BLOODY SAM: THE FILMS OF SAM PECKINPAH

      A series of quick cuts show an outlaw band taking over a small town bank. The camera pulls into a tight close up of Pike Bishop's (William Holden) face as he says "If they move, kill 'em!" The frame freezes and the credit 'Directed by SAM PECKINPAH' appears. The year was 1969 and "The Wild Bunch" exploded on the screen as had no other film before it. Two years earlier, Arthur Penn raised the stakes on cinema violence in his masterpiece "Bonnie and Clyde." Sam Peckinpah set the bar higher in the opening scene of "The Wild Bunch" with one of the most violent bank robberies yet put on film. The beauty of his violence was enhanced by Lucien Ballard's brilliant cinematography. The slow-motion dance of death the characters underwent mesmerized and repulsed movie goers all over the world. Sam raised the bar even higher during the film's 20 minute final shoot out between the "Bunch" and a division of Mexican soldiers.

Pike Bishop (William Holden) makes his stand in The Wild Bunch

      Pike leads a gang of outlaws along the Texas Mexican border circa 1913. Other members of the gang are Dutch Engstrom (Earnest Borgnine), Tector and Lyle Gorch (Warren Oates, Ben Johnson), Angelo (Jamie Sanchez), Sykes (Edmund O'Brien). There are six or seven other gang members, most notable being "Crazy" Lee (Bo Hopkins) but they don't survive the opening scene. The Bunch enters a small town to rob the bank of a large payroll shipment being temporarily stored by the Railroad. Unknown to the Bunch, the rumors of the large payroll were the bait put out by the Railroad to lure the Bunch to their doom. Mr. Harrigan (Albert Dekker) has assembled a rouge group of bounty hunters to track down and kill the Bunch. This motley crew is led by Deke Thorton (Robert Ryan), a former partner of Pike's who was captured and tortured in prison. Deke has to constantly choke back the bile which rises in his throat due to his decision to hunt down Pike, but he sees it as is a small price to pay incomparison to being returned to the torture he was subjected to at the Yuma prison. Peckinpah got great performances out of two of his frequent stars Strother Martin and L.Q. Jones as Coffer and T.C. two amoral scum-sucking cads who ride in Deke's posse.

      The Bunch seeks refuge south of the border. They come to the town of Aqua Verde which is the stronghold of General Mapache (Emilio Fernandez). Mapache needs arms to lead his soldiers in battle against the forces of Pancho Villa. The Bunch first encounters Mapache in an open air plaza in Aqua Verde. Mapache and his aides are enjoying the company of several frisky senoritas, one of whom was Angelo's woman. Prompted by Warren Oates observation that "...she ain't your woman no more! Just look how she's lickin inside the general's ear..." Angelo shouts "Puta" and then shoots his ex. After a tense Mexican standoff, the Bunch is invited to join the general for business discussions. The Bunch agrees to rob an Army train of munitions in exchange for gold and a safe place to lay low. Once alone, Angelo only agrees to go along if he can take guns from the heist to give to rebels hiding in the mountains. The remainder of this classic film deal with this heist and the complications that result between the Bunch and Mapache's forces, not to mention that darn posse that continues to trail them.

Lyle, Tector, Pike and Dutch prepare to take on the whole Mexican Army in The Wild Bunch

      Against this backdrop, Peckinpah weaves a tale of loyalty, betrayal and the end of an era. Pike, Dutch and the boys are dinosaurs on the eve of the ice age. Pike realizes that the West is rapidly being fenced in. "Those days are closing fast, we've got to begin thinking beyond our guns," Pike reflects. How does a 50 year old outlaw change when the world is shrinking and horses are being replaced by airplanes and cars? Pike is a natural leader who is not afraid of the weight that comes with command. He is also a flawed and very real human. Through flashback, Peckinpah tells of how Pike and Deke were once partners, and because of Pike's shortsightedness, Deke was captured by the law. The irony of this scene is that it follows Pike saying one of his favorite lines, "Being careful is my business." Pike lost his friend, and as related in another flashback, the only woman he ever loved due to his carelessness. These flaws aside, Pike is still worthy of the respect of his men. He is fearless and methodical. There are conflicts within the Bunch. The Gorch brothers are itching to take over the gang, but they fear Pike and his loyal henchman, Dutch. They take their frustration out on the nonwhite Angelo and the elderly Sykes. In he end, all the men agree that they are a dying breed and the only choice they have left is to pick the place to make their stand. There are numerous other nuances of character to be discovered in this classic film. I'll leave the rest to you to discover.

Tector (Warren Oates) and Lyle (Ben Johnson) bite the dust

      The performances are all excellent. William Holden's career was reborn in this film. Earnest Borgnine is also fine as the enigmatic Dutch. There have been many critics who have theorized that Dutch had a homosexual crush on Pike and that is why he remained so loyal. The main support for this argument is the fact that Dutch is the only character who refrains from partaking when the Bunch visits a brothel. I really have no thoughts on the matter other than to say that Peckinpah dealt with the issue of homosexuality in his only war film "Cross of Iron." From the way he handles the issue in that film, I'd say that the issue makes for an interesting discussion but I doubt that Peckinpah intended it that way. Warren Oates delivers a standout performance as Tecter Gorch, the dimwitted killer who is often the butt of the Bunch's jokes. Emilio Fernandez, and Jorge Russek are also excellent as Mapache and his chief aide.

      Sam's original cut of the film was restored in the 1980s. If you rent of buy this film, be sure you get the 144 minute version. There are several scenes which flesh out the characters of Pike, Deke and most importantly General Mapache. There is an epic battle between Mapache and Villa's forces. In this scene Mapache is shown as a true warrior. A man of courage who instills respect and honor in his men. Without this scene, Mapache is little more than a cruel, drunken warlord being manipulated by the Germans.

      Peckinpah was never to reach this level of excellence again. He did continue to produce controversial and though provoking films, but then again Orson Welles only made one "Citizen Kane." Ironically Peckinpah followed his most violent film with his most lyrical, the abovementioned "The Ballad of Cable Hogue." But Sam was to stir up a whole lot of controversy with his follow-up to "Cable Hogue."

» CHAPTER 2: STRAW DOGS (1971)

Rusty White