The Wild Bunch Reviews and Ratings



  • September 5, 2007
    The movie that inspired the violence of John Woo movies. A western about the last remants of the old west going out with guns blazing. With the simple message at the end never leave your friend behind.
  • September 2, 2007
    First really bloody movie.
  • August 29, 2007
    A fantastic unconventional western. Just a free-for-all in mindless violence in the same vein as a Martin Scorcese film, though this is a western Sam Peckinpah turns up the blood in this baby. No good guys vs. bad guys. One of the best and most violent movie climaxes ever filmed.
  • August 27, 2007
    A much more violent portrayal of the west than usual. Lost of action and gore in a story about the changing of the times to the modern age with cars and more powerful weapons. William Holden does a great job as the leader of the bunch. The ending sequence is one that will be rem...( read more)ember for generations to come.
  • August 25, 2007
    Wow,this movie is really un-funny.
  • August 19, 2007
    Could be worth a viewing, would like to see it sometime in the future.
  • August 16, 2007
    What a film great fight scenes
  • August 13, 2007
    Greatest Western ever made.
  • August 11, 2007
    "what this scene needs is more bullets...lots of bullets...!"
  • August 4, 2007
    My best western ever.
  • August 4, 2007
    it is a gud action every one shd watch it.
  • July 29, 2007
    A largely existential experience with no hero and lots of violence. Groundbreaking for it's time, and still a great film.
  • July 27, 2007
    Have I seen this one???
  • July 27, 2007
    Peckinpah's end of the old west tale and a really great movie. Not the best western ever but definitely up there. Holden was amazing and gave me a whole new appreciation for the man. The first 25 minutes and the last 20 are nothing short of amazing. The middle drags at parts but ...( read more)the shootouts are incredible, beautifully bloody and graphic even by today's standards.
  • July 26, 2007
    If they move..kill 'em.
  • July 26, 2007
    Peckinpah's use of zoom and slow-motion provides a fresh look at some fading classic film stars. Like most westerns I've seen, relies more on moodiness than an intriguing plot.
  • July 22, 2007
    Sam Pekinpahs klassiske Western Showdown. En flott film.
  • July 21, 2007
    Raw and dirty gunfighting.
  • July 20, 2007
    This film is as old fashioned as it is hip, even today. A revolutionary film.
  • July 3, 2007
    Pretty good movie. Not one of the best in my opinion, but I like this one.
  • July 1, 2007
    This is the manliest movie ever made and my favorite western of all time. A band of aging outlaws drink, fight, and fuck their way across Mexico. They get caught up in some amazing shootouts that are graphic even by today's standards. A testosterone fueled meditation on viole...( read more)nce.
  • June 30, 2007
    This is Peckinpah's greatest film.
  • June 30, 2007
    Absolutely crazy film editing and graphic violence. Changed the Western genre forever.
  • June 29, 2007
    Well, if your a big western fan who wants to indulge in your taste for claret, then this is the movie for you.

    its the early 20th century, the last real outlaws are almost gone, and progress is leaving the wild west in history. Enter the Wild Bunch, led by Pike, an aged but s...( read more)teely gunman who needs to secure his future the only way he knows how. With his group of outlaws, they are now the US's most wanted, pursued by an old friend Thornton all the way to Mexico.

    From the start, this movie pretty much sets the standard for a world war.... Peckinpah's taste for massacre and blooshed is visually marvelous.... the anti-heroes are a motley yet interesting group, comprimised mainly of 1st generation stars who show that despite their age, they are still some of the best Hollywood had to offer.

    The story is simple and played out well, as is most westerns of this era, though what sets this apart is its violence..... in 1969, most wouldnt consider the level of violence in this film would be imagined... but they are wrong

    There is no sense of morality or any sign of decency or anything which could instill a sense of empthay or attraction; from the start in the town massacre, there is no sense of civilisation or progress i humanity, and dont expect to see any. This movie is the raging storm after the eye has passed, releasing the west in all its fury before it dies a sudden and violent death, which is a common thing.

    This is considered a hardcore movie of its time..... but the catch is its excellent cast, director, script and everything else.

    I own a copy of the two disc special edition, which of course is digitall remastered and all that. I would have preffered seeing it in its original cut and format, but watching the DVD didnt really make me focus on that problem, I was really engrossed in the movie.

    Highly deserved 5 stars, for a movie which people tend to forget about.
  • June 28, 2007
    a classic, can't go wrong here.
  • June 27, 2007
    Recommended by; Wasawat.
  • June 27, 2007
    Despite its release date, The Wild Bunch may very well be the first truly modern western: existential conversations, no "good" characters to empathize with and graphic violence abound.

    The film's opening is striking and disgusting: a group of kids are torturing a scorpion by d...( read more)ropping it into a pit of fire ants, and later setting the whole squirming mass of insects on fire. The scene is later referenced when a group of kids cheer as a person is tied behind an automobile and dragged, even going so far as to play "ride-the-body". The entire film is set in a changing west, where violence is no longer a way of life but a means of entertainment. The titular wild bunch is a group of old and older men whose time is running out. With the development of the railroad the west is no longer as wild as it once was, leaving them to haunt only the loneliest of towns, or northern Mexico.

    The film is most widely regarded for its violence, and it is easy to see why. It is not so much that this film actually bothered to use squibs whenever anyone was shot, but that absolutely anyone and everyone can be graphically killed at any time by a stray (or aimed) bullet: unarmed men and women, children, hostages... Many criticized it for being sadistic, but I'd say it is, if anything, ever so slightly more responsable than the typical western. Bullets kill people, make them scream and bleed, and often hit unintented targets. It would be irresponsible to portray them any other way. It would be even more responsable if the dead characters weren't treated as props, but this is not their story.

    Peckinpah's direction is, as you would expect, excelent throughout. His unconventional ediitng techniques never seem out of place, they never call attention to themselves, in part because he does not overuse them. The performances throughout are decent-to-good and the film has a surprising ammount of comic relief.

    Highly influential, worth seeing.
  • June 26, 2007
    "If they move, kill 'em!" Classic Western Film!! Lot of Fight Scenes were really great!! Unforgetable ambition of Sam Peckinpah.. I love Ernest Borgnine's charactor.. so charming in my opinion. Many crazy situations were well created and really cooL!! No boring moment in 2 and a ...( read more)half hours.. Good story of old western life.

    The Beginning gun fight scene in the village was so cool.. Great edit.. Slow motion, montage, action shot.. being one of the best gun fight scene i've ever seen!! And also the ending scene.. I almost cry for them!! The Bridge scene took my breath away.. I thought to myself "God!! this is an epic movie" ..In many shot of The Wild Bunch, I considered them as an Innovation!! Like a insert reaction with slow zoom technic placed between Approching Fight Scene!! Some violent shots shocked me.. I watched not many western.. and This is the best i've seen!!

    "Epic Western!!" The Must see in this Genre!! 30 years ago it was complained that there're too much violence.. But it's not any more if we compare with movie today. and i must say it again.. This is Classic!!
  • June 26, 2007
    The greatest western ever made. See William Holden, Ernest Borgnine,and Robert Ryan among with Warren Oates in the role of their careers. Directed with such finesse by the great Sam Peckinpah.
  • June 24, 2007
    Different from any Western you'll ever see, this violent, bloody film has terrific characters, stunning action scenes, and features magnificent direction from Sam Peckinpah
  • June 20, 2007
    The bloodiest western ever, the captivating choice of suicidal glory among fellow fighters in the last days of the wild west. magnificent
  • June 19, 2007
    The best film Peckinpah ever made
  • June 18, 2007
    My favorite Peckinpah film and one of the best westerns ever made. Hands down. Also one of the most inspirational action films of all time.
  • June 18, 2007
    The savage end to the west. Brutal, psychotic, surreal and bloody. Peckinpah unapologetically portrays these bastard characters in the twilight of their lives. Technically inspiring a generation of Hollywood filmmakers.
  • June 15, 2007
    Movie violence started here.
  • June 11, 2007
    a great western. a little too comic in parts though
  • June 7, 2007
    My 2nd favorite western. Soaked in blood and brutally violent. Some of the greatest shootouts ever and it's message is quite powerful as well.
  • June 7, 2007
    THE BEGINING OF IT ALL
  • June 3, 2007
    my favorite american western.
  • May 30, 2007
    One of the quentisential westerns. The best job Sam Peckinpah ever did and a marvelous performance by the entire ensemble.
  • May 25, 2007
    The last western, in my opinion. Also one of the best. This is an amazing story of male friendship, loyalty, sacrifice, and of course, violence.
  • May 17, 2007
    Possibly the best caper film ever made.

    Directed by Sam Peckinpah, no more need be said.
  • May 16, 2007
    Extremely violent, very realistic. Not really a western, more like a war movie.
  • May 15, 2007
    its a all out free for all when Pike and his Boys get there Hands full into something that they really should not do. i think that Sam Peckinpah really did a good job especially making this kinda of Movie

Summary


The Wild Bunch Summary