Pun Salad

Since I had such a good experience with getting Harvey on DVD from the Portsmouth Public Library, I decided to pick up The Wild Bunch (two-disc Directors Cut) on my most recent visit. I was in the mood (apparently) for Doomed Male Camaraderie with Extra Violence and also Betrayal. Result: not as good as I remembered.

I remember being impressed with the violence when I saw this as a much younger age. Compared to today's movies, it's not that striking. And the movie really beats you over the head with its protagonists' testosterone-fueled bad decisions.

However, I was more impressed with the movie's cinematography this time around. Surprised it didn't get an Oscar nomination for that.

I also noticed something right at the beginning, and was somewhat surprised that it also made the IMDB trivia list:

Don't piss off Peckinpah, actors.

Anyway: it's the story of the last days of the outlaw gang led by Pike (William Holden). It's a fractious group, including Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Edmond O'Brien, Jaime Sánchez, and (for a few minutes) Bo Hopkins as "Crazy Lee", aka "Sacrificial Lamb". Pike's gang is being pursued by … well, everyone, but most notably a gang of depraved bounty hunters led by Thornton (Robert Ryan, aka "Horse's Ass"). Who, long ago, was Pike's comrade, now is being coerced by Powerful and Corrupt Forces into betrayal.

Spoiler: not many survive.