Riding With 'The Wild Bunch' (1969)

That's right, it took me this long to finally watch one of the greatest western movies of all-time. The Wild Bunch might have been made 40 years ago (as of this writing), but it still proves to be just as entertaining nowadays. 

The film caused quite a bit of controversy when it was released in '69... and I can definitely understand why that would be. The movie is violent, bloody, raw and gritty. It contains swearing, nudity, the blatant slaying of women and children, and wanton sex and avarice. All of this may be quite commonplace with the films of the present, but it was truly shocking to the viewers and critics 4 decades ago. To tell you the truth, it's still somewhat jarring to see all of that if only in comparison to other films of that era. William Holden shouting, "Bitch!" and shooting a woman from 10 feet away is not something you see everyday.

The movie parallels a number of different movements of the time. The Vietnam War effort was starting to wear thin with a generation of the American public who, up until this battle, were being inundated with coverage of the glory and honor of combat. But, with the help of improved and simplified filming techniques, the public was finding out that this was sadly not the case. The Wild Bunch was right there with a hard-hitting, violence filled account that was very much a diversion from the mysteriously bloodless and romanticized westerns of old. However, there was an unintended side-effect to all of the guts and carnage. It was originally meant to expose violence and battle as the unglamorous human follies that they are. In a strange turn, though, the before-unseen editing style combined with the revolutionary action and stunt sequences proved more exciting than disturbing (in the long run) and left audiences wanting more. 

 That being said, The Wild Bunch does prove to be a classic western in a number of other aspects. I appreciated the amount if wordless information that was communicated with looks, body movements and revealing shots (camera shots, that is). The final walk at the end of the movie is bad-ass, character revealing and quietly iconic. Speaking of characters, the actors were ironclad in their skin... and by that I do not mean wooden, but solid and unwavering. They were time-honored but there weren't stereotypes, and it was interesting to see these characters dealing with their own mortality - and by that I mean both within the movie and the broader concept of the "myth of the old west" changing. Apparently, John Wayne blamed the film for destroying the myth of the old west, but when you're through changing - you're through. So perhaps it was time for the western to evolve. 

In closing, I feel that The Wild Bunch still holds up today. If you haven't seen it before, I highly suggest it. If you have, it could always use another watch. Hats off to not only one of the great westerns, but one of the overall greats. 'Nuff said.