In purely cinematic terms, the film is a savagely beautiful spectacle, Lucien Ballard's superb cinematography complementing Peckinpah's darkly elegiac vision.
Comment
01/26/06
The Wild Bunch (1969)
97
%
Tomatometer
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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... [More]
Starring: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Warren Oates
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Reviews for The Wild Bunch
Top CriticA brilliant script, cinematography, editing, and performances complement the whole picture.
01/01/00
A glorious and brutal Western that's truly one of a kind.
09/02/04
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.
06/26/07
Seeing this restored version is like understanding the film at last.
01/01/00
Top CriticNo review available.
04/13/08
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.
07/04/08
No review available.
05/02/03
An incredibly involving and exciting piece of filmmaking.
01/01/00
...a landmark Western and a good, thoughtful, rousing adventure besides.
10/11/07
There are some wonderfully exciting action scenes, although much of it comes off a little bittersweet, as if these are the final days of some sad, wild animal.
01/01/00
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.
12/20/06
the sign of change in the old formula, the advancement of technology and time in a genre that brutally snuffed both
10/23/05
An incredible western. Opened the door to a whole new world of violence.
03/27/03
No review available.
10/24/03
No review available.
06/23/04
A good western, and a good movie in general.
08/01/01
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.
09/10/02
It's a thoroughly modern movie, and has barely aged a bit since its release, since it places itself in opposition to all things past.
03/05/02
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...
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