"The Wild Bunch" Has Brutal, Majestic Violence to Spare

Bandits walk into a Texan town disguised as soldiers and rob a bank. They're unaware that men are in the town pursuing them for bounties on their head. Once inside though, the bandits realize they are cornered and a gunfight ensues. And within the span of a few minutes, everything goes wrong. A Temperance Movement march just happens to be passing by and gets caught in the crossfire. Civilian casualties become higher than the death toll of the criminals being shot down or their attackers. This is the breathless action sequence that starts the western The Wild Bunch and it is highly intense and fun. In another film this would be the climax, but director Sam Peckinpah is just getting started with one of a number of heavily stylized -- filled with quick cuts, multiple angles, and slow motion over moments of violence -- and brutal action scenes that are the best moments of the film. Peckinpah is pushing to the limits the acceptable amount of violence and blood spilt out, and each gunfight turns deadlier than the last. And if The Wild Bunch is slow to the draw, than it makes up for it with its action. The film meanders and chews on plot strands, and its slow operatics occasionally make it flabby and inelegant. The gruff, no nonsense tone -- cruder than anything that had come before it -- of the film is best demonstrated by the film's most thematically rich plot about aging outlaw Pike Bishop (William Holden)'s world weary, deeply regretful outlook on what has become of his life. The crew is all aging outlaw save for one wide-eyed and strong-headed young Mexican named Angel (Jaimie Sanchez). Pike wants out; one more big scheme and he'll retire. Or so he says, but deep down he knows there is no way he leaves this career -- alive at least anyway -- especially not with Pike's bitter former partner Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan) hot in pursuit to bring him to justice. "They'll be waiting for us," his trusted partner Dutch Engstrom (Ernest Borgnine) informs him. "I wouldn't have it any other way," Pike replies.

Grade: B+