I'm surprised nobody pointed out the beautiful metaphore with children that occured throughout the whole movie. To me, it was the most interesting aspect of the film; how the protagonists looked at those kids and all the nostalgia and regrets that came with it. That, and the editing, what wonderful job! I agree that the themes have been better carried by ''Unforgiven'', but we mustn't forget that ''The Whild Bunch'' was made 23 years earlier.
quote:
We all dream of being a child again, even the worst of us. Perhaps the worst most of all.
Unlike others, I came into the movie with little expectations and was quite pleasantly surprised, although it was a little boring and disjointed at times. The brutal end scene was really something.
Peckinpah made a great job here. I really liked the story. For a western, this was quite fast-paced. Soundtrack is nice.
I won't forget some scenes such as the bottle scene - in which Angel drinks it all up, and the closing scene - with smiles from everyone who had died, that made me feel very sad haha.
I also won't forget that I look at this film and see so many horses falling and tumbling down that I want to be a real and serious vegan and stop watching it.
Its a phenominal movie with beautiful cinematography and bloody action scenes. Loved every minute of it , except for the last fight which was a bit overdone IMO.
It's not that awful, as everybody says. It's a little overrated, but it's a good western, after all. It's interesting the way Peckinpah sees Mexico, he had a very romantic view from this country.
A strong start and a stronger finish, but the two hours in between leaves much to be desired, with atrocious pacing, a complete lack of memorable characters, poor attempts at humour, and a meandering, aimless narrative. Like the vast majority of westerns that have reached the status of 'classic' I really struggle to see why this is so revered. Maybe the genre just isn't for me.
It's a shame because if it wasn't for some major flaws it would be a prime contender for the best western ever. The pacing is a bit odd, and the character development is mostly superficial at best. The action is top notch. It tries to be funny at some points but if you as a viewer are sitting there asking "Am I supposed to be laughing at this?" Then the movie is doing it wrong. It does feature some off the wall flashback sequences and slo-mo that would be right at home in an amateur high school movie project. Like I said, clean up the sore points and add some better character development with better pacing and it would be the bee's knees.
I agree with everyone that thinks this is overrated. I love westerns and some are among my personal favourites. This one is not. It is, as some commentators point out, uneven and at times boring. The bank robbery in the beginning, the train heist in the middle and the last shoot-out are good stuff but because the stuff in between are dull, I eventually got bored. One of the key problems in my opinion is the lack of iconic, tough characters in the main roles that could have carried the movie. Peckinpah opted for strong actors (several has Academy Awards to their names) rather than the charisma and spectacle of Western legends such as John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Lee van Cleef. The guys in the movie seem to be a bit chubby, uncomfortable and tired. Now, I get that that is part of the point..... Their era being over, age catching up and doom closing in and so forth, but for examples on how to pull that off, check out Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven (or a modern movie such as Gran Torino). William Holden and Ernest Borgnin just seem.... out of place.
Fascinating as a document of where the western could go as viewed by the next generation of filmmakers emerging at the end of the 60s; the editing, the view of Mexico, the lack of an 'other', the deconstruction of the stereotypes that the Western had given American filmmakers. Still, that doesn't save it from having FAR too many scenes in which people laugh long and loud, the impossible-to-follow shootouts, the sheer number of times people are shot in the shoulder and the unusually sloppy pacing.
Unforgiven did this twice as well in half the time.
A mixed bag, but it has its moments. I really like the shootouts and the scene with the train robbery, which is really suspenseful. The rest is kind of boring, though.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 26
KloVero
I'm surprised nobody pointed out the beautiful metaphore with children that occured throughout the whole movie. To me, it was the most interesting aspect of the film; how the protagonists looked at those kids and all the nostalgia and regrets that came with it. That, and the editing, what wonderful job! I agree that the themes have been better carried by ''Unforgiven'', but we mustn't forget that ''The Whild Bunch'' was made 23 years earlier.dchauvin
Unlike others, I came into the movie with little expectations and was quite pleasantly surprised, although it was a little boring and disjointed at times. The brutal end scene was really something.computer
not boring!coffeejazzlofi
I won't forget some scenes such as the bottle scene - in which Angel drinks it all up, and the closing scene - with smiles from everyone who had died, that made me feel very sad haha.
I also won't forget that I look at this film and see so many horses falling and tumbling down that I want to be a real and serious vegan and stop watching it.
prasanth
Its a phenominal movie with beautiful cinematography and bloody action scenes. Loved every minute of it , except for the last fight which was a bit overdone IMO.Rdgz_Dust_Speck
It's not that awful, as everybody says. It's a little overrated, but it's a good western, after all. It's interesting the way Peckinpah sees Mexico, he had a very romantic view from this country.RoastMutton10
That ending fight scene....whoaaaaaaa. I ain't never seen so many people shot in the shoulder before.lachyas
A strong start and a stronger finish, but the two hours in between leaves much to be desired, with atrocious pacing, a complete lack of memorable characters, poor attempts at humour, and a meandering, aimless narrative. Like the vast majority of westerns that have reached the status of 'classic' I really struggle to see why this is so revered. Maybe the genre just isn't for me.Flops
It has its flaws, but let's be honest when we watch a western we want to see gun fights. We want blood. This film fully delivers in those regards.Rohit
nice editing there!abemad
This movie works on so many levels. Great.DisneyStitch
It's a shame because if it wasn't for some major flaws it would be a prime contender for the best western ever. The pacing is a bit odd, and the character development is mostly superficial at best. The action is top notch. It tries to be funny at some points but if you as a viewer are sitting there asking "Am I supposed to be laughing at this?" Then the movie is doing it wrong. It does feature some off the wall flashback sequences and slo-mo that would be right at home in an amateur high school movie project. Like I said, clean up the sore points and add some better character development with better pacing and it would be the bee's knees.Zeltaebar
I agree with everyone that thinks this is overrated. I love westerns and some are among my personal favourites. This one is not. It is, as some commentators point out, uneven and at times boring. The bank robbery in the beginning, the train heist in the middle and the last shoot-out are good stuff but because the stuff in between are dull, I eventually got bored. One of the key problems in my opinion is the lack of iconic, tough characters in the main roles that could have carried the movie. Peckinpah opted for strong actors (several has Academy Awards to their names) rather than the charisma and spectacle of Western legends such as John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Lee van Cleef. The guys in the movie seem to be a bit chubby, uncomfortable and tired. Now, I get that that is part of the point..... Their era being over, age catching up and doom closing in and so forth, but for examples on how to pull that off, check out Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven (or a modern movie such as Gran Torino). William Holden and Ernest Borgnin just seem.... out of place.TalkingElvish
Fascinating as a document of where the western could go as viewed by the next generation of filmmakers emerging at the end of the 60s; the editing, the view of Mexico, the lack of an 'other', the deconstruction of the stereotypes that the Western had given American filmmakers. Still, that doesn't save it from having FAR too many scenes in which people laugh long and loud, the impossible-to-follow shootouts, the sheer number of times people are shot in the shoulder and the unusually sloppy pacing.Unforgiven did this twice as well in half the time.
Forrester
A mixed bag, but it has its moments. I really like the shootouts and the scene with the train robbery, which is really suspenseful. The rest is kind of boring, though.Showing items 1 – 15 of 26