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The Wild Bunch

Play trailer 2:53 Poster for The Wild Bunch R Released Jun 18, 1969 2h 22m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 66 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
In this gritty Western classic, aging outlaw Pike Bishop (William Holden) prepares to retire after one final robbery. Joined by his gang, which includes Dutch Engstrom (Ernest Borgnine) and brothers Lyle (Warren Oates) and Tector Gorch (Ben Johnson), Bishop discovers the heist is a setup orchestrated in part by his old partner, Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan). As the remaining gang takes refuge in Mexican territory, Thornton trails them, resulting in fierce gunfights with plenty of casualties.
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The Wild Bunch

The Wild Bunch

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Critics Consensus

The Wild Bunch is Sam Peckinpah's shocking, violent ballad to an old world and a dying genre.

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Critics Reviews

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Penelope Gilliatt The New Yorker Apart from Peckinpah's simple technical control and the cut of his script, which is a knife that never slips off the bone, there is an angry quality to his mind. Jul 7, 2022 Full Review Tom Milne Sight & Sound The film drives to its foregone conclusion with the sureness of an arrow. Mar 18, 2020 Full Review Judith Crist New York Magazine/Vulture If you must see The Wild Bunch, be sure to take along a barf bag. Jan 1, 2020 Full Review Bianca Garner InSession Film While I don’t exactly have the stomach for the violence, the sexism or the racism/xenophobia of The Wild Bunch, I do admire it for its artistic and technical aspects. There’s something oddly fascinating about the film... Jul 31, 2024 Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies To say that The Wild Bunch is a violent masterpiece would not be an understatement. Rated: 5/5 May 31, 2023 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault The pictorial style of the film — classical, elegiac — bumps up against the technique that fractures and prolongs death. Rated: A+ Aug 24, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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William R S One of my all time favorite westerns. Cutting edge violence, editing, direction and acting. The movie that put Peckinpah on the map and made his movies "must see" events (for me, anyway.) Saw this when it was released in 1969 and it's still as potent a story now as it was then. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/14/24 Full Review Jay W "The Wild Bunch" is true to their name. The protagonists of this movie are truly wild and despicable. Typically, when characters are this ruthless, the story will attempt some sort of redemption arc. But no from beginning to end, the Wild Bunch are unapologetic outlaws. And with all the westerns out there, it is refreshing to see something different like that. A western is one of the settings where a group like that can work. This may be the most "gun shotty" movies of all-time. It was once estimated that more blanks were used in this film then were fired in the real life alamo. Even by modern stands, this movie has a TON of shootouts. With all the blanks and squibs, the director does a good job of maintaining clarity, having action and reaction in the same shot as often as possible. Sadly, some of the choreography choices don't work out. Example, classic western set up, a cowboy is shot off the roof and falls to the ground. But the movie cuts away from the fall multiple times. Why? It is a stylistic choice that doesn't work for me. Also, the emotional turning point of the film, just didn't work for me. It felt like the characters just chose it was time to finish the movie, so just decided to end it. But what an ending! The Wild west is a perfect place for the Wild Bunch. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/01/24 Full Review Irene M Saw it because we recently saw William Holden in Bridge over the River Kwai. Here he's 51. Never been a fan of westerns, but seems this one is one of the most notable of Sam Peckinpah's. Takes place mostly in Mexico in 1910's...and the Violence has been compared to Quentin Tarantino's. great line from the documentary..."like Orson Welles for film noir, Peckinpah chiseled the gravestone'. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/10/24 Full Review Audience Member Absolute Must-See and I mean that with my whole heart. If you love westerns you would be doing yourself a disservice by not watching this. Hell, if you love movies in general you would be doing yourself a disservice by not watching this. 5/5 stars. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/05/24 Full Review Tasos L A decent western movie by Peckinpah, not my favorite flick of his works, but surely one of his best ones. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/29/24 Full Review Lanfranco C Blood and Redemption in Mexico. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/28/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Wild Bunch

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this gritty Western classic, aging outlaw Pike Bishop (William Holden) prepares to retire after one final robbery. Joined by his gang, which includes Dutch Engstrom (Ernest Borgnine) and brothers Lyle (Warren Oates) and Tector Gorch (Ben Johnson), Bishop discovers the heist is a setup orchestrated in part by his old partner, Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan). As the remaining gang takes refuge in Mexican territory, Thornton trails them, resulting in fierce gunfights with plenty of casualties.
Director
Sam Peckinpah
Producer
Phil Feldman
Screenwriter
Walon Green, Roy N. Sickner, Sam Peckinpah
Distributor
Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co
Warner Brothers
Rating
R
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 18, 1969, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Runtime
2h 22m
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