The Wild Bunch (1969)
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An aging outlaw gang struggles to survive in a rapidly modernizing world during the Mexican Revolution.
The story
In 1913 South Texas, Pike Bishop leads a gang of aging outlaws, many disguised as U.S. Cavalry, who plan a final silver robbery from a railroad payroll office. However, a corrupt railroad agent, Pat Harrigan, tips off the authorities and hires a posse of bounty hunters, including Pike's former partner Deke Thornton, to intercept them. During a chaotic shootout at a temperance union parade, the gang suffers heavy casualties and the loot is revealed to be worthless steel washers. Seeking real money, the survivors head toward the Mexican border, where they encounter a vicious Huertista officer and a series of dangerous conflicts.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1913 South Texas, Pike Bishop leads a gang of aging outlaws who attempt to rob a railroad payroll office. After a bloody shootout at a temperance union parade, they discover the loot is worthless steel washers. The survivors, including Pike, Dutch Engstrom, and Angel, head to Mexico. They encounter Mapache, a brutal Huertista officer who offers them gold to rob a U.S. Army train for rifles. The heist succeeds, but they are chased by Thornton's posse and forced to blow up a bridge. Pike hides a Browning machine gun among the loot, eventually selling it to Mapache. After a series of betrayals and conflicts, including Angel being captured by Mapache, the gang returns to Agua Verde to rescue him. In a climactic battle, Pike and Dutch kill Mapache and his German adviser, Mohr, before the gang is ultimately slaughtered by the military. In the aftermath, Thornton stays behind in Agua Verde while Sykes arrives with rebels to join the revolution.
- First release year
- 1969
- Runtime (minutes)
- 145
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Spanish
- Directors
- Sam Peckinpah
- Writers
- Sam Peckinpah · screenplay; Walon Green · screenplay; Roy N. Sickner · screenplay; Walon Green · story; Roy N. Sickner · story
- Cast and characters
- William Holden · Pike Bishop; Ernest Borgnine · Dutch Engstrom; Robert Ryan · Deke Thornton; Edmond O'Brien · Tector Gorch; Warren Oates · Lyle Gorch; Jaime Sánchez · Angel; Ben Johnson · Tector Gorch; Emilio Fernández · Mapache
- Genres
- epic revisionist Western; vigilante
- Themes
- end of the outlaw gunfighter era; anachronistic code of honor; betrayal; violence as catharsis
- Tone and mood
- violent; brutal; chaotic; poetic
- Premise and plot tags
- Western; Revisionist Western; Epic; Historical Fiction; Vigilante
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original story and screenplay by Walon Green and Roy Sickner
- Content notes
- graphic violence; bloodshed
- Reception
- The film received mixed critical reactions in New York but is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, noted for its revolutionary editing and status as a culturally significant masterpiece.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 91% · review count: 66 critics
- Awards and nominations
- Best Screenplay · Oscar · Nominated; Best Original Score · Oscar · Nominated; Outstanding Directorial Achievement · Directors Guild of America · Nominated; Best Cinematography · National Society of Film Critics Award · Won
- Production trivia
- The film was ranked 79th on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 best American films.; The film was shot in Technicolor and Panavision in Mexico.; Peckinpah insisted that each different type of firearm have its own specific sound effect.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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