The Wild Bunch

Starring: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Warren Oates, Jaime Sanchez, Ben Johnson, Emilio Fernandez, Strother Martin, L.Q. Jones, Albert Dekker
Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
Rating: R
Genre: Western, Adventure, Action
1969

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A group of outlaws struggle to pull off a final heist.

Review:

Tim: Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch was controversial and influential for its realistic, gritty portrayal of violence. And to be fair, it's amazing to see it depicted here. It flips Western violence on its head- the sounds, the bloodshed, the quick cuts to demonstrate the chaos of a gun battle. Violence in a Western has never appeared more real or intense. I understand why this film is considered a classic and how it landed on the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Movies list. For me, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie but it didn't quite feel as great as critics claimed. I really enjoyed the movie and recognize its strengths, but I wouldn't call this one of the best Westerns of all time (like most critics would).

I do want to highlight the violence because it was so controversial and so well done. Sitting down to watch this film, I didn't read about its history or impact first. So, I had no idea what made the movie so important. I recognized that something was different immediately, though. The opening scene shootout in the town was almost shockingly violent. The blood from gunshot wounds, people screaming, the quick cuts that gave the scene this memorable chaotic insanity- I'd never seen a Western gunfight like this before. It was incredibly well done. It immediately lets the audience know this isn't the Westerns you've seen for decades. This is something new. The opening scene isn't the only one, though- there's a terrific fight on a bridge (that ends in spectacular fashion), there's a train robbery (that has minimal violence, but is simply amazing), and then there's the climax in the Mexican village. This scene is almost hard to watch- there's so much gunfire, dozens and dozens of people die. Characters take more bullets than you can believe before finally succumbing to death. I completely understand how some viewers were turned off by what they saw on screen. Peckinpah doesn't hold anything back as he depicts violence as brutal and bloody. I thought it was brilliant and you can see the influence of this film in dozens and dozens that followed it.

The cast is good. William Holden gives a remarkable performance. I was familiar with Holden from his earlier roles, so it was hard for me to reconcile that Holden with the one I saw here. He's older, but he gives this impression of world weariness while also being dangerous. It's this amazing ability where Holden always feels like he's in control, the most civilized of this band of outlaws. And yet, there's this edge to his character that makes you pause. Holden's performance is one of the highlights of the film. He is incredible. I really like Ernest Borgnine and it was fun seeing him here. He gives a good supporting performance- his performance is strong. I don't think he made nearly the impact that he could have, though. The script doesn't give him nearly enough to do. He's Holden's second, but I wish he had a bigger role. He and Holden have a nice exchange as they are getting ready to sleep one night, but Borgnine's talent wasn't fully leveraged here. Robert Ryan gives a strong performance as well. His disgust at his travel companions was memorable and one of the best aspects of his performance. His general distaste for their errand shines through. I would have liked at least one scene with Ryan and the others, but we didn't get that. Now, it felt like Ben Johnson (whom I really like) and Warren Oates didn't get enough time to fully establish their characters. Sure, they do get screen time, but they don't do enough that's truly interesting. I kept asking myself why they were sticking around, what I was supposed to feel for their characters. They both felt underdeveloped to me. I really like Johnson, so it was a little disappointing his character (and therefore his performance) wasn't better positioned. Jaime Sanchez was solid in his role, but I would have liked to understand his character just a bit better.

If I start talking about my complaints or my reasons for feeling this movie just misses out on greatness, it absolutely has to do with the characters. I didn't feel like I really connected with any of them. We spend the film with this gang of outlaws, but we're not given enough of a reason to care. Their personalities aren't distinct enough. Westerns with large casts work when the characters are memorable and unique. In this film, Johnson and Oates felt like they played a variation of the same character. We get to know Sanchez's character better than most, which I appreciated. Borgnine's character wasn't developed enough and even Holden remained too much of a mystery. We get some oddly filmed flashback scenes, but they don't give us enough insight into their characters. If we spent a little more time understanding these people (and maybe a little less time on seeing blood squirt out of bullet holes), the movie would have been great. Especially when you think about that insane climax- if we loved these flawed characters, I would have gotten chills at the end. That doesn't quite happen. We see these characters do mostly awful things and they obviously dislike each other. I just wanted a little hook to better understand and connect with them.

Now, while I may not have been as big a fan as most critics, please understand how much I like The Wild Bunch. Holden gives a terrific performance in a film brilliantly directed by Sam Peckinpah. The action scenes here are among the best the genre has to offer. The train scene feels relatively bloodless by comparison (and something like five or six people die, so that gives you a frame of reference) but it's incredibly effective as well. Peckinpah was a genius for telling this action-heavy story so well. This is a movie I would highly recommend to any Western fan and even non-genre fans would benefit from seeing this film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Straw Dogs, Major Dundee, Ride the High Country