Review of The Wild Bunch (1969) by Tyler A — 25 Jul 2008

Wild Bunch, The (1969) A-.

Everybody knows Sam Peckinpah was a miserable old (not so old, actually) drunk bastard, and so naturally they sell his movies short, describing him as...well, a miserable drunk bastard who loved violence. Well, maybe he did and maybe he didn't. I don't think it was a coincidence that the movie began and ended the way that it did, with visceral, visually stimulating statements on death and violence. The movie suffers from failings typical of 1960s westerns, bad sound and occasional bad acting among them. And I never really found myself rooting for the closest thing to a good guy that this film offers the viewer, although it�s pretty obvious that the fact that there is no clearly defined "good guy" is central to the message. I won't spoil it for you; just go rent it. -July 2008.