Sam Peckinpah brings us the western that changed the way cinema portrayed violence. For it's time, it was considered to be one of the most violent films of all time.
The story concerns a aging group of outlaws who want one more big score before retiring. The traditional old west is disappearing and a new world is coming and they are very out of place in the US so they head to Mexico. William Holden is Pike Bishop, the leader of this ragtag bunch.
The movie opens with a violent shootout in which many are killed and much to the gangs surprise all the money bags contain silver washers. This is how Peckinpah introduces us to the Wild Bunch. The film works on every single level from showing us their humanity and caring for one another, to showing how violent they can be.
I know exactly how these guys in the film feel about times changing as I feel the same. Bishop and the rest of the gang know they are relics of a time gone by and there is nothing they can do to stop it. The battle the final four have against a small band of Mexican bandits in order to get one of their own back is something to behold. It proves their loyalty to one another.
The rest of the wonderful cast includes Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan (as the former member heading a posse that is after the gang), Edmond O' Brien, Warren Oates, Jamie Sanchez, Ben Johnson, L. Q. Jones, Strother Martin, Albert Dekker, Dub Taylor and Bo Hopkins.
Do yourself a favor and see this film, if you haven't already. Get the two disc set that also includes a documentary on the career of Sam Peckinpah which originally aired on The Westerns Channel. Sam taught me a lot and I will never forget it.
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