Perhaps no other filmmaker explored violence in the same way as Sam Peckinpah. His films largely deal with the conception of violence in society and its corrupting influence. Nicknamed “Bloody Sam,” Peckinpah actually overestimated the morality of his audience on more than one occasion. On more than one occasion, the director stated that he felt violence was a byproduct of a corrupt society. Peckinpah didn’t view violence as part of nature, but rather part of humanity gone wrong.
This theme of humanity gone wrong peppers his 1969 film The Wild Bunch. More than that, however, The Wild Bunch is a motion picture about the changing tide in society. In that respect, it is as relevant today as it perhaps ever was. Our world is constantly evolving, yet there are those who refuse the evolutionary process and refuse to adapt to new philosophies and new ways of doing things. They are, in essence, “unchanged men in a changed land.”
Pike Bishop (William Holden) is the leader of a gang of aging outlaws. He’s ready to hang up his guns and boots after one last score. The land is changing and his old bones can’t keep up anymore. Pike’s idea is to commit a series of robberies and sell the loot to get enough gold on which to retire. Standing in his way is Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan), one of Pike’s former partners, and a crew of bounty hunters. Pike also has to contend with the changing tide of the land, as automobiles and machine guns change the landscape and threaten to render his way of conducting business obsolete.
The essential theme of The Wild Bunch is that of the end of an era. We witness what it feels like for a group of bandits to deal with the uphill climb against human progress. Pike tells his men about the necessity of change, of “thinking beyond our guns.” The violence is commonplace still, symbolizing a rule of law in the West that had yet to fade. Gunfights were still the way to solve disputes, but the presence of the military and advanced weaponry began to change the playing field in many respects. As such, we see Pike and his men attempt to adapt.
When most people talk about The Wild Bunch, the violence is almost always discussed. It is certainly a very violent movie and Peckinpah received more than a few pieces of criticism for it, as he did throughout his career. Yet Peckinpah believed that the violence had a place and that it could be used to instruct filmgoers. He viewed it as allegorical to the Vietnam War, noting that “The point of the film is to take this façade of movie violence and open it up.” Instead of being examined thoroughly by the audience and viewed for its ugliness, filmgoers were enthralled and celebrated each gunshot. Peckinpah was wrong and noted that he was troubled by the response.
The Wild Bunch is interesting on a few other levels, too. The performances are great, with Ernest Borgnine’s portrayal of Dutch Engstrom standing out. William Holden, one of the top stars of the 50s, was the perfect fit to play Pike. His aged face, his expressions, and his physical struggles all added to the sense of age and the passage of time that his character represented. Pike was a man trying to keep up, but his own limitations kept him short of the mark.
Peckinpah’s direction is worth noting, too. He uses a lot of interesting camera angles and quick edits, often darting back and forth in the midst of the action sequences. His intent was to show audiences what it would have been like to be in the middle of a gunfight, so his oft-disorienting camera angles and edits certainly serve the trick and immerse the audience in the events. The Wild Bunch was shot using a wide angle camera lens, allowing objects both near and far to remain in clear focus.
Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch is so much more than just a spaghetti western with lots of blood and guts. It is a powerful allegory as to the changing tide of society, the nature of violence, and the nature of man. We have choices in our lives: we can resist the natural ebb and flow of our world or we can learn to progress and change. The Wild Bunch demonstrates the potential for catharsis, especially in terms of violent behaviour, and how we can fail to live up to our expectations.
9.4/10
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