The Wild Review

It seems like I've only been reviewing good movies lately, with classics like The Deer Hunter (1978) and modern movies that slid under the radar (Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)) and that streak continues (kind of obviously) with western masterpiece The Wild Bunch (1969), one of the defining works of one Sam Peckinpah.

The movie revolves around the eponymous bunch, a group of ne'er do wells that seem like they could be the Inglorious Basterds (2009) of the Old West. The movie opens with a bloody gun fight, leaving the Bunch with a bag of silver rings washers. The job was supposed to be a last hurrah, but the... undesired loot forces the Bunch to head to Mexico and a showdown with a town caught by the Mexican Revolution of 1913.

Now, when I say The Wild Bunch is like Inglorious Basterds, I mean that it is really like Inglorious Basterds. The plot revolves around a group of basterds bastards who are on a mission. The mission takes them through a foreign country and involves a heavy plot and violence... lots of violence.The main differences are that this movie has one main plot, not several that intertwine, and there is a lot more action than one massive fire fight in a theatre.

The cinematography is gorgeous, capturing both of Mexico's climates, not just desert and not just the more moderate parts. Where Leone captures his men in close ups, Peckinpah employs a wider style, meaning that this movie must be watched in wide screen to truly enjoy it.

The script is fantastic, portraying wild west men as truly wild men, modern barbarians wielding guns instead of clubs. To the 1969 crowd, raised on the exploits of The Duke this movie must have been a swift kick to the cojones. Blood squibs portrayed death not as something that happens to nameless characters on the horizon of the camera's view, but instead as people right in front of the camera, showing the collateral of the big shoot outs shown in movies like this. Furthermore, Tarantino owes a thing or two to this movie, from the editing right down to the style of dialogue Peckinpah paved the way for hyper violent filmmakers like Rodriguez and Tarantino.

And with a script and a director this good, it only makes sense for the acting to be just as good... and it is. And like an good ensemble movie it's about the whole Bunch, not just two guys. Sure Borgnine and Holden get the most lines, but that's because they are the biggest stars of the movie, and not because their characters are more important. Of course William Holden turns in a great performance, the man is a true acting deity, and to expect anything less would be blasphemous. the rest of the cast was strong, but the movie is mostly filled by The Wild Bunch and Mexican extras... who all die.

Over all the movie was not only a tremendous western, but an amazing film. I would not feel bad about putting The Wild bunch alongside The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966), True Grit (1969), High Noon (1952), and my favorite The Man who Shot Liberty Valence (1962).

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (10/10)