Peckinpah's 'WildBunch', great movie or not?

[Smithhound]

I picked up a box set of Sam Peckinpah's works the other day, last night the Wife and I watched the WildBunch, I've seen it several times but it's been years, for the Wife this was her first viewing. As always I think it's just a terrific movie, very violent, very racy in the uncut format and just makes me yearn for a time I never knew. Robbing a railroad bank for bags of washers, and the party scene with the barrels of wine are great. The commradery shown between the characters make you realize that friends like that would be hard to find now a days.
Even the Wife thought it was a great movie, which is rare, most of the ones I like she just could not care less for.
To go back in time and snag a couple of those early 1911's, wow.
What do you all think, great movie or over the top?
RD

 

[Cavaliere]

Anyone who doesn't think The Wild Bunch is a great move needs to be pistol whipped with a Spanish copy of a second model hand ejector. (Using a real Smith & Wesson would be too good for 'em.)

If you like TWB, you might also like The Professionals, which plays in a similar vein, but with a bit less violence.

 

[dasnake]

me two

i got the boxed also, faaaaaantastic, i put it right up there with shane and josey wales, my other two faves.

 

[keith44spl]

It's a Classic.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

The Wild Bunch is a bloodfest that just glorifies violence, rather than condemns it as Peckinpah says he was trying to do. That's what the critics said in "innocent" 1969 when it came out. Who cares?! I love it!! This movie is tame by modern standards but Peckinpah was vilified in the media for all the blood. Now you see that on TV all the time.
Bad people are multi-dimensional in real life. This movie just showed a bunch of really bad guys who have outlived the old west and ultimately want to go out in style, hoping they'll live through it but if they don't, that's fine with them. It's a classic but it took a while to achieve that status.

 

[rocketdog]

Great.

"If they move, kill 'em!"

YouTube - ‪Wild Bunch - Final Shootout‬‏

 

[NFrameFred]

Can't buck the trend. Great movie; Gotta love cowboys using 1911's and machine guns . . .

 

[Dennis The B]

It is THE WESTERN!!

In an interview with the late Sam Peckinpah, the interviewer asked him about some of the scenes, and how they were done. During the campfire scene, Mr. Peckinpah was moved to tears and could not "cut" the scene. He was overcome by the interface between Holden, Borgnine, and the others.

The violence was cutting edge. Everytime I see the movie, I'm just struck by how good the performances were. And I don't see how anyone could ever put together a cast like them again.

 

[Smithhound]

Dennis, I have to agree about the cast, maybe Sam Eliott, Clint Eastwood and a couple of others could pull off the main characters, but in the original, all the way down to the extras it's like you sitting in on real life. In the final scene where little children are riding around on the character being dragged behind a car, how could you even come close to recreating that?
Even the kid, the messenger for the general, shooting Holden and grinning at the end, no way that could be redone.
Like I said, it makes you want to go back, to what, I really don't know, hard times but it made Men, Men.
RD

 

[RonJ]

Along with Straw Dogs and Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia they make a great trilogy.

 

[Bat Guano]

You could make some very interesting comparisons to Thermopylae
("300"). At some point survival is no longer the most important issue.

 

[jimmyj]

Hey, Southhound:
If you go back in time to pick up a couple Model 1911s, I appreciate if you will get me that Browning Model 1917 .30cal machine gun.
Thanks in advance,
Jimmy

 

[jrm53]

Any thing done by Sam Peckinpaugh is going to be first class! Jeff

 

[RobertJ.]

Excellent movie! It's my favorite western of all time. My second favorite is also a Sam Peckinpah, "Pat Garret and Billy the Kid". The soundtrack to that one is also one of my favorite Dylan albums.

 

[Papaw]

Exactly what RobertJ said. The Wild bunch and Pat Garret and Billy the Kid are both great westerns.

 

[dkees]

My most favorite, ever! "Seven Men Who Came Too Late and Stayed Long." Right from the original theater stand card which I happen to have.

Besides the big names Strother Martin and L.Q. Jones were fantastic.

 

[AZretired]

Great movie! One of my all time favorites.

Sent from my Ally

 

[westcoast362]

It is one of my all time favorite movies. It has the best script of any movie I've ever seen. There are so many great lines it's hard to pick one or two out.

 

[cowart]

Any thing done by Sam Peckinpaugh is going to be first class!

Aparently you never had the misfortune to view the movie "Convoy". It was filmed without an actual work script, and it shows it.

My favorite Peckinpaugh film is "The Getaway", with Steve McQueen.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

Aparently you never had the misfortune to view the movie "Convoy". It was filmed without an actual work script, and it shows it.

My favorite Peckinpaugh film is "The Getaway", with Steve McQueen.

I agree on both counts. And both featured notoriously bad actress Ali McGraw, but The Getaway is great in spite of her. Her best scene was when Steve McQueen slapped her because he slapped her hard for real twice! Her reaction was real. And McQueen handles guns like a pro. And cars. And motorcycles...
I saw the ending of Convy recently and was reminded how bad it was.