#79 The Wild Bunch (1969)

#79 The Wild Bunch (1969)



I really didn't like this movie.  It's considered a classic Western, but it was long, boring, and confusing.  I have admitted that I'm not a big fan of Westerns, but I don't think this is my bias talking.  Tyler, who is a big fan of Westerns, disliked it as well.  In fact, I suggested we watch it together knowing his fondness for Westerns.  Big mistake.  Tyler, I apologize.

It's basically about a gang of Old West crooks, stealing and trying to keep ahead of a group of bounty hunters.  The head of the gang is William Holden's character, and he is annoyingly sentimental about the whole thing:

Pike Bishop: We're not gonna get rid of anybody!  We're gonna stick together, just like it used to be!  When you side with a man, you stay with him!  And if you can't do that, you're like some animal, you're finished!  We're finished!  All of us!

Oh, be quiet, Pike.  You're a murderous thief, so get off your high horse.

One of the main problems is that it's really hard to tell the characters apart.  All of them, bounty hunters, bandits and civilians, are dirty, scruffy, and wearing cowboy hats, so I had no idea who was who.

Are these the bandits or the bounty hunters?  I have no idea.

When I mentioned this dilemna to Tyler, he assisted by explaining: "Well, that's Lyle.  He likes drinkin' and whorin'.  That's Tector.  He likes whorin and drinkin'.  That's Angel, and he drinks, but likes whores.  That's Dutch, and he whores, but likes drinking.  That's Pike, and he likes drinkin' AND whorin'."

Very amusing, but l was still completely confused.  Particularly in the end, when everything has gone to hell and people are shooting each other left and right.  We had no idea who was winning and who was getting shot.  But by the time the dramatic shootout has begun, we really didn't care anymore anyway.  We just wanted it to end.  As the credits finally rolled, Tyler wryly observed, "67 hours later the movie limps across the finish line."

I love watching movies with him.  Even bad ones.  Particularly in this case, when he says things like: "This movie is a little wacky, isn't it?"  Yes, yes it is.

Feeling guilty for making Tyler sit through The Wild Bunch, I decided I would watch the next Western by myself.  Wrong again.  Stay tuned for a review of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a movie with a similar plot but 100% better.  THAT'S how you make a Western.