Review of The Wild Bunch (1969) by Victor M — 07 Aug 2014

Arguably Sam Peckinpah's most critically acclaimed Western, I had to see The Wild Bunch to be sure of if it was superior to his masterpiece Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.

Although I enjoyed The Wild Bunch, I felt that it did not equate to Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. But it was still a very interesting film. It explored some of the themes that Sam Peckinoah had previously touched upon in Ride the High Country but to a much more complex extent this time around. More specifically, I mean the way that the film explores the concept of aging. One of the most predominantly popular Western themes is one at explores characters coming to terms with a changing society, and The Wild Bunch views that from the perspective of a gang of outlaws who must come to terms with their age and to the fact that 1913 is not a time that they are accustomed to yet. The story has a sense of camaraderie to it in the way that all of the characters band together, and it makes an interesting contrast to the way society is changing which renders everybody more inwardly driven and focused on looking out for numero uno. Certain scenes in The Wild Bunch depict the way that the older characters are more wise and sensible, taking the safer and less violent path most of the time as well as planning everything out with detail. In contrast to the aggressive impulsive nature of the younger figures, The Wild Bunch easily separates the two figures well and establishes who are the heroes and who are the criminals. Some of the themes in The Wild Bunch are really interesting, and despite the slow pace of the film which is traditional with western films and the fact that it is a lot more focused on the characters and the narrative than on the scale of the story, it still comes out as an entertaining effort on behalf of Sam Peckinpah.

The story in The Wild Bunch is great because it has an original premise which may be slightly familiar, but more importantly because it balances that with a complex array of characters for the film. The Wild Bunch features many great and well sketched characters who benefit from some strong dialogue. The Wild Bunch manages to easily walk the line between an exciting story of action and crime as well as an involving western tale of camaraderie and growing old thanks to the Academy Award nominated screenplay from Sam Peckinpah, Walon Green and Roy N. Sickner, and it matches the virtue of its depth with incredible technical characteristics.

The cinematography in The Wild Bunch is Academy Award calibre because it co,nines traditional western cinematography techniques with ones usually reserved for both spaghetti westerns and action films. This means that The Wild Bunch is able to capture a large scale, emphasize the emotional states of the characters through quick zooms and keep the movement of the film exciting. The cinematography in The Wild Bunch hits a high point when the action scenes roll around.

The action scenes in The Wild Bunch are arguably the eatery that Sam Peckinpah has ever created. Using revolutionary techniques such as intricate multi-angle quick-cut editing mixing slow motion with appropriately paced scenes, The Wild Bunch becomes an exciting western film which is a real rush. The style manages to come up and strike the viewers, and it breaks the standard cinematic conventions of western cinema. Thanks to a mix f a groundbreaking visual style and Sam Peckinpah's iconic fearlessness at integrating in blood and gore, the action scenes in The Wild Bunch stand out as being very exciting. The quick-cut multi-angle technique in The Wild Bunch is impressive because unlike the way that it is used in many action films today without being close to good, in The Wild Bunch the technique is at a breakthrough point where it is just becoming notable, and the way that Sam Peckinpah executes it is spot on. Instead of using excessively quick editing to focus on single action scenes, Sam Peckinpah makes use of the element to ensure that it captures the large scale of battle that is going on and every character that is involved, showing every flailing bullet and every death with sufficient screen time which works to keep things at a level of rush and excitement instead of waiting around to dramatize it. The Wild Bunch features some incredible action scenes, some of the best that I've ever seen in a western film. It is really groundbreaking for the genre and one of Sam Peckinpah's best achievements as a filmmaker. The cinematography also skillfully captures the beautiful scenery of the film as well as its exceptional production design, props and costumes which all do their part to ensure that it ends up feeling like a really genuine and realistic film. It is further enhanced by an expertly at sophistic musical score which is subtle at times but consistently intense and has the same energetic spirit that the iconic score from The Magnificent Seven did. The music in The Wild Bunch is just spot on.

And thanks to the skills of an easily talented cast, The Wild Bunch ends up a very involving film with one of the greatest endings of any film in western cinema history or even action cinema history.

William Holden provides the perfect level of nostalgia to the leading role of Pike Bishop. As well as maintaining a stature of strength and confidence, William Holden supplies a natural sense of wisdom to the part which makes him an easy lead. He stands his ground well with stoic charisma and the true strength of a cowboy, projecting the idea that he is really internalizing his lines well before delivering the, which reveals him putting a lot of thought and effort into the role. William Holden faces the role of William Pike easily and makes himself a compelling lead through a mix of dedications and projection or emotional subtlety, and so it is a memorable performance.

Ernest Borgnine was my favourite though. The instant he came on screen and showed off his trademark style, I instantly found him a compelling character. Ernest Borgnine had an easily natural ability at creating sympathetic characters, and he uses that talent in The Wild Bunch because his general presence is genial while his line delivery is charismatic and spirited. Ernest Borgnine grasps his weapon in The Wild Bunch with ease and confidence, and combining that with his likable persona, he easily renders himself a charming action hero. Ernest Borgnine aspires with full confidence in The Wild Bunch and makes himself an easily powerful figure for the story.

Warren Oats, Ben Johnson and Jaime Sanchez all make strong members of the titular Wild Bunch as well, and the supporting performances of Robert Ryan and Edmond O'Brien are a nice touch as well.

So although the story doesn't fully grasp the scale of its ambition, The Wild Bunch is an exciting western classic with excellently stylish direction from Sam Peckinpah which creates some unforgettable action scenes as well as some string performances from the cast.