First off you should know that the Wild Bunch was directed buy Sam Peckinpah the man who made slow motion violance an artform. Pieckinpah didnt like conventions of normal Hollywood...the guy was afucking maverick and the Wild Bunch is where this really shines through. Made in 1969 when the concept of wild west movies were begining to die off the silver screen and the war in Veitnam was taking its tole on the united states the Wild Bunch bled out everything Peckinpah was feeling at the time.
This was a western unlike any other. The heros were not heros but outlaws who were cold blood in their efforts to survive a changeing world. Led buy Pike Bishop whom is played buy Willeam Holden who is one badass motherfucker in this flick, the gang gun down innocent men and women in an effort to escape an ambush buy a group of hired guns and Pikes former partner Deke. These guys then decide to go mexico way and hire themselves out as mercs for a former bandido warlord named Mapache. He hires our boys to rob a train filled with U.S arms. The boys do rob the train only thing is Deke crew are onboard and give case. Now Im not going to give away this part buy how the lads escape the posse but its wicked and makes me wonder if Peckinpah hated horses.
So the boys escape and make it back with the goodies for Mapaches army, only thing is one of their own is related to the rebals who the worlord is fighting and he gets himself in a sticky situation. Bishop having displayed a cold and almost cruel outlook on the world from the start of the movie decides even that they got their reward from Mapache that they should go back an save their commrade even if it means certain death. What happens is what I can only call one of the best gunbattles in movie history.
Why do I love this movie so much. In my view its one of the last purest westrens...The good guys arnt good guys ...their not even nice guys. I mean Ernest Borgnine useing a mexican peasent girl as a human fucking shield, the Bunch trample a group of chruch folk to death as they escape the ambush and they even end up turning on one of their own cause he was trying to do the right thing....but thats the whole point of this movie. Guys like Billy the kid and Jesse James were killers not the folk heros their were made out to be, if you wanted to survive back then you had to be ruthless. Yet despite all this you stick with these guys because their trying to survive in an age that no longer wants them...their dinosaurs on the way out and they have their own bizzare code of honour which they do seem to stick buy.Pike speech is excellet when he scolds one of the gang for attacking a his fellow outlaw "When you side with a man you stick with him...if you dont your just an animal."This statement later resonates with Pike and he decides to make faithful choice that proves hes not just a beast trying to survive.
Also one cant help feel that Peckinpah was reflecting his own views on the Veitnam war...that while the U.S were indeed the good guys were didnt always do nice things to win fights.
Another reason I loved this movie is the Bunch themselves being a representation of the old west, a time and an ideal which is being killed buy the advanceing railroad and with it a new America. This theme has appeared from time to time in other westren movie but the only time Ive seen it been used to its full potentional is actully in a vido game I love, Red Dead Redemption. This game also shares the theme of the dieing west and an outlaw whos become a relic of his time although John Marston has more in Common with Deke rather then pike. The games also takes other nodds and ques from the movie such as helping mexican rebals, hunting down your former outlaws for the goverment/railroad even your fromer parnters called Dutch after Borgnines character. All in all the Wild Bunch is one of the best westrens of all time and deserves a lads night in watch.
R.I.P Ernest Borgnine
January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012
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