Review of The Wild Bunch (1969) by Carter D — 04 Mar 2008

Among the top 5 westerns ever made and Sam Peckinpah's masterpiece, The Wild Bunch is a truly revolutionary film produced at the most pivotal moment in film history. An orgy of violence, it received the controversial X rating before it was relegated to the porn industry.

However, 25 years later, it was re-released with the same rating (only updated to the NC-17). William Holden plays the leader of a gang of outlaws who realize that the west is dying. The days of bank robberies and train heists will soon be fading (cars are starting to become the fashion).

They strike out to pull a final job before they decide to call it quits. However, they are betrayed by their benefactors and one of their own is captured. This is a truly iconic film that broke barriers for its use oif violence and depiction of just how raw the west really was.

Sure, its still soaked down by Hollywood standards (the ratings board was still in its infancy and directors were still testing just how much they could et away with), but its still a sight to behold.

Peckinpah would go on to influence a generation of directors, most notably Hong Kong's John Woo. From its opening shoot-out in the streets of a sleepy small town to the final battle of "Bloody Porch", this is a film that you won't soon forget.