The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969): USA

Reviewed By Nick Hincapie. Viewed at the Santa Barbara Film Festival 2011.

In 1969 the world saw the release of several different Western films including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and the original True Grit. Another one of those westerns released was Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch, which tells the story of an aging Outlaw gang on the Texas-Mexico border. The film in general is different from most westerns and more violent as well.

The film takes place in 1913 when the Western times were ending and when World War I was approaching. At the beginning of the film we see a gang of outlaws attempting to rob a railroad office when they’re soon ambushed by a group of bounty hunters which then results in a bloody shoot out. The gang is able to escape and they take refugee in near the Rio Grande where the Mexican Revolution is currently taking place. Throughout the film we see the gang robing many people and engaging in many gun fights all of which are extremely violent.

What surprised me the most about this film was how graphic and violent it was compared to other Westerns. In one scene one of the gang members see’s his former girlfriend with one of the Mexican soldiers and shoots her. When the film was first released in 1969 there was controversy over the graphic scenes and it’s portrayal of the gang members. The violence didn’t really bother me because I felt that it made film feel more realistic and gave me a good feeling of what it would be like to be in these mens situation. It’s ridiculous how people complain when movies are to violent when they should know ahead of time by looking at the films rating.

I have always been a huge fan of Western films so I really enjoyed this film. What I liked about the film was how it followed gang members through a series of different events instead of telling the story of one person trying to overcome some obstalce. At times the story does get a little  confusing because there are so many characters to follow but everything is still makes sense in the end. Unlike the other westerns released in 1969 “The Wild Bunch” doesn’t really have a plot instead it shows the gang members struggling through a series of different events.You could say that this film is like an art film because it has no plot and is more of a character study instead.

It was nice to see the film on the big screen again because that’s the way a movie like should be viewed. Most of the film I think still holds up very well today and people would probably really enjoy watching this. It’s nice when film festivals screen older movies because it allows people who didn’t see the film in theaters to see the film on the big screen. I wish Hollywood Studios would release more Western films today so we can see more films like this released every year. The film may not be the greatest western ever made but it’s still a very entertaining and original film.