The Wild Bunch

film by Peckinpah [1969]

Written by Lee Pfeiffer

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Article History

The Wild Bunch, American western film, released in 1969, that is a classic of the genre and widely considered Sam Peckinpah’s finest movie. Although the film’s graphic violence caused much controversy at the time of its release, the climactic shoot-out is arguably the best-directed and best-choreographed action sequence in the history of cinema.

A notorious gang of outlaws headed by Pike Bishop (played by William Holden) barely escape a violent bank robbery in which dozens of innocent bystanders are killed. Pike and his right-hand man, Dutch Engstrom (Ernest Borgnine), come to the realization that there is no longer a place for them in the rapidly changing American West. Along with fellow outlaws Freddie Sykes (Edmond O’Brien), Lyle Gorch (Warren Oates), Tector Gorch (Ben Johnson), and Angel (Jamie Sánchez), they head to Mexico to find refuge and to escape a posse headed by their old companion in crime, Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan), who is being forced to track them down in order to avoid a jail sentence. The group steals a trainload of arms from the U.S. military in order to sell the weapons to a loathsome Mexican general, Mapache (Emilio Fernández), who is fighting the rebel forces of Pancho Villa. A series of violent interludes results in Angel being captured and later killed by Mapache. Pike and his friends decide to go down fighting in order to avenge his death.

With its extreme violence and unrelenting pessimism, The Wild Bunch received mixed reviews at the time of its release. However, this revisionist western came to be regarded as a landmark in the genre and proved highly influential to subsequent filmmakers. After the movie was screened for critics, Warner Brothers cut the film against Peckinpah’s wishes, and many of the nuances and important motivations of the characters were lost. However, most of the omitted scenes were restored in 1995.