The Wild Bunch (DVD)

It's difficult to believe no one has reviewed this classic of the western genre - from the outset the viewer is assailed by images that do not make comfortable viewing i.e. the childrens game and ensuing bank robbery - resulting in childrne mimicking the preceeding events. This is not "The panoramic vision of "The magnificent Seven". The grisly disposal of hostages and cohorts left little of the idealised west as the storyline moved from the 19th to the early 20th century. The main characters are older and see themselves as being out of time and place with events - so to regain a sense of familiarity transpose themselves to mexcio amidst a revolution. These scenes highlight not the romanticised notion of civil war, but a gritty reality, which seen through the eyes of a child, result in hero worship of a psychotic general. Although the film was heavily criticised on release (se the documentary on disc 2) this was a relevant movie, which shocked the critics and public out of their complacency - someimes the anti heroes are indeed the good guys - although there is a touching moment of what could have been for Dutch (William Holden) with a young mexican woman and a sadness and resignation in her eyes when he leaves her money - realising there is nothing left for them,they elect to rescue a companion and go out in the proverbial "Blaze of Glory". Fine performances by all concerned especially Robert Ryan and Warren Oates (a much under rated actor - watch the other Peckinpah classic "Bring me the Head of Alfrredo Garcia" to see how good he really could be).