|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources
|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources
The six trapped villains ready themselves, hoping to take cover with the march of the Temperance Union. Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan), looking down on them, fears exactly this. He used to ride with Pike in "the good old days" and he knows how he thinks, although if a blood-bath is called for then Deke's not going to turn away. Sure enough, at the worst moment, all hell breaks loose and the crowded street mutates into a rifle range. Under the cover of this carnage Pike escapes with Dutch, Lyle Gorch (Warren Oates), Tector Gorch (Ben Johnson) and Angel (Jaime Sánchez) - leaving Crazy Lee (Bo Hopkins) behind. They've all got a price on their heads and this bounty can only increase after the latest massacre. Back at camp Pike realises the cost of his mistake - several bags of washers and a score of lives.
With Deke and his posse of low-life bounty hunters on their trail (not through choice but by necessity), Pike's gang head south to Mexico and Angel's home village. With Europe on the verge of World War I the era of these criminals with their twisted honour is coming to an end - "We gotta start thinking beyond our guns." Down in Mexico there is still anarchy, a country deep in the throes of revolution and tin-pot dictators, such as self-appointed Generalissimo Mapache (Emilio Fernández). A ruthless warlord with German connections and an out-of-context motor car, he could turn out to be very useful to Pike's band (since neither have much in common with the US government and are equally happy to steal from the Federal troops). The only problem is that Mapache has taken Angel's woman for himself.
Centering on US transition from lawless Wild West to superficially civilised East, The Wild Bunch uses Pike and his gang as epic symbols. The entire crew, even Angel on his first raid, reflect the disconnected ways of the American frontiers, where individuals could break the law with impunity. The coming of the telegraph and automobile changed all of this, showing Pike and Dutch for the tired men that they are. Running alongside these changes is the theme of loyalty, the bond formed between men on the edge of society. Every one of them is dangerous, sometimes psychotically so, but they can laugh, whore and drink together. The sweeping changes visible in the children loitering on the edges of violence reflect how these attitudes are archaic - no longer will mere friendship be enough.
An element which in inextricably linked with The Wild Bunch is violence and the ritualistic orgies of gore and suffering possible. It's absolutely true that Peckinpah's masterpiece contains staggering scenes of death but these are mere bookends to the human story, the suffering and loss of direction felt by those with no place to go. A heavy sense of wistfulness pervades the story, as if it were only possible to return to the past. The reason that this succeeds, without becoming sentimental, is largely due to the excellent acting and the script that they were provided with. Somehow each character seems perfectly cast, fitting into their alloted slot as if made for it. With Peckinpah's guiding hand and vision, a deep sadness reveals itself as the characters realise how much of a dead end their lives are. The Wild Bunch is a classic experience for this small, resonant revelation alone.
|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources