breathtaking. This restoration of the original directors cut is outstanding on this VHS.It is one my most watched tapes and still seems to look great.I have not felt the need to upgrade this to DVD yet, as it looks and sounds wonderful. You'll see all the action and scenery in the widescreen format(2.35:1), and the stereo surround(Dolby)is also very good. If you have never had the experience of watching a film by Sam Peckinpah, this is the one that would define his style. If you already know this film, you will not dissapointed with this restored director's cut. A classic Western.....enjoy....Laurie
Rating:
Summary: An Uncompromising Film
Review: William Holden's performance as the ultimate Western anti-hero perhaps justifies the amount of carnage in this film. Director Sam Peckinpah and his writers have taken several western tropes (a band of outlaws hunted by bounty hunters, robbing a train, hiding in Mexico) to their absurdist conclusions. The Bunch is despicable but Peckinpah manages to make you root for them in spite of it. There are several legendary action scenes (John Woo often takes a page from Peck) and several equally legendary quiet scenes. The final march of the Bunch to the climactic battle has been quoted in films like Reservoir Dogs. About the DVD: This is one of the early Warner flipper discs, which means the movie stops in the middle and you have to get up, eject the disc, and flip it over. The good point about this is that the picture compression is low and therefore the picture quality is high (this film has some great compositions, courtesy cinematographer Lucien Ballard). The disc is in widescreen and you wouldn't want it any other way. The disc also contains an Academy-Award winning documentary about the making of The Wild Bunch. This is a great documentary, done purely with behind-the-scenes footage and narration by Ed Harris (reading quotes from the late Peckinpah) and commentary by others involved in the film. Much better than most DVD extras! What's not to like? Well, certain parts of the film have not aged well. The portrayal of the Mexicans and the film's seeming vendetta against women don't sit well in my stomach. However, as a fan of Peckinpah, Westerns, and great action movies I can't stop myself from enjoying this rootin' tootin epic.
Rating:
Summary: Still pretty impressive
Review: We've become so desensitized to the buckets of violence in movies today that about the only thing left after "Hannibal" would be live dissection. Or has that been done? As movie makers keep raising the bar to keep audiences interested, we'll probably see increasing body counts and more gore. Hollywood seems to be shy about portraying sex beyond leering, sniggering teenage level, but blowing people's heads up is just fine and dandy. But wait. With "The Wild Bunch" it's "been there, done that". For here is the granddaddy of violent film. This is the film that brought mass death and gore to a major audience. Add to that the style of slow-motion blood-splattering. Movie audiences are jaded to this today, but can you imagine the reaction when this came out? But all this wouldn't mean squat if the movie wasn't good otherwise, and this movie is very, very good. For this movie's heroes are all bad guys, but the way they are portrayed, they bear the moral standard of the film. For like "The Godfather", they are surrounded by other characters, even those society calls "the good guys", that have a moral code that is portrayed as more corrupt that that of the so-called bad guys. Yes, the heroes steal and sometimes kill, but they do it in a professional manner. The movie does have a point to this day, when you see the "old guard" of organized crime being challenged by the more random and senseless violence of street gangs. It also works with some great performances by the actors. The entire "Bunch", plus Robert Ryan as the man in charge of finding them, portray a weariness with life that seems genuine. They see a world changing around them, know that their skills are limited to only a few things, and need to make the most of that situation to put a little bit aside for a rainy day. Kind of like we all do.
Rating:
Summary: Essential
Review: This DVD is essential. I just wish they would release this film in anamorphic widescreen.....then I would give this film 5 stars.
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