Director: Sam Peckinpah

Keywords: Western

Name	Occupation	Birth	Death	Known for
Ernest Borgnine	Actor	24-Jan-1917		Marty
Albert Dekker	Actor	20-Dec-1905	5-May-1968	The Wild Bunch
William Holden	Actor	17-Apr-1918	16-Nov-1981	Stalag 17
Bo Hopkins	Actor	2-Feb-1942		Matthew Blaisdel on Dynasty
Ben Johnson	Actor	13-Jun-1918	8-Apr-1996	The Last Picture Show
Strother Martin	Actor	26-Mar-1919	1-Aug-1980	Cool Hand Luke
Edmond O'Brien	Actor	10-Sep-1915	9-May-1985	The Great Imposter
Warren Oates	Actor	5-Jul-1928	3-Apr-1982	Two-Lane Blacktop
Robert Ryan	Actor	11-Nov-1909	11-Jul-1973	Billy Budd
Dub Taylor	Actor	26-Feb-1907	3-Oct-1994	Bonnie and Clyde

REVIEWS

Review by anonymous (posted on 9-Aug-2006)

This film, a western, is almost universally agreed to be a masterpiece, and is usually included on critics' lists of the best films of all time. The tale of a bunch of ruthless outlaws who are past their prime and out of time, it features a cast with four Oscar-winners (Holden, Johnson, Borgnine and O'Brien). The screenplay was written by Walon Green and Roy Sickner, and the dialog has an authenticity rare in film of any genre. Director Sam Peckinpaugh, a Westerner by birth, staged the film in such a way that, as one critic observed, one can "feel the dust". The film is famous for its violence, and drew much criticism for "glorifying violence", but the violence is stylized and almost balletic. The film combines humor and sadness, courage and despair, squalor and beauty. In the end, most of the Wild Bunch are killed, and this brings on a genuine sadness and sense of loss. It is difficult to experience the film on DVD in quite the same way it appeared in theaters almost 40 years ago. On the big screen, the power of the film was almost overwhelming.

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