The Wild Bunch

"Faster Pussycat, kill, kill!!"

Review of "The Wild Bunch"(1969)

Written by Sam Peckinpah

Violence can be shown in many ways. Sam Peckinpah's, "The Wild Bunch" caused a fuss because of it's raw violence. The depiction of violence in this film was rare. The deaths are not heroic or clean in any way. When a fight broke out and a gun was shot, it usually ended in major bloodshed and dead bodies. I believe that alongside the theme of friendship and loyalty, violence is a major theme in this film.

One example of violence in the film is in the beginning. The movie starts out with The Wild Bunch and their plan to rob a train station. What they do not know is that it is all a setup. All around them, bounty hunters are hidden and ready to ambush them. The Wild Bunch are attacked, and like in many scenes of wild west movies, innocent people are caught in the crossfire. The Wild Bunch eventually gets away.

As in most portrayals of the wild west, women were often seen as insignificant. In the wild bunch, there is a scene where one of the men throws a women, whom you would probably consider his girlfriend, in front of him as somewhat of a shield from a bullet. Peckinpah's portrayal of women was almost saying that they were, in laymen's terms, whores. They were not treated with respect, and were usually left for dead in most scenarios. In another scene, Gorch shoots an unarmed women in the stomach as she is running through a doorway.

The violence in this film is so extreme. Before it's original release date, the film almost received an "X" rating. Most films that carry an X-rating are usually pornographic and sent straight to video. The film was eventually edited. There are so many instances in movies dated back to the wild west, where everything results in violence. Poker games almost always end in bloodshed. There is always a battle at "high noon", which usually ends in one guy's friends going after the other guy. While I think this was a brilliant film, and was done very well, I do not think the film would tell as much of a story without the portrayal of violent acts.