On W List of Movie Reviews
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The Wild Bunch (1969)
Rate:
10
Viewed:
7/04, 10/06, 10/10, 9/19
10/06:
The first time I saw The Wild Bunch, I gave it a '5'.
Seeing the film again some years later, I upped the rating to '8'. Going for one more time, I now consider
The Wild Bunch as a surefire masterpiece. It's funny how things work out.
The best way to think of the story is "honor among thieves." If there's a film that represents Sam Peckinpah the
best, it's this. The editing is absolutely amazing. There are some scenes that are stirring and passionate. The display of
violence is unbelievable which is best described as poetic.
All in all, The Wild Bunch is a work of art.
10/10:
The Wild Bunch keeps getting better every time I see it.
Sam Peckinpah knows how to play the piano when it comes to making movies. It's the editing style which has the "wow" factor
with the ending that says it all what the movie is about.
All in all, there's nothing like The Wild Bunch.
9/19:
When you hear the phrase "honor among thieves," The Wild Bunch exemplifies it.
Because of the final shootout, Sam Peckinpah is famous for directing this picture. It's the editing of violence
that's absolutely beautiful. Over the years, while losing his mojo, he tried to make a comeback film that's in the same
vein but failed each time except for Straw Dogs and
Junior Bonner.
I love the cast, and many of the guys are old-timers, earning a bunch of Oscar nominations and wins: William Holden, Ernest
Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, and Ben Johnson. The Latino actors Jaime Sánchez and Emilio Fernández round out
the rest and are especially memorable.
All in all, The Wild Bunch is a Western poetic mixture of violence, honor, and brutality.