The Wild Bunch, Restored Version (1969)

Sure, it's a classic, but it's still a sixties western.  Which means 
that for all of director Sam Peckinpah's unquestionably strong nar-
rative, we're still stuck with such arguable amenities as ketchup-
colored blood, and a jarring, low-fi soundtrack.  Why must great old 
movies be so hard to watch?   
 
Peckinpah's slow-motion "ballet" was groundbreaking in his day, but now, 
twenty-six years later, it looks muddy and overdone.  Later directors 
would do it slower, and with enough precision that the path of *each* 
bullet could be followed. Of course, THE WILD BUNCH reflects an era that 
predates the current glorification of violence. Just what *would* Mr. 
Peckinpah make of, say, Luc Besson, or John Woo? 
 
Grade: B+ 
 
Copyright 1995 by Michael J. Legeros