The Wild Bunch (1969)

We've got to start thinking beyond our guns. Those days are closing fast.

Every era comes to an end eventually and the days of the Old West are closing in Sam Peckinpah's classic Western The Wild Bunch. The Law is encroaching on the infamously lawless lands and survival is the only thought on the minds of a group of aging outlaws. The year is 1913 and modernization is weeping across the American West bent on changing its gun-slinging ways forever. Led by Pike Bishop (William Holden) with Dutch (Enrest Borgnine) as his right-hand man, brothers Lyle and Tector (Warren Oats and Ben Johnson) and newcomer Angel (Jaime Sanchez) round off the rest of the wild bunch. They are aware of the fragile situation and the dangers of continuing their outlaw lifestyles. Determined to keep their freedom and stay out of the hands of the authorities, they head out for one last score before giving up the only life that they can remember leading. The ensuing botched robbery brings heat down on them like they have never faced before. The will to survive sends the desperate men across south Texas and into Mexico making for one of the wildest adventures in cinematic history.

In a fine display of storytelling, the movie touches upon the gray areas of law and order, the complexities of the Mexican Civil War, while foreshadowing the coming of Prohibition Era America and World War I. Also, The Wild Bunch features two of the top gun fights scenes of all-time, and one even features a bridge. What more could you ask for? In all seriousness, you will be hard pressed to find a gun battle like the one in the film's beginning. It is raw, gritty, and a great example of what people mean when a film is "realistic looking." For me, it is one of the most memorable scenes I have ever seen, if not the most memorable. It will stay with you when the movie is over.

With that being stated, Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch is not just a classic of the Western genre, but an all-time classic.