The Wild Bunch

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2:53

The Wild Bunch

R

1969

2h 22m

Western

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

66 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In this gritty Western classic, aging outlaw Pike Bishop (William Holden) prepares to retire after one final robbery. Joined by his gang, which includes Dutch Engstrom (Ernest Borgnine) and brothers Lyle (Warren Oates) and Tector Gorch (Ben Johnson), Bishop discovers the heist is a setup orchestrated in part by his old partner, Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan). As the remaining gang takes refuge in Mexican territory, Thornton trails them, resulting in fierce gunfights with plenty of casualties.

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Critics Consensus

The Wild Bunch is Sam Peckinpah's shocking, violent ballad to an old world and a dying genre.

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Penelope Gilliatt

The New Yorker

Jul 7, 2022

Apart from Peckinpah's simple technical control and the cut of his script, which is a knife that never slips off the bone, there is an angry quality to his mind.

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Tom Milne

Sight & Sound

Mar 18, 2020

The film drives to its foregone conclusion with the sureness of an arrow.

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Judith Crist

New York Magazine/Vulture

Jan 1, 2020

If you must see The Wild Bunch, be sure to take along a barf bag.

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Christopher Lloyd

The Film Yap

Mar 16, 2026

5/5

Sam Peckinpah's frontal assault on the Western genre was informed by the outrages happening in Vietnam and cinema’s recent embrace of blood-soaked violent imagery.

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Jeff Beck

The Blu Spot

Jul 30, 2025

4/5

The Wild Bunch remains a beloved staple of the western genre, utilizing a gripping story, memorable characters, exciting action, and impeccable technical elements to deliver a thrilling adventure.

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

May 31, 2023

5/5

To say that The Wild Bunch is a violent masterpiece would not be an understatement.

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William R S

May 14, 2024

One of my all time favorite westerns. Cutting edge violence, editing, direction and acting. The movie that put Peckinpah on the map and made his movies "must see" events (for me, anyway.) Saw this when it was released in 1969 and it's still as potent a story now as it was then.

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Robert P

@Superbad 2 days ago

The Wild Bunch = a *4.5* star Movie...

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Robert E

@bobfreengel Jul 28, 2026

One of my favorite westerns of all time.

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Bob L

@Dudeorama5 Jul 10, 2026

The first and the last scenes were the best part. The acting was great. The movie and story was a little clunky at times. But I will always remember the ending and the brutality of it all.

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Felipus h

@Felipus Jan 2, 2026

It wasn't the western I expected, but a great movie among the best of its genre. With a solid script, thrilling action scenes with chaotic shootings and high pace chases, this film is pure epic. Besides great acting, there are no "good guys" but characters who feel like real people, with all the contradictions of human nature. On the contrary to movies centered around an outlaw-character, this one doesn't seems to make apology of crime or violence.

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Maksim S

@MaksimusMovies Nov 1, 2025

The Wild Bunch is best appreciated not as a meditation on morality or historical realism, but as pure cinematic spectacle. Sam Peckinpah’s notorious violence, often cited as shocking or excessive, functions less as commentary and more as kinetic art — meticulously choreographed, balletic mayhem that elevates the film to cult status. While it lacks the narrative tension and tight plotting of Leone’s Dollars trilogy, it more than compensates with relentless, action-packed sequences and a ferocity of on-screen carnage rarely matched in Western cinema. The film’s enduring appeal lies in its audacious energy, inventive staging, and the sheer fun of watching chaos executed with precision — a high-octane Western that is, above all, entertaining and unforgettable.

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Sam Peckinpah

Director

William Holden

Pike Bishop

Ernest Borgnine

Dutch Engstrom

Robert Ryan

Deke Thornton

Edmond O'Brien

Freddie Sykes

Warren Oates

Lyle Gorch

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The Wild Bunch: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In this gritty Western classic, aging outlaw Pike Bishop (William Holden) prepares to retire after one final robbery. Joined by his gang, which includes Dutch Engstrom (Ernest Borgnine) and brothers Lyle (Warren Oates) and Tector Gorch (Ben Johnson), Bishop discovers the heist is a setup orchestrated in part by his old partner, Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan). As the remaining gang takes refuge in Mexican territory, Thornton trails them, resulting in fierce gunfights with plenty of casualties.

Director: Sam Peckinpah
Producer: Phil Feldman
Screenwriter: Walon Green, Roy N. Sickner
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Rating: R
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 18, 1969, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Runtime: 2h 22m

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