The Story:Sam Peckinpah's film of The Wild Bunch has a reputation. A revisionist Western, it makes no distinctions between "black hats" and "white hats"—everyone in it is corrupt and have no qualms about crossing lines of the law or morality. Greed is the overarching motivation for both those law-abiding and law-breaking. It's gritty, it's grimy, profane, and bloody. It's violence is what it's known for, and it's depiction of violence—inspired by the final shoot-out in Bonnie and Clyde, but done on an epic scale—which Peckinpah championed for its more realistic depiction of violence, hoping that it would de-romanticize the movie's depictions of violence by firearm. If anything, it did just the opposite. Probably another reason Peckinpah drank.
But, those looking to see a carnage-fest in The Wild Bunch will—for the most part—be disappointed. Mostly it's a film of men talking. With an unrelenting cruel-streak running through it. Time's are changing. It's 1913, after all, and the century has heaved into being with the black smoke of the industrial revolution and was seeing the "Gilded Age" tarnish before the world cracked in 1914 with the first World War.
The West had been conquered by the European White Man but still saw no signs of being "civilized." And in that context, the movie shows obstinate outlaws pondering their place in this new world—if they're pondering at all. The Bunch's leader, Pike Bishop sees the world totally corrupted, and, in his own way, tries to hold fast to certain romantic notions about loyalty and a man's word...even if that man travels outside the Law This scene crystallizes that conflict, and maybe explains why they take the actions they do. I haven't corrected the misspellings and typo's from Peckinpah's final draft. For some reason, I found all the errors charming, and I imagine it was due to having a bottle as a writing partner. Inevitable on-set paraphrasing and additions are in GREEN. But, I saved the mistakes. Authenticity.
One peculiar aspect while putting this one together—Peckinpah's editing, done with editor Lou Lombardo. I try to pick out the best images to show, but sometimes for a complete shot, I'll take a beginning frame and an ending frame just to show the territoy covered in that camera placement. With The Wild Bunch, I would think that the perfect end shot would be coming up, but Peckinpah had already made his edit and gone to the next shot. So, I'd rewind, get ready again and...Peckinpah had already moved on. I kept missing that last frame and it happend consistently enough that it ocurred to me that the director was in a hurry to move on
It may be why The Wild Bunch—both in its studio edit and in Peckinpah's original cut—the movie never, ever drags. And keeps surprising with each viewing.
The Set-Up: After a disastrous robbery in which their gang was ambushed (with lots of civilian casualties and only bags of washers to show for it) by a rag-tag mercenary group funded by a railroad magnate, the criminal gang led by Pike Bishop (William Holden) is on the run to Mexico, where they may have dealings with a corrupt warlord. But, the journey is long, giving the remaining members of the gang--Bishop, Dutch Engstrom (Ernest Borgnine), the Gortch brothers, Lyle (Warren Oates) and Tector (Ben Johnson), Angel (Jaime Sánchez), and Freddy Sykes (Edmond O'Brien)--a rare down-time to reflect and to fracture. Right before this scene, Pike has been speculating about what life will be like after this job. Maybe robbing an army payroll—"I'd like to make one good score and back off" "Back off to what?" asks his incredulous partner-in-crime Dutch, as if going straight was ever an option. "They'll be waiting for you," Dutch warns. "I wouldn't have it any other way" is Pike's reply.
Action.
CUT TO:
137 EXT.. PIKE'S CAMP - NIGHT
DUTCHDamn!
DUTCH You sure must have hurt that railroad
pretty bad --
DUTCH they spent a lot of
time and money getting that ambush set
up for us.
PIKE
(smiling at the memory)
Well, I caught up to them -- two or
three times --
PIKE There was a man named
Harrigan --
PIKE He had a certain way of
doing things --
PIKESo I made him change
his ways -- when you do that to a
narrow man -- he can't live with it -
from then on he's got to change you --
break you -- just to prove he's right --
PIKE there-'s a hell of a lot of people, Dutch --
PIKE ...that just can't stand to be wrong.
DUTCH
Pride, I guess
PIKE
I guess -- but they can't ever forget
it --
PIKE that pride that being wrong
PIKE ...or learn by it.
DUTCH
(after a long moment)
And you -- and meHow about us, Pike?
DUTCH--did you reckon we learn --
DUTCH being wrong today?
PIKE
(SOFTLY)
Well, I surely hope to God we did.
SYKES CROSSES TO PIKE, GIVES HIM a cup of coffee,
SYKESThem's hot.
PIKEOw!
DUTCHGOD-DAMN!
moves
away,
DUTCH
Where'd in hell did you ever find him?
PIKE
.(softly)
That toothless old wreck was a real
gun about twenty years back --
used to run with Thornton and me,
killed his share and more --
PIKE around
----Langery -- Ambushed stages all along
that old board highway.,.He had those
Swede immigrants so scared theyQd
starve rather than go to town and
buy beans for their kids, and there
wasn't a sheriff in the territory
to take issue
--
He laughs, drinks the coffee and gags..
PIKE
(CONTINUING)DUTCH And he ain't changed -- Yeah, only now-he
does his killing with a coffee cup.
Dutch laughs and then both lean back listening as:
139. ANGEL, WRAPPED IN HIS SERAPE LEANING AGAINST THE-WALL,
plays
the great ranchero songs of old Mexico.,
LYLE.AND TECTOR ARE ALSO AWAKE and listening.
DUTCH
(softly) -
Pike,
DUTCH I wouldn't have it no other
-way aither.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. DESERT SAND DUNE. AREA - DAY
141
PIKE AND THE OTHERS (NOW DRESSED FOR THE TRAIL) RIDE ALONG
THE'TOP-OF A HIGH DUNE;.
They are tired and dirty.
Near the edge they dismount to lead their horses to the
bottom.
SYKESWatch out, boys!
THE SAND IS LOOSE AND THE FOOTING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT as they
start down in single file, Sykes is last, he leads his own
horse, a pack animal, and three of the empties.
LYLETake it easy, old man!
TECTORPull that horse up!
SUDDENLY SYKES SLIPS AND LOSES HIS-FOOTING.
He falls
FORWARD:
PULLING THE FIVE HORSES DOWN WITH HIM..
TECTORKeep its head up you crazy old bastard!
LYLEWhat's wrong with you?
Unable to
control his slide he collides with/Tector who is next in
line.
LYLEWatch him, Tector!
Tector's fall starts a p fain reaction in which
all the men slide to the bottom of ttLe hill.
PICKING UP SPEED THEY TUMBLE TO THE BOTTOM
and land in
a giant cloud of. dust.
There. is a: profusion of coughing
and swearing as the men and-animals struggle to their
feet..
146
PIKEGoddam son of a bitch!
PIKEGet those horses up!
LYLE What the hell is going on?
TECTORAsshole clumsy bastard!
LYLEGet up!
LYLEGet up there now, goddamn it!
LYLEHeeyaw, get over here! Heeyaw!
TECTORWhat the hells the matter with you, old man?
TECTOR STANDS,. CURSES AT SYKES,. then picks up a. stone
and throws it at.the old man who is hit and falls
backward.
PIKE GRABS TECTOR'AND SWINGS HIM AROU3D...
PIKE
Leave him...
PIKE ...alone!
TECTOR
(R'AVING)
Hats goin' to get pis killed -- I'm gonna...
TECTOR ...get
rid of him!
PIKE
(his anger growing)
We don't get rid of nobody
PIKE we stick together -- just like
it used to be --
PIKE when you side
with ] a man you stay with him --
PIKE(shaking him)
And If you can't do that you're worse
thanlike some animal -- you're finished --
PIKE we're finished --
PIKE all of us!
Tector looks at him silently.
PIKE Mount up.
PIKE TURNS TO MOUNT THE HORSE.
Placing his foot in
the stirrup he stiffly starts to swing on.
The leather
breaks and.
he falls under the animal.
Landing on his
back, he lets out a loud shriek.
THE OTHER N'EN LOOK DOWN AT HIM AS TEEM MOUNT.
Dutch,
ready to mount his horse hesitates, but doesn't move to
help.
PIKE STRUGGLES TO HIS FEET. None of them move forward
to help him and he doesn't expect them to. He is
visibly miserable as he recovers the reins of his
animal and tears off the.broken leather.
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