There are three impressive set-pieces in this swan song of westerns. The first is a railroad office robbery, and the ensued gunfight, with a lot of civilians killed. The second is a train robbery and the subsequent chase. The final one is a spectacular shootout between Pike's (William Holden) gang and the Mexican troop. The third action scene is just shockingly bloody, and is perhaps the most brutal and violent one in the entire history of American cinema. The intricate, multi-angle, quick-cut editing of the film "The Wild Bunch" was groundbreaking and revolutionary at that time. And the gritty and nuanced performance of William Holden (Sunset Boulevard, The Bridge on the River Kwai) shows again that he is one of the best actors of all time.

"You've got 30 days to get Pike or 30 days back to Yuma, you're my judas goat Mr. Thornton."Sam Peckinpah's classic 1969 Revisionist-Western "The Wild Bunch" is a true masterpiece of film-making and has long ranked as one of the all-time best films of the genre (and I don't even like Westerns, much) and nearly 50 years since it's release, it has aged remarkably well. I find this movie to be beautiful in many ways and I'll tell you why..... part of me is actually hoping that you'll disagree with me.Peckinpah assembled the perfect cast for this picture, a partial list being: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Warren Oates, Edmund O'Brien, Ben Johnson, Albert Dekker and Bo Hopkins all of which (with the exception of Hopkins) were seasoned actors and terrifically effective in their respective roles. Filmed almost entirely on location in the deserts of Mexico, the movie comes across as a very gritty one, "earthy" you might say. Sam Peckinpah, ever the colorful one, reportedly (and quite backhandedly I'm sure) cast actual Mexican whores to be in his movie and it's just those types of touches that lends a certain authenticity to this marvelously well-realized film; an authenticity that many Westerns often tend to lack. Set in the year 1913 or so, the so-called Wild West was soon to be at an end and The Wild Bunch depicts all of that on a grand and epic scale. In addition to that, it's plot also happens to be intertwined with the Mexican Revolution - with extremely colorful results. And on that note my fellow gringo's - beware the dastardly Mapache! Beware the general's wrath and deceit.Epic in every sense and clocking in at well over two hours, this film boasts several spectacularly-staged action sequences (that were truly pioneering in their day) of which most, if not all, involve "guys on horses" all taking turns shooting at each other. Nothing remotely inventive or original about that, but in terms of the filming and editing of the action, it was cutting-edge for it's time and has proved to be highly influential for many film-makers thereafter. In short The Wild Bunch is a beautifully filmed and intricately edited piece of cinema that artfully depicts a gritty, violent world filled with desperado's on horseback, out raisin' hell, drinking whiskey, "bedding down with whores" and all other sinfully salacious clichés of the Wild West. Throughout the course of the film you'll witness many betwixt events, always rife with violence and/or treachery, continuously unfolding, seamlessly forming together to create a unique and striking film.Of particular note is the movie's beginning and ending, as it opens and closes with some amazingly vivid action set pieces, that again for their time where "something new" and pioneering in their day. "The Battle of the Bloody Porch" is what you're treated to as the films blood-drenched finale and it's ultimate climax: The Bunch, surrounded in the general's fortress, with the odd's being: 5 vs 200. The level of blood-soaked mayhem that "Bloody Sam" and company achieved in this exceptionally lurid sequence - simply set it apart from anything that had come before it. Shot by no fewer than six camera's, all moving at different frame-rate's, the battle of the bloody porch strikes it's viewers with a hellish fury of hot lead, geysers of blood, explosions and bombast, splintering wood and hot shrapnel and very much in the heat combat - a lot of YELLING..... which eventually grows deathly silent. Indeed, Sam Peckinpah and his crew brought this climatic scene to life with a superlative level excellence and excitement, though that pretty much sums up the movie as a whole. Special mention of the performances of William Holden and Ernest Borgnine must be made, they are the leaders of The Bunch and it's largely because of their great acting that the movie, as violent and as turbulent as it is, always seems to keep on an even keel, this is chiefly due to their unfailing leadership and level-headedness no matter how heated the situation may get. And I'm pretty comfortable in assuming that The Wild Bunch is easily the best film either Holden or Borgenine were ever involved with. Western's simply don't get any more colorful (that word is ever apt when describing The Wild Bunch) and entertaining than this and despite being nearly two and half hours long, that doesn't seem to hinder it's replay value in the least.Met with highly mixed reviews upon it's initial release in the summer of 1969, apparently to a very gentile crowd, back when viewers weren't yet calloused and desensitized to rampant on-screen violence. One gets the sense that The Wild Bunch has still, as of yet, to reach the level of universal praise and appreciation it definitely deserves. That being said this remarkable film has been a part of the Nation Film Registry since 1999, so evidently more than a few of us dig it. Plaudit's must be lauded to the The Bunch!In conclusion: A brilliant western and almost as good as Serio Leone's Man With No Name series, almost; ultimately I think the key reason WHY it's only "almost as good" is simply this film lacks that Eastwoodian bad-ass-ness. It's scary to think how awesome Eastwood and Peckinpah could have been together, but it never happened.

Yawn... It was a struggle to sit through this film - two and a half hours of nothing. The shootout is about as exciting as it gets, and even then it is incredibly dull and uninteresting.I honestly can't understand the 'classic' label that this Western has seemingly earned. I confess that I'm not a great fan of Westerns, but the others I've seen have at least been somewhat engaging - this one was just plain boring.Some people may love this sort of film, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I could have watched paint dry for two and a half hours and found it just as interesting.

The Wild Bunch (1969): Dir: Sam Peckinpah / Cast: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oats, Ben Johnson, Robert Ryan: Symbolic western masterpiece wherein the term "wild" regards our declining attitude towards violence. The film introduces four aged gunfighters who obey a code. They do not believe in torture but stress that getting in the way of fire is a bad idea. It opens with children huddled around to the delight of seeing two scorpions being tortured by ants. The scorpions symbolize the Bunch while the ants are the rebels they will engage in graphic gunfire. Director Sam Peckinpah brought violent cinema to a whole new level as well as creates one of the greatest and most sincere westerns ever made. William Holden is flawless as the leader joined by Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oats and Ben Johnson, all of whom are effective. They are also being pursued by a bounty hunter who was formerly one of them. He is played by Robert Ryan who knows them and can counter their moves. They have witnessed the very core of violent nature and can only foresee a future of brutal consequence. There are three gunfights that involve severe civilian casualties but the film is really about violence through generations particularly when children joyfully chase after a jeep dragging an Indian behind it. "Boy, do I hate to see that," reserves the worn men who have seen it all before. Score: 10 / 10