“We all dream of being a child again, even the worst of us. Perhaps the worst most of all.”
A group of nine aging outlaws battle a Mexican army and a gang of bounty hunters in pursuit of one last big win in the Wild West.
I’ll start with what I enjoyed about this film — the beginning and the end, as well as the much too subtle (in my view) fear of aging theme. The way it began and ended was captivating, and without giving too much away, likely transformed the Old West genre from that point forward. As far as the theme — really moving. I’ve always been under the impression that westerns were more about the plot and non-stop action, so I respect that this film held something deeper for the viewer to contemplate.
That being said, I didn’t exactly enjoy this movie as a whole. The beginning and the end don’t account for the two hour middle portion that was chock-full of unnecessary long scenes, unlikable as well as unmemorable characters, and oddly placed laughing sequences. Not to mention, I was disgusted by its portrayal of women. I recognize that it was accurately depicting how women were viewed during that time, but every female character was without a personality/brain, and seemed to mindlessly and happily accept her role as a man’s plaything. That’s an archaic perspective, even for a movie filmed nearly 50 years ago.
I have a soft spot in my heart for westerns since my late grandfather loved them, and I’m disappointed that I can’t fully appreciate The Wild Bunch like so many other people, but it just wasn’t for me. Nevertheless, I still have high hopes for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and am looking forward to reaching it further up on the list.
Characters: 5/10
Acting: 7.3/10
Storyline: 6.5/10
Entertainment Value: 5/10
Immediate Rating: 6.4/10
Total Score: 30.2/50
A group of nine aging outlaws battle a Mexican army and a gang of bounty hunters in pursuit of one last big win in the Wild West.
I’ll start with what I enjoyed about this film — the beginning and the end, as well as the much too subtle (in my view) fear of aging theme. The way it began and ended was captivating, and without giving too much away, likely transformed the Old West genre from that point forward. As far as the theme — really moving. I’ve always been under the impression that westerns were more about the plot and non-stop action, so I respect that this film held something deeper for the viewer to contemplate.
That being said, I didn’t exactly enjoy this movie as a whole. The beginning and the end don’t account for the two hour middle portion that was chock-full of unnecessary long scenes, unlikable as well as unmemorable characters, and oddly placed laughing sequences. Not to mention, I was disgusted by its portrayal of women. I recognize that it was accurately depicting how women were viewed during that time, but every female character was without a personality/brain, and seemed to mindlessly and happily accept her role as a man’s plaything. That’s an archaic perspective, even for a movie filmed nearly 50 years ago.
I have a soft spot in my heart for westerns since my late grandfather loved them, and I’m disappointed that I can’t fully appreciate The Wild Bunch like so many other people, but it just wasn’t for me. Nevertheless, I still have high hopes for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and am looking forward to reaching it further up on the list.
Characters: 5/10
Acting: 7.3/10
Storyline: 6.5/10
Entertainment Value: 5/10
Immediate Rating: 6.4/10
Total Score: 30.2/50
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