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Summary: This is possibly the best western ever made.
Review: SAM PECKINPAH,S "THE WILD BUNCH" IS MUCH MORE THAN A WESTERN. IT'S ABOUT A GROUP OF DESPERATE MEN IN A STRANGE LAND, OUT TO ROB A BANK AND RELAX A LITTLE.BY THE TIME THE ENDING CREDITS COME WE HAVE COME TO KNOW THESE VIOLENT MEN IN SUCH A WAY THAT ONE TRULY FEELS FOR THEM,EVEN WITH ALL THE SHOCKING VIOLENCE.PECKINPAH CAPTURED THE SIMPLE BEAUTY AND TRANQUILITY OF A MEXICAN VILLAGE AND IT'S PEOPLE LIKE NO OTHER DIRECTOR BEFORE OR SINCE AND WHEN CONTRASTED WITH THE VIOLENCE IT'SSOMETHING YOU WON'T EASILY FORGET.A MUST SEE!
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Summary: Ethics and handgrenades don't mix? Think again, pilgrim.
Review: This is rated as one of the best movies ever made, and it's one of my personal faves, but I've found that it's like 'the Dirty Dozen'...it's a movie men love, that doesn't really appeal to many women. Vive la differance, and all that. It's a story of 'bad men in changing times'. It literally caused riots in Kansas City during it's world premiere, due to the then-shocking portrayal of violence. (They invented 'slow motion' crash scenes, now passe'....and 'squibs', the small FX explosions that make it look like a bullet has just passed thru flesh) 30 years later, the violence isn't as shocking, compared to what's come in the interim. The story is as good as ever. Acting, casting, cinematography are topnotch, in fact, every 'technical' aspect of the movie is superb. It's the culmination of a 'tough guy' directors career, Sam Peckinpah's masterpiece. After a gang of aging outlaw's robbery goes wrong at the beginning of the film, they head to Mexico to hide out and recover. While there, they agree to supply the local generalissimo with guns stolen from an US army supply train. The devil is in the details, and we watch as the bunch choose between sacrificing one of their own, or facing the consequences. Their choice leads to one of the greatest 'shoot outs' in the history of the movies. In it's own way, the movie's protrayal of ethics & 'male bonding' may have led to the development of 'the men's movement'. I know for dangsure it's the basis of at least one of the acceptable firearms in the modern shooting sport known as 'Cowboy Shooting'. (Winchester model '97's are allowed in competition, based largely on the fact that the guys who invented the sport LOVED the movie...and it doesn't hurt that they're fine old shotguns) Watch the anniversary edition instead of one of the older versions, this has restored footage and the quality of the original shows through again. They don't make 'em like this anymore. But they should.
Rating:
Summary: 8 stars his second best
Review: Besides "Bring Me The Head OF Alfredo Garcia" this was Peckinpah's most notorious movie. After the prescreening his friends were worried about the excessive gore. Peckinpah(in his cleanest dirty shirt) explained that he was against violence.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best Western movies I have ever seen.
Review: If you want a very good western movie, "The Wild Bunch" is definitely the right one, one of the best Packinpah films I have ever seen. Top story with solid performances of Holden, Borgnine and Oates
Rating:
Summary: A classic for any film library
Review: William Holden's gang of 'just about over the hill' outlaws plan on making one big score before they hang up their guns and go straight. There's just a thing or two between "The Wild Bunch" and their plans: former friend, now informer Robert Ryan and his group of bounty hunters, and a band of about 1,000 Mexican soldiers...the odds are just about right! While some would argue that the film romances violence with its slow motion gun battles, "The Wild Bunch" also receives high marks for its character development and the inner-working of an outlaw gang hanging on to old western values at the beginning of the 20th century.
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Summary: If you are going to see one Peckinpah, look no further.
Review: Western cinematography at its best, strong willed anti-hero gunslingers and William Holden's usual strong performance make for the Classic Western of the 60's and certainly better than 99.9% of the westerns made since. Being a bit of a purist, the widescreen DVD is an absolute must for the ultimate Peckinpah experience. Of course being a Pechinpah film eliminates the squimish, those who demand fast plot development, most of the fairer gender, and those who don't enjoy slow motion death scenes greater than five minutes in duration. Admitedly It is a male testosterone joy ride and you couldn't find a worse choice for romantic nights. If you liked the story, pace and characters of "The Unforgiven" (Best Picture 1992), this is a likely one for you to add to your collection. If you find yourself enjoying the violence of some Tarantino or Scorsese films - see this. Many movie historians site "The Wild Bunch" as the movie that ushered in graphic depiction of gore and violence so prevelent today. All have there own takes, for me here the violence does fit the movie and themes presented much like "Raging Bull" (Best Picture 1980). It is far more than the Van Damme or Segal violence for violence sake tripe films of today.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking
Review: This is the greatest Western of all time. William Holden and Ernest Borgnine form the core of a group of outlaws at the center of the classic last score scenario. It may not seem to be phenomonal at first view, but you'll find yourself thinking about it for days later. The ending is classic moviemaking at it's best. A must own for any decent video collection
Rating:
Summary: One of the best westerns of all-time
Review: The Wild Bunch-Restored Director's Cut is one of the best westerns ever made and also one of the best movies ever. In 1913 during the Mexican Revolution, times are changing as the Old West disappears into oblivion. After a botched robbery in the town of Starbuck, the Wild Bunch, a gang of aging outlaws must decide what their next move is. The remaining members of the gang decide to head south into Mexico where their services may be needed. The bunch robs a gun shipment for a Mexican general, hoping this will be their last job. At the same time, a posse is hunting them down with a former gang member at the posse's head. While this movie is most well known for its violence, it is ultimately a story about honor among men in a changing time. Knowing that the world they knew is changing, the bunch has to try and survive as their end closes in. Nonetheless, director Sam Peckinpah knows how to construct an action sequence. The Battle of Bloody Porch is a balletic, slow-motion, masterpiece of blood and guts as the Wild Bunch meets their end. Just as good is their final march through the streets knowing what awaits them. One of the best westerns, if not the best, ever made and highly recommended. What makes this movie special, along with the groundbreaking filmmaking of Sam Peckinpah, is the cast. The whole cast gives excellent performances. William Holden stars as Pike Bishop, the leader of the Wild Bunch who knows time is running out for the bunch. His right hand man, Dutch Engstrom, is played by Ernest Borgnine in a perfect part for him. Robert Ryan plays Deke Thornton, a former member of the Wild Bunch and the unwilling leader of the posses following the gang. The rest of the gang includes Edmond O'Brien as Freddie Sykes, Warren Oates and Ben Johnson as brothers Lyle and Tector Gorch, and Jaime Sanchez as Angel. Emilio Fernandez plays Mapache, the Mexican general who pays the bunch to steal a shipment of guns. Strother Martin and L.Q. Jones are great as Coffer and TC, members of the posse. What is surprising about these characters is that as despicable as they are, they are still likable. The Restored Director's Cut DVD includes about ten minutes cut from the original version, a theatrical trailer, production notes, an excellent making of documentary, "The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage", and a great-looking widescreen presentation. For a great western with incredible gunfights, a terrific cast, and a great story, check out the truly classic western, The Wild Bunch!
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Summary: "WE'RE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ANYBODY." -- Dutch Engstrom
Review: THE WILD BUNCH concerns the last days of an insular outlaw gang. They're not associated with ANYBODY, Dutch Engstrom (Ernest Borgnine) tells us. To refer to THE WILD BUNCH as one of the greatest Western movies ever made is to do it a great injustice; it needs no qualifier; it is one of the finest films ever created in ANY genre! Evaluating THE WILD BUNCH objectively, I must conclude that in terms of narrative force, characterization, direction and scope, it is unsurpassed in the pantheon of Western films, and rarely equaled in any case. For all of its blood and firepower, this is actually a "Thinking-Man's" Western!
Comparing THE WILD BUNCH to your standard Western like HIGH NOON or BIG JAKE is akin to comparing a classic Jazz recording like Brubeck's, TIME OUT, or Metheny's, STILL LIFE TALKING to pop albums like Fleetwood Mac's, RUMOURS or the Beatles', YELLOW SUBMARINE. You are thoroughly familiar with 'HEY BULLDOG' in 2 or 3 spins, but you'll be discovering new facets in 'THIRD WIND' 2 or 3 dozen listening sessions later. I've been watching THE WILD BUNCH at least once a year since 1989 and yet I never fail to find new elements and textures in it.
In the last 15 years, two Western movies have won the Academy Award for 'Best Picture' (DANCES WITH WOLVES, 1990 & UNFORGIVEN, 1992) but neither one of them comes even remotely close to matching THE WILD BUNCH in terms of structural complexity and narrative force. Nor in suspense or pure excitement, for that matter!
I recommend that you read Fan Wang's review called "Essay - The Laughter At The End Of The Movie" posted here on Nov. 23, 2004. He includes some interesting observations that come all the way from Beijing, China. Because I cannot adequately address the greatness of this film in a brief space, I created an Amazon guide called, 'SO YOU'D LIKE TO.....LEARN WHY "THE WILD BUNCH" IS A CINEMATIC MASTERPIECE.' If you're interested in checking it out, you can access the guide by clicking on my name above & then clicking on the appropriate menu options on my Personal Page.
Rating:
Summary: The Wild bunch
Review: This movie is a masterpiece in directing, writing, photography, and all other aspects of film making. In a movie where the grusome violence and the artistic taste flourish side by side, the director, Sam Peckinpah, shows off his genius for making scenes exiting. He seems to have every shot blown up with edge of your seat exitment, and knows how to throw a story together that is deep and complex but the viewer still knows whats going on. Through out the film, though, the thing that got me the most was the acting. The actors dove into their characters, never once forgetting who they are supposed to portray. William Holden made the movie for me. He plays a bad guy that wants his evil to end, but needs one more heist to retire. He makes you pity him, makes you love him, and makes you fear him all at the same time. Overall, this story about a group of bandits travelling to mexico makes for a cinematic expierience you can dive into, and really admire all the people who worked on it.
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