Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: The Wild Bunch was directed by a man whose ideas of manliness and honor were those of the Bronze Age. Nevertheless, this film is far above the level of a shoot 'em up. The viewer is constantly impressed by the acting, the photography, the editing and the sheer skill in telling an exciting story. Like David Lean, Sam Peckinpah was a master of both character and action. The two massacres (which gave the film its notoriety) may seem gratuitous and disgusting, but without them The Wild Bunch would be merely a superior Western. I am not sure what these beautiful ghastly ballets of death mean. I suppose they express the death wish, the devil of destruction in the human animal. There are a number of brilliantly directed scenes. My favorite is at the very beginning when the the outlaws ride into a Texas border town disguised as Army troops. Peckinpah immediately establishes the tone: legendary, suspenseful, doom-laden. The children torturing the scorpions is one of the unforgettable images in the history of the movies. The documentary about the making of the film is fascinating. It shows that Peckinpah was an inspired improvisor, a quality that probably accounts for much of the excellence of this film.
Rating:
Summary: The best western ever
Review: This is with out a doubt the best western ever to grace the silver screen. The acting in this film is some of the best to be seen William Holden gives an outstanding performance. The slow motion special effects are the best and the first western to use them as far as I know. It's a shame they don't make westerns like this anymore. The only complaint I have is with the dvd It's a (flipper disk) and it is not anamorphic but I am sure that they will fix this in the future. This film is highly recomended.
Rating: 
Summary: a thought provoking masterpiece
Review: one of the aspects of this film that strikes me every time i see
it, is the way that it portrays the decisions that military
commanders (and although this is 'merely' a gang, there are
unmistakeable parallels) have to makeearly on, holden leaves one of his men behind to hold bank staff
hostage while the rest of the gang make it out. there is no chance
that this guy will make it out, and indeed he doesn't. when it
turns out the man left behind was related to holdens old friend,
you start to see the human side of holden's character this aspect (guilt?) grows until the eventful final sacrifice
that the remaining gang members make, in a vain attempt to save
one of their own
Rating:
Summary: No one made Westerns like Peckinpah
Review: Other revieers have pretty well covered the plot so I woo't dwell on it. The one thing that I can say, is that Peckinpah is the master of the Western. The firearms he shows are accurate for the time depicted, and the details always fit the plot. And the plots are always intense and they hold you on the edge of your seat. The casting was terrific in the Wild Bunch, with Holden, Ben Johnson (who always plays western parts authentically), Borgnine, Ryan, and all of the others were superbly cast. This may not be Peckinpah's best effort, but it has to be one his best. I recommend it highly. A very entertaining film. Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating:
Summary: The Absolute Best Western Ever Made
Review: As an author of Western History and considered the pre-eminent authority on the biggest name in Wyoming history -- a figure who was out of date, in the wrong place at the wrong time -- I can vouch for The Wild Bunch. The plot is crisp, the action moves continuously from scene to scene, and the portrayal of the characters is outstanding. A frequently unmentioned name is Emilio Fernandez, who plays the part of General Mapache beautifully.
Rating:
Summary: Peckinpah's Masterpiece
Review: This is among the classic westerns, one which must be seen only in the 145-minute director's cut version to be fully appreciated. Yes, it is an exceptionally violent film but none of the graphic violence seems to me gratuitous, unlike in some of director Sam Peckinpah's other films. Pike Bishop (William Holden) heads a gang which robs banks and trains. Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan) is a former member whom railroad owner Harrigan (Albert Dekker) arranges to be released from prison on the single condition that Thornton lead efforts to kill or capture Bishop and his gang. If he fails, he will be returned to prison. The quality of all performances is outstanding, as are Peckinpah's direction and the cinematography provided by Lucien Ballard. The primary plot involves Thornton's efforts to complete his assignment but there are several interesting sub plots, notably one involving Coffer (Strother Martin) and his fellow scavengers. (Martin once observed that he and Dub Taylor specialized in portraying "prairie scum.") The opening scene shows a scorpion being consumed by fire ants. Coffer and his motley crew hope to have a similar opportunity to feast on what remains of the Bishop gang. I was also fascinated by the interaction between the Bishop gang and the Mexican federales (headed by General Mapache played by Emilio Fernandez) who also pursue them. Time eventually runs out. Bishop and his associates must decide: Either quietly depart with their tails between their legs or take a stand and probably be killed. In my opinion, the final sequence justifies all of the violence which precedes it. Many of those who have seen this film are offended by its especially graphic portrayal of bloodshed. They have a point unless they take into full account the frontier culture in 1913 in which Bishop and his associates challenge all manner of conventions (as does Peckinpah) while fulfilling their destiny as robbers and killers. They are what they are. They have no self-delusions. None. Thornton is the only sympathetic character, Bishop's reluctant and weary adversary. In the last scene, his body language is especially eloquent. He and we feel spent. Enough. No more. It's over.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Western Ever
Review: This film is easily the greatest western ever. It revolutionized the genere and film violence. A must see.
Rating:
Summary: Much more than a Western...
Review: From the opening image of a scorpion being swarmed by ants, to the aftermath of The Battle of Bloody Porch, this film holds you captive in a way few films ever could. It has few (if any) of the traditional trappings of Western films. There are no good guys. At best, the protagonists are murderers and thieves with a code of ethics. There is no damsel in distress, no town to save from the clutches of a villain, no opportunity whatsoever for the terrible men of the film to redeem themselves in any meaningful sense. Even the climactic gunfight transcends the Western genre, and can only be described as one of the most beautiful and terrible orgies of violence ever put to film. Ultimately, The Wild Bunch is more than the "last" Western. Though it is in a sense a eulogy to the genre (outside perhaps "Unforgiven", one would be hard pressed to think of any Western made since "The Wild Bunch" that is even remotely as powerful), it is also a eulogy to a lifestyle, and more importantly, an examination of the contradictory qualities of being human. Humans have great capacity for senseless violence. But perhaps even the worst of us have some lines we will not cross. Ultimately, it is not retribution for their sins that does in the Wild Bunch. It is their (likely distorted) since of honor for which they make their final stand. While this may not redeem the Wild Bunch as men, it does make the film challenging and compelling.
Rating:
Summary: If you see one "Western" in your lifetime...
Review: Number one, Sam Peckinpah is the man who deserves the credit. He came close to "visionary" status with this violent breakthrough story about friendship and sacrifice. Number two, William Holden is, in my opinion, one of the greatest actors of all time. Burdened with alcoholism, Bill struggled through life. But his film career went on to inspire such greats as Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. (See "BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI") Number three, and this is the big one, STORY, STORY, STORY!!! What is ultimately more important? Your life? Or what you do with it?
Rating:
Summary: See This And Mourn the Death of a Genre
Review: Sam Peckinpah gave the western the greatest epitaph/euology with this film - no Western since is so stylized, so seminal, so sentimental, so powerful, so damning, so controversial. Willima Holden gives one his best performances ever - right up there with Jake Gilles in SUNSET BLVD. and Sefton in STALAG 17. Why are there no actors like Holden today? A hopeless cynic with a heart and morale code, and as Dutch in THE WILD BUNCH he crystalized his screen persona. The rest of the cast is stellar too, Ernest Borgnine and Robert Ryan anchor the film and film this spartan film with the gravitas that is rarely seen in a Western. Any director to use high-speed camerawork in an action scene owe a debt to Peckinpah and this film, and its the lastest time we saw this kind of relentless, psychotic blood-shed in a mainstream film in an unapologetic way and is still considered art - at the highest level.
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