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Movies / On DVD / The Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch

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The Wild Bunch (1969)

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Reviews Counted:36

Fresh:35

Rotten:1

Average Rating:8.7/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 59 mins

Genre: Westerns

Synopsis: As a counterpoint to the heroic horde of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, the aging gunmen of Sam Peckinpah's masterpiece break the very laws of honor which bind them in this bloody and meditative tale of... As a counterpoint to the heroic horde of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, the aging gunmen of Sam Peckinpah's masterpiece break the very laws of honor which bind them in this bloody and meditative tale of the American West--widely considered to be the self-conscious nail in the coffin of the genre. William Holden, Robert Ryan, and Ernest Borgnine star as the leaders of a grizzled crew of Texan bandits who ride to Mexico, where, one by one, they are unceremoniously slaughtered by a Mexican revolutionary. The western, a genre steeped in legend and the concept of loyalty, was a dying breed when Sam Peckinpah unleashed this amoral and violent opus. Along with BONNIE AND CLYDE, it ushered in a new breed of Hollywood film, depicting a harsh reality where lines between right and wrong became blurred. Peckinpah brilliantly used aging Western stars such as Ryan and Holden to convey this passing of the cinematic torch. The film brought issues of violence and morality in movies to the forefront of American film criticism. Instead of appreciating the film as a critique of brutal violence, many critics responded by rejecting what they saw as a superfluous spectacle of dead bodies. [More]

Starring: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Warren Oates

Starring: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Warren Oates, Jaime Sanchez, Ben Johnson, Edmond O'Brien, Bo Hopkins, Emilio Fernandez, Strother Martin, Alfonso Arau

Director: Sam Peckinpah

Director: Sam Peckinpah
Producer: Phil Feldman
Screenwriter: Walon Green, Sam Peckinpah
Story: Roy N. Sickner
Composer: Jerry Fielding

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Wild Bunch

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

In purely cinematic terms, the film is a savagely beautiful spectacle, Lucien Ballard's superb cinematography complementing Peckinpah's darkly elegiac vision.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

... a spurting blast of pulp and poetry choreographed into a ballet of violence.

Full Review Source: Seanax.com | comment Comment
10/26/08
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seanax.com

Sam Peckinpah's great, bloody Western shocked most people with its extreme violence upon its original release, but now it's firmly nestled in the American canon.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
07/04/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

No review available.

comment Comment
04/13/08
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

...a landmark Western and a good, thoughtful, rousing adventure besides.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
10/11/07
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Film at 145 minutes is far over-length, and should be tightened extensively, particularly in first half.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 4 Comments
06/26/07
Whitney Willaims
Whitney Willaims
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The on-screen carnage established a new level in American movies, but few of the films that followed in its wake could duplicate Peckinpah's depth of feeling.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
06/26/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

Peckinpah's masterpiece, which is replete with poetic and violent imagery, demystifies the Old American West where no group (outlaws, railroaders, businessmen) is spared critical scrutiny. A highlight of the Western genre, it's one of 1969's best films.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
12/20/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

the sign of change in the old formula, the advancement of technology and time in a genre that brutally snuffed both

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
10/23/05
Chris Cabin
Chris Cabin
Filmcritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
09/16/05
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

A glorious and brutal Western that's truly one of a kind.

comment Comment
09/02/04
Rob Thomas
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)

No review available.

comment Comment
06/23/04
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

No review available.

comment Comment
10/24/03
Jon Niccum
Jon Niccum
Lawrence Journal-World

The Wild Bunch takes the basic elements of the Western movie myth, which once defined a simple, morally comprehensible world, and by bending them turns them into symbols of futility and aimless corruption.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
05/02/03
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

The film does not highlight genre traits, and replaces them with a violence unparalleled in the genre’s other entries; it is Sam Peckinpah’s trademark punch, and The Wild Bunch is his showcase.

Full Review Source: Not Coming to a Theater Near You | comment Comment
04/10/03
Rumsey Taylor
Rumsey Taylor
Not Coming to a Theater Near You

An incredible western. Opened the door to a whole new world of violence.

comment Comment
03/27/03
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

No review available.

comment Comment
11/07/02
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
Zap2it.com

Time may have diminished the film's shock value, but time hasn't faded The Wild Bunch's immense appeal.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
11/07/02
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix

Peckinpah tells intense tales of male bonding, where honor and loyalty are the codes to follow, even if it means a bloody end. When paired with the mythology of the Western, it adds up to a fascinating movie.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Wild Bunch

September 05, 2007: Total Recall: 3:10 to Yuma And The Dark Side of the Frontier
3:10 to Yuma joins a long line of Westerns that explore the complexities of human nature against the unforgiving backdrop of the frontier. More...

June 22, 2007: AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
Ten years ago the AFI gave us a list of the Top 100 American Films Ever Made -- and when that was done they churned out 15 other lists every few years. And then last night they... More...

May 05, 2006: Guy Pearce and John Hillcoat Discuss "The Proposition"
Director John Hillcoat had a big ambition when he undertook "The Proposition": a Western with a truly Aussie sensibility. "It's the Australian West,"... More...

November 04, 2005: WB Signs David Ayer to Direct a Remake of "The Wild Bunch"
Don't ask me why Warner Bros. has decided to mount a remake of Sam Peckinpah's 1969 classic "The Wild Bunch," because I just don't know. True, they hired a pretty... More...

See All

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