Graham’s review published on Letterboxd:
Have to say, I'm generally more of an Eastern guy than a Western guy when it comes to movies, but this is undeniably a spectacularly gorgeous piece of film.
Sam Peckinpah set the bar real high with the Wild Bunch. A 'Bunch' full of old time stars like Borgnine and Holden in their prime, foxy Latina ladies and some of the best horse-chase-train stuff I've ever seen.
It reminded me of what her ladyship & I thought would be a cheesy tourist train that we took from Williams in Arizona to the Grand Canyon a few years back... about an hour in to the trip on this lovely old steam train there was a whoopin' and a hollerin' outside, and these bandits on horses were chasing the train. Giddyup silver! Eventually we slowed down, they boarded to take our swag before singing some groovy country songs and heading off into the sunset. It was all an elaborate tourist event of course, but just seeing this film today took me there... so I thought I'd share. If ever you get the opportunity, I'd recommend it for sure. Yee haw!
Anyhoo...The Wild Bunch. It really is full of action, from the obligatory shootout at the bank to the train heist, the whiskey-swilling brothel scenes, the wonderful landscapes and most excellent cinematography. The soundtrack keeps the pace going nicely and the costumes (yeah I know, nobody notices that guy/girl) were beautifully detailed.
Overall, I think this is my favourite from a genre of film that is sadly on it's last legs, but just like the old timers in the movies... it'll not go down without a fight.
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