Review of The Wild Bunch (1969) by Robert W — 12 Jul 2009

The reputation of The Wild Bunch is so much centered around the violence of the film that it neglects what a great piece of storytelling it really is. Much like Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (which I loved), Peckinpah uses violence here as much as a window into the souls of his characters as for entertainment, creating a cast of characters for whom bloodshed is as much a way of life as breathing.

The film's infamously said to have led John Wayne to claim that it single-handedly destroyed the myth of the West, and while I don't necessarily think that Peckinpah was intentionally subverting those traditions, there's no doubt that this isn't a West of heroes and outlaws; the opening scene clearly establishes the rules of this world, and our "heroes" are less good than simply not as bad as everyone else.

And yet, much like Eastwood would do all those years later in Unforgiven, Peckinpah finds it fascinating to push these men into a moral corner to see what happens, and just like Eastwood, the result is a paroxysm of violence designed to rob the audience of as much vicarious joy as possible.

It's really just a great piece of film; the cast is all top-notch, taking their characters and creating fully-realized people out of them, not just archetypes; by the time we get to the ending, we're invested in the fate of these men, no matter their actions.

Filled with fantastic dialogue, intense action, and some great characters, The Wild Bunch is an absolute masterpiece, one that I'm glad I got to see on the big screen.