Reviews (62)

Great 70's movie
I used to watch Convoy over and over as a kid. It is unfortunate that it is not being produced on DVD or VHS considering how many movies not nearly as entertaining are being marketed. I think if you didn't see it when it first came out you'd find it silly and dated today, but I feel to those of us who saw it initially growing up, it is a classic. Modeled after a catchy country western song by C.W. McCall and with stars such as Kris Kristofferson, Ali McGraw, Burt Young and Ernest Borgnine, I'm surprised it is so obscure. It has some great 70's car/truck chase and crash scenes and a good soundtrack. Hopefully it will come out of moratorium soon and be available.

Breaker-19
CONVOY is the best trucker movie of all time. I've watched this movie 1000's of times when I was a kid and I enjoy it even more now. This movie has action, comedy and romance. Kris Kristofferson was great in this movie, he really brought out the excitement of being a truck driver. As for Ali MacGraw, she was also great and beautiful co-star. The director, Sam Peckinpah did an excellent job capturing the essence of truck driving. After so many years of searching for this movie I finally have a copy of my own thanks to Amazon.com. I'm impatiently waiting for it to come out on DVD(extended verison)....

Convoy
I bought the VHS version of the movie going off the other reviews listed.I received it yesterday and watched it twice.The quality is excellent.No fuzzy picture or sound.If you want a copy of this old classic movie,get one on video.

CONVOY
i havn't played my copy yet. the dvd i got, came from half.com which is a letterbox version, not digitally remastered and released by PACIFIC FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT. i paid less than $5.00 brand new.

The old days
When you seee this movie, you will realinze how life in America was not anoying. ... Read more

Reviews (139)

Peckinpah's ode to the closing of the American West.....
It would be impossible for film fans to have a conversation about controversial movies throughout the years, and for the epic western, "The Wild Bunch" not to get a solid mention.

Since I first saw this film over twenty years ago, I have owned numerous versions on VHS and laser disc, and it is particularly satisfying to finally have the restored directors version, with the accompanying documentary "The Wild Bunch : An album in montage" available on DVD in true widescreen format.

Sam Peckinpah's blood and thunder tale of outlaws on the Texas/Mexican border with their own set of unique morals has been such a dynamic influence on many directors and future films since it's release way back in 1969. But what sets "The Wild Bunch" apart from it's many imitators is it's deep, almost mythical storytelling, the complex moral nature of the characters peopling the tale and the gritty passion & energy that Peckinpah infused into the entire production. William Holden and Ernest Borgnine are simply tremendous as Pike & Dutch, the leaders of the Bunch...each man with his own individuality. Ben Johnson & Warren Oates portray the crazy Gorch Brothers, Jaime Sanchez is the arrogant and fiercely partiotic Mexican, Angel...and Edmond O'Brien is the grizzly, old timer Sykes.

Additionally, Peckinpah's film features Emilio Fernandez as the bloated, evil dictator Mapache...Albert Dekker as the manipulative and remorseless railroad man, Harrigan....and Robert Ryan putting in another one of his strong performances as the ex-gang member turned reluctant bounty hunter, Deke Thornton. And a Peckinpah movie almost wouldn't be complete without the appearance of LQ Jones and Strother Martin as a pair of filthy, grave robbing bounty hunters out for the reward on the heads of the Wild Bunch.

The Wild Bunch pulls no punches in it's tale of desperado's who they themselves are desperately running out of time...as Holden reflects in the film "We've got to start thinking beyond our guns...those days are closing fast". Whilst "The Wild Bunch" is most notorious for it's two bloody shootouts that book end the film's 144 minute running time...there is so much excitement, passion, adventure and personal conflict within the movie that can be found upon each repeated viewing of this stunning work.

A film that can be treasured and enjoyed by any true film fan....The Wild Bunch will be continually looked upon as one of the most important contributions to American cinema.

Director's cut not needed, but great moments still abundant
The Wild Bunch is, without a doubt, one of the greatest westerns that has ever been thought up, but it is also quite controversial. The romantic view of the Old West is shattered in this 1969 film; no sign of John Wayne anywhere, and most of the cliches found in a typical western are nonexistant(not that I dislike typical western movies, they're actually quite entertaining). Sam Peckinpah, a master of improvisation, creates an unforgettable movie that is not only responsible for redefining cinematic violence, but also carries with it an engrossing story of friendship, betrayal, and the dying west. I didn't feel a Director's cut was needed for this film though, because the original version moved at such a lightning-fast pace. The restored scenes may interest some viewers, but I just wasn't interested. That is probably why I don't own this version of the movie. I'd prefer that other Sam Peckinpah flicks be restored, preferrably Major Dundee. Besides that, the DVD still captures all the explosive action and catchy dialogue. I particularly enjoyed the presentation of the credits, and Jerry Fielding's music adds to the realistic atmosphere, and that's not a bad thing. If you're looking for a great action flick with a plot, The Wild Bunch is a winner for a weekend rental, but RENT this version before you buy it.

One of the best westerns of all-time
The Wild Bunch-Restored Director's Cut is one of the best westerns ever made and also one of the best movies ever. In 1913 during the Mexican Revolution, times are changing as the Old West disappears into oblivion. After a botched robbery in the town of Starbuck, the Wild Bunch, a gang of aging outlaws must decide what their next move is. The remaining members of the gang decide to head south into Mexico where their services may be needed. The bunch robs a gun shipment for a Mexican general, hoping this will be their last job. At the same time, a posse is hunting them down with a former gang member at the posse's head. While this movie is most well known for its violence, it is ultimately a story about honor among men in a changing time. Knowing that the world they knew is changing, the bunch has to try and survive as their end closes in. Nonetheless, director Sam Peckinpah knows how to construct an action sequence. The Battle of Bloody Porch is a balletic, slow-motion, masterpiece of blood and guts as the Wild Bunch meets their end. Just as good is their final march through the streets knowing what awaits them. One of the best westerns, if not the best, ever made and highly recommended.

What makes this movie special, along with the groundbreaking filmmaking of Sam Peckinpah, is the cast. The whole cast gives excellent performances. William Holden stars as Pike Bishop, the leader of the Wild Bunch who knows time is running out for the bunch. His right hand man, Dutch Engstrom, is played by Ernest Borgnine in a perfect part for him. Robert Ryan plays Deke Thornton, a former member of the Wild Bunch and the unwilling leader of the posses following the gang. The rest of the gang includes Edmond O'Brien as Freddie Sykes, Warren Oates and Ben Johnson as brothers Lyle and Tector Gorch, and Jaime Sanchez as Angel. Emilio Fernandez plays Mapache, the Mexican general who pays the bunch to steal a shipment of guns. Strother Martin and L.Q. Jones are great as Coffer and TC, members of the posse. What is surprising about these characters is that as despicable as they are, they are still likable. The Restored Director's Cut DVD includes about ten minutes cut from the original version, a theatrical trailer, production notes, an excellent making of documentary, "The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage", and a great-looking widescreen presentation. For a great western with incredible gunfights, a terrific cast, and a great story, check out the truly classic western, The Wild Bunch!

NOT ONE OF YOUR GRANDPA'S WESTERNS.
"The Wild Bunch" is not the typical western that tells the story of a bunch of good ol' cowboys versus the mean ol' Indians, this movie goes beyond the cliches of the earlier westerns, so in some way "The Wild Bunch" resembles more to a Spaghetti Western than a John Wayne-versus-the-indians western.

Sam Peckinpah took two steps forward the use of violence in the movies, he show the world how to use violence in a movie to produce visual art. Of course, some might complain about the cruel scenes in "The Wild Bunch", but open minded people know that the violence in the movies is not even close to the cruelty of the real world violence, plus, the violence in a movie can produce visual art if it's used in the right way, like Sam Peckinpah or Sergio Leone did in their movies.

"The Wild Bunch" has an excellent cast: the always efficient William Holden and Ernest Borgnine plus a great supporting cast that includes names like Robert Ryan, Warren Oates and Emilio Fernández. Also, the director Sam Peckinpah gave importance to each character, and that contributed to form a solid story. The cinematography is spectacular, "The Wild Bunch" has a lot of impressive camera angles that show the cruelty of the bullets and explosions, and the movie has some of the most impressive scenes ever put to film.

"The Wild Bunch" is in a very selected group of westerns. That list includes movies like "High Noon". "The Searchers", "Stagecoach", "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" and "Once Upon A Time In The West", among few others. That list includes the best westerns, and "The Wild Bunch" belongs in the list.

A Grand Finale to the Old West - An American Classic
This is simply a rich, masterful, nostalgic story of the Old West, in all of its fading glory.

The charaters too, are fading in their own time - pursued relentlessly by forces reshaping the country, lives and landscape they ravaged, shared, and loved.

A long-in-the-tooth band of outlaws set out on one last job - to lighten the rich railroad barons of a few sacks of gold. Doublecross meets disaster and they're thrown back on their heels in a narrow escape. Then on to Mexico to trade a stolen shipment of rifles, stolen from under the government's nose, to a Mexican general who is a ruthless hombre in his own right.

Good guys and bad guys change roles and the moral lines of right and wrong shift beneath their feet as they make a last stand for honor among men.

This is a fun, exciting, warm movie which is excellent in every respect. Beautifully filmed, extraordinarily acted, and a terrific story, wonderfully told.

Five stars for a truly American Classic. ... Read more

Reviews (79)

Definitely worth seeing. Worth owning? Questionable.
Dustin Hoffman is a living legend. You can read any of the other excellent reviews here to get a good idea of what the movie is about, so instead I'm going to give you 'the truth as I see it' about why you should see this movie.
Obviously, Dustin Hoffman plays the role of David wonderfully. Susan George does a good job, although it would have been nice for this intended town hottie to have a pretty smile along with her pretty physique. But I guess that's the catch 22 in selecting a British cast, especially from that day and age.
The controversial rape scene in this movie, is almost paralyzingly disturbing. (Yes, paralyzingly...I don't care if it's not a word.) It's disgusting really. It was also very confusing for me, because of the fact that she was saying no, but the viewer actually does get the impression that she doesn't mean no. She kisses her 'rapist' and pulls him closer, and she invites him in in the first place, and then tells him not to leave. A very awkward occurrence. When the second guy rapes her, we understand clearly that she does not want him, but still she seems to have some strange bond with the first guy (apparently and ex-boyfriend or something) as they have a sort of strangely mutually understanding chemistry throughout the movie. This was one of the most disturbing scenes in any movie I've seen recently. It doesn't help that all the while we get up close facial expressions from her, showing a sense of horror and disgust, but at the same time thrilling satisfaction.
Basically, she gives in very easily when there is any sense of punishment as a consequence of resistance. She is trapped in a kind of school-girl mentality, playing childish pranks and teasing the men by showing her breasts and underwear to them. I'm guessing this is related to the way she was treated when she was that age. David, on the other hand, is a controlled, maturing man, trying to focus on his work. He doesn't give in so easily, and although some have said that he plays the role of mouse time and time again until he finally emerges as a 'real man' in the end of the movie, I personally feel that he is not the timid guy everyone thinks him to be, but rather that circumstance does not allow him to show his manliness (for example, when his wife brings in the bowl of milk with the beers). He is more confused than anything because he doesn't believe there is any real reason to confront the hooligans, until the execution of Kitty.
Anyway, like a lot of other people I was very confused by the ending. The implications of David defending his house, his wife, his honor, and his sense of manhood by protecting a man that actually was guilty of murder (albeit accidental), raise a whole other topic of discussion.
The violence, with the exception of the rape scene, is pretty tame according to today's standards, but the psychological horror is in full throttle here. This is a thinker's horror/suspense (not horror in the conventional sense of the word) movie.
The laughter of the crazy hooligan was really annoying to me. I'm sure many people will disagree with my views on the movie, but I think it's important to look at the movie for what it IS, as well as what it means.
I'm definitely glad to have seen this movie, and would highly recommend it, but I don't believe I'll be adding it to my collection. I might see it again one day, but movies this disturbing and confusing aren't usually on my list of favorite flicks to cuddle up to late at night.

PEACENIK HOFFMAN GOES BONKERS
In 1971 Sam Peckinpah's controversial STRAW DOGS was censored by the British Board of Film Classification. The cuts made it even more provocative than Peckinpah intended. Consequently, Straw Dogs was labeled by the media as an obscene, misogynistic piece of filmmaking. Regarding the uncut American version, even the esteemed Pauline Kael said it's "the first American film that is a fascist work of art."

"Straw Dogs" stands as one of Peckinpah's best, and a reminder of the ongoing struggle between an artist's freedom and suppression by the powers that be. But more than that, it's a brilliant and harrowing exploration of man's primitive animal nature and its implied, inherent violence.

The transfer's clean and sharp. Extras include an 80 minute look at Peckinpah's films and a new interview with Susan George, who talks about her daring, controversial performance of a woman who for a few brief moments seemed to enjoy being raped.

What does "Straw Dogs" mean? Is it from the saying: Behind every coward's eyes burn straw dogs? If so, what does that mean? What are "straw dogs"?

Another thing. Recently (of this writingt) Dustin Hoffman has made a point of speaking out about certain military operations to free brutalized, oppressed people. Personally, I'd rather not know what an actor thinks and feels about politics. However, in "Straw Dogs" Hoffman shows what it takes to fight evil aggression. His screen performance will outlive his words.

Recommended.

HORRIBLE!!!
I agree with another reviewer in that you'll either love this or hate it. But I think most people will hate it. (Note: I have nothing against violence in films, and I liked the Kill Bill movies.) The main problem here is that almost every character in this film is utterly unlikable, and terrible things happen to the two characters who are likeable. But even that wouldn't be so bad, if the film had a message.

Dustin Hoffman's character is a whiney, wimpy, and mean spirited person who, when he finally decides to act, he does so for all of the wrong reasons & defends the wrong person. I end up hating him MORE than the bad guys.
I rank this as the most unwatchable movie I have ever seen, even below "Short Cuts".
However, if you liked "Short Cuts", you'd probably like this, and vice versa.

A Remarkable Film Which Stands the Test of Time.
This is a really interesting film on many levels. It's not perfect; but, few works of modern art are. Nevertheless, this work stands the test of time. Firstly, one of the most remarkable things about this film is the absolutely Hitchcockian editing, which is remotely primitivistic, but strangely compelling: the editing engenders a peculiar ambience to the film right from the beginning brawl scene in the pub. Then, from the denoument sequence--which begins with the equally primitive church function and runs through to the climax and epilogue--the editing is nothing less than fine art. Secondly, the sets of the pub and the farm house are very convincing and interesting in their own right: there's plenty to look at. Also, the outdoor scenes with the ocean in background and the Cornish village all have the verisimilitude of realism. Thirdly, the soundtrack is not at all bad. Fourthly, the acting is good: of course, Hoffman is nothing less than brilliant; Peter Vaughn is excellent as the burly boorish Englishman; and Susan George isn't bad: she begins weak, but by the middle of the film she's quite okay, and from the denoument mentioned above, she's fine. Also, David Warner as the half-witted cripple is excellent--though not given notice in the credits. Lastly, the story is fairly well formed and possibly plausible--though that's no recommendation for fiction! It is possible in realistic or naturalistic fiction that a university professor might get a grant and take a semester or even a year off to do research; and this professor might want to go to some remote European destination where his wife has ancestral property by the sea, to get away from it all to do his thought-work; and it is possible that this professor might have married the woman out of sexual attraction, fully knowing that she had much less education than himself and was his intellectual inferior. But the plot has a quasi-classical form of characters with flawed personality traits; tension and contentious issues; incident follows upon incident resulting in a shattering climax, followed by an ambivalent coda. What more can one say?

Another amazing masculine character study by Peckinpah.
It's not at all hard to see the connection between Peckinpah's two greatest movies: Straw Dogs and The Wild Bunch. Both are studies of what it means to be a man, a look at the masculine and sometimes violent male nature. Basically, Straw Dogs is about an extremely timid American intellectual who decides to escape the Vietnam-fueled violence of the USA by moving into the small English town where his wife was raised. However, the man soon realizes that violence is pretty much omnipresent, when the men he hires to fix up his new home begin pushing him and his wife around. I won't give away the ending, but if you know Peckinpah you can probably guess.

of course, most people will probably want to see the movie for its infamous rape scene (which got the film banned in the UK, where it was filmed). Not only is the rape graphic, but the victim actually appears to enjoy it; at least at first. Here I must disagree with the lengthy rant of a prior reviewer when I say that the rape scene is not simply an exercise in mysoginy, but rather helps to show just how immasculinated the main character has become. Throughout the first half of the movie we see his wife slowly flirting with the contractors (at one point even letting them see her topless). This suggests quite obviously that she has become so disgruntled with her husbands lack of backbone that she is actively seducing the very masculine contractors, and the fact that she enjoys the rape is simply the logical extreme of her desire to have a truly "manly" partner. Of course, those who've seen the movie know that eventually she's punished for her covetry of man's aggressive nature.

Overall, I highly recommend this movie. In fact, I'd suggest you get it ASAP, since the Criterion version has been out of print for months now and won't likely be available for much longer. You need a strong stomach to watch it, certainly, and the pace is very deliberate, but those who have patience and put effort into understanding the meaning of the film will be very well rewarded. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

At one point in the filming of this flawed epic, actor Charlton Heston (in the title role) got so mad at director Sam Peckinpah that he charged him on horseback with a cavalry sword and Peckinpah had to escape into the air on the camera crane. Yet Heston offered to give up his salary to get the studio to let Peckinpah finish the film. As it turned out, this story--of a headstrong Army professional who goes slightly crazy chasing a band of Apaches while shepherding a group of Confederate prisoners--was taken away from Peckinpah in the editing room and recut, so that much of the character development was eliminated from the crucial central section of the film. Still, it offers solid outings by Heston and Richard Harris (as his prisoner) and gives a hint of things to come in Peckinpah's next film, The Wild Bunch. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Viva Dundee-EXTENDED to a point.
Finally, some missing footage from Bloody Sam's flawed masterpiece is coming out. The web news and ads promise 12-15 minutes restored which should help with the major continuity of the film. Having loved this movie for over 30 years and read everything possible on the "butchery" of it, I can offer the following cut footage information;

1. The longest cut was noted in a critical film analysis book I found in the U. of Toronto library. The scene is supposedly 10-12 minutes long and shows the Cavalry detachment at the farm dancing and celebrating with the Rustis (?) family. The Apaches attack, the massacre ensues (and is shown in detail),Trooper Ryan escapes, and the wounded Lieutenant (Brannon ?) is strung up under the slow fire, which is exactly where the movie STARTS in the cut version. The Critical Film Analysis book claimed that the sudio refused to accept that a film could run almost 15 minutes with no major character introduction and then kill off the characters before the main character (Dundee) even appears!

2. Peckinpah's original directors release was to be 152 minutes and this cut at the beginning accounts for approximately 10-12 minutes.If the new Restored release adds about 15 minutes we should get to see about what Sam had intended, better continuity, including the despair/decay of Dundee in the Mexican village, the double back of the Apaches in the hills and the extended knife fight between Potts/Gomez, along with the truth behind Riago (the Apache scout, who is supposedly a traitor). The restored version will apparently not include the Farm massacre scene.

3. The recent book, Bloody Sam, mentions the many cuts and mentions an even longer version. What is known is that Sam edited the film from a 220 minute time, down to 185 minutes and finally under studio pressure (but still acceptable to Sam) of 152 min. What was eventually released was the chopped 123 minute version that made a mess of this great movie. Though the relevance of the Farm massacre scene can be questioned, its savage aspects were intended to show how viscious Sierra Chariba was and why he needed to be hunted down.

As it was many years ago that I read of the Farm massacre scene I cannot say for certain if it was part of Sam's 152 or 185 minute versions except that it did exist and was one of the cuts. Any and all restoration is welcome and I am eagerly waiting for the DVD release, which will contain both the original release and the extended version.

Extended Version= Must See Peckinpah western
Major Dundee is a Sam Peckinpah western that has always been known for what it "could have been."Now, forty years after its initial release, a new extended version of Peckinpah's movie is being released with over 12 minutes of footage reinserted.After a cavalry troop is massacred by renegade Apaches in late 1864, Major Amos Dundee decides to put a troop together and pursue the renegades who have kidnapped three children.Dundee puts together a command of Confederate prisoners, African American soldiers, cowboys, thieves, and misfits and leads the troop into Mexico pursuing the Apaches while also tangling with French lancers.With the footage added back into the movie, many storylines are resolved that initially went unexplained, like the fate of Apache scout Riago or the sudden appearance of Dundee's beard.Along with the new footage is a new musical score by Christopher Caliendos which is more moodier/appropriate for a Peckinpah western than the Danielle Amfitheatrof score for the original 1965 release.It is somewhat disappointing that all the lost footage may never be seen, but this Extended Version helps to make a very good movie into a great movie.If you can see it in theatres, take the chance because this movie was meant to be seen on the big screen.

Charlton Heston stars in the title role as Major Amos Dundee, an obsessed officer stationed at a Union prison camp who sees an opportunity for redemption by capturing Apache chief Sierra Chariba.Richard Harris matches Heston step for step, and steals many scenes, as Captain Ben Tyreen, a Confederate officer and ex-friend of Dundee who was betrayed by Amos at his court martial hearing.The dialogue between Heston and Harris drives much of the movie.Jim Hutton and James Coburn are excellent in supporting roles as Lt. Graham, a bumbling artillery officer assigned to the cavalry, and Sam Potts, Dundee's one-armed scout.Senta Berger is good in a smaller part as Theresa, a woman who sparks the interest of Dundee and Tyreen.The great supporting cast full of Peckinpah regulars includes Michael Anderson JR, Mario Adorf, Brock Peters, Warren Oates, LQ Jones, Slim Pickens, Dub Taylor, Ben Johnson, and RG Armstrong.

The Extended Version DVD will feature the added 12 minutes of footage and new score by Caliendos along with widescreen presentation.I haven't seen anything official about included extras, but there is supposedly going to be an option to listen to the original Amfitheatrof score instead of the new one.Regardless of the features, the Extended Version DVD should be a must-have for fans of this Peckinpah masterpiece.Don't miss Major Dundee!

A True Peckinpah Classic!
I am so looking forward to this release of the uncut version.
What additions will it have? Does it show the attack on the ranch at the begining of the film?
Does it show what happens to Realgo the scout?
Will the do it up right with trailers to, the making of..., the Riding For A Fall documentary?
Will they show some class and have L.Q. Jones introduce it?
This is going to be a fantastic hit.
I am looking forward to adding it to my collection!
Amazon says it will be released August 30th. I just found out it is being released this month!
Will it take until August for Amazon to get it? Just curious.
Whatever the case, do get this one!!!

Major Dundee is a GREAT WesternMovie
This movie was great when I first saw it on VHs.. Its been years since I saw this classic film. I am not sure but I believe this is the first western that the end is not your regular happy endings. It is a movie that really has goodcharacterizations, and some of the best action scenes put on film..It was a clever idea of pitting a ragtag group of misfits against the superiority of the French army who at the time were one of the best armies in the world.. I highly recomemnd this movie itsone of the best westerns made..

Viva Dundee!
This is another one of those films which I could only faintly recall from childhood.Recently I was fortunate to view a limited run of this firm in its new revised format.Having also seen the older version recently I am able to compare and contrast both versions of this interesting film.The biggest change noted in the revised edition is the music.A new score has been created and this completely changes the mood of the entire movie.The old score was a quirky, sardonic affair with the opening credits leading off with Mitch Miller's sing along gang!A big difference from the symphonic version we have here.If you are one of those people who don't notice movie music that much, try viewing the same film twice with two different scores!The music can make a big difference in how a movie feels to its viewer.We certainly have that here.

In addition to the score, about 13 minutes of footage has been restored.Dundee was one of those films that was butchered on the editing floor, so much so that there has been a lively debate about this ever since it was released back in the 1960s.Apparently almost an hour was cut out, and while 13 minutes does not seem a lot in comparison it can make a difference.Some of the restored scenes include showing the Confederates being captured as they try to escpae in the beginning, as well as showing Heston involved with the Mexican woman before the Austrian lady returns to see how he has recovered from his wound.Small stuff, but it can add up.

The background for this film is Heston (Dundee) putting together a scratch Troop of cavalry to pursue a renegade group of raiding Apaches.His unlikely command includes Confederate POWS, Blacks, and assorted riff-raff.The Rebels are commanded by Captain Tyreen (Richard Harris) an embittered rival of Dundee from before the Civil War.The tension between these two is what makes the movie.But there are many other edgy touches that take this out of the ordinary Western genre.The tensions between the two officers are mirrowed by their men, and it is a miracle that this divided command can accomplish anything at all.In fact, nothing like this could have functioned in reality! What makes this more than just another Western flick is the fact that Dundee's command has to fight two battles at once: One against the Apache, and the other against the French in Mexico.

This film has some interesting historical background.During the American Civil War Louis Napolean III decided to exploit the events taking place in North America by installing Maximillian Von Hapsburg (an Austrian archduke) as a French Puppet ruler in Mexico.In preceeding years Mexico had run up significant debts to various European powers and this was used as pretext to intervene.Dundee's command, after destroying the Apaches mustcontend with the pursueing French.We have a classic cavalry action in which the European and American styles of cavalry fighting are shown for this period.Dundee's boys have Henry repeating rifles which gives them a massive firepower advantage over the French Lancers.They also have a small horse drawn piece of light artillery.The French Lancers are shown to be a bit cloddish in this film, in reality American cavalry in this period was little more than mounted infantry.Dundee and co. hack and shot their way throw a troop of French Lancers at the Rio Grande losing about 3/4 of their men in the process! Its total fiction, but a great finale! This skirmish is well worth the wait, there is some exciting cavalry saber and pistol action here.This is one the few films that deals with the French intervention in Mexico, although Vera Cruz and Juarez also cover this subject.

Overall, Major Dundee is a pretty great film.It was good before, but is now even better.The film does digress sometimes, and wanders astray, but the atmosphere and tension between Heston and Harris always bring it back.Some reviwers have made comparisons to the Viet Nam War, since the film came out during that time.I fail to see any analogy here!Just because the film came out around 1965 does not mean that it is social commentary on Nam! Can we as Americans ever get over this!This film is not about Nam, its about action and adventure on the Mexican border during the American Civil War.Period! The acting and production value are great.Fans of Peckenpah, Heston and Harris should love it.This is also not your typical Western which is what makes it interesting as well.Viva Dundee! ... Read more

Reviews (112)

A very fine war epic
I first saw this movie (albeit in TV-edited version) as a child and knew right away that this was one of the finest war films I had ever seen. As a WWII buff, I had read many books and seen many war films, and Cross of Iron (the movie) was one of the more satisfying (and horrifying!) accounts of the war.

Sam Peckinpah's directing is superb in this film. Coburn's Sergeant Steiner, who is just trying to survive and keep alive the men who follow him, versus the incompetent Captain Stransky (Maximillian Schell) who is on the Eastern Front only because he wants to win the Iron Cross, Germany's military award for valor in combat - makes for a very tense atmosphere throughout the movie. The viewer ultimately sides with Coburn's character, and can't help but feel outrage when Stransky deliberately tries to hang Steiner's men out to dry as the order to retreat is given, and Stransky does not pass along the order to Steiner.

The battle scenes were magnificent, the best I had seen until "Saving Private Ryan" came along. You got a glimpse of the sheer terror the German soldiers must have felt when facing one of the Russians' human wave charges. The T-34 tanks used by the Russians appear authentic, unlike the substitutes used in many war films (see: Battle of the Bulge). This film is a must-see for anyone interested in WW2. It is unfortunate that so few films were made about the Russian Front. The Soviet Union did more to bring down the Nazi regime than the rest of the Allies combined. 90 percent of all battle casualties suffered by the Germans in the war happened on the Russian Front.

The part of the movie that really grabbed me, however, was the beginning. While German children sing a song to the tune of "Lightly Row, Sweetly Row", images are shown of battle, death and the Holocaust - a wrenching juxtaposition of childhood innocence and the horrifying extents of man's inhumanity to man.

Dirty Harry -- in feldgrau.
"Cross of Iron" is a bad movie, made with preconcieved notions that do not fit history or reality. It makes the double mistake of A) cramming an American-style character (the lone wolf anti-hero) into a German uniform and B) tacking the director's well-known appetite for blood and graphic violence to a silly antiwar message.

The movie follows the conflict between an embittered and defiant combat soldier named Stiener (played by James Coburn) and his new CO, a glory-seeking martinet named Stransky (played by Maximillian Schell). From the git-go, the movie follows every stale antiwar convention in the book: the bitter, insubordinate sergeant with an unspoken love for his men vs. the bloodthirsty killer-officer who wants to win a medal and doesn't care how many men die in the process. We've seen this in numerous American war movies, but it never quite works in German unfiorm. This wasn't a democracy; discipline in the Wehrmacht, particularly during the period in questoon, was severe and the slightest defeatism or insubordination were ruthlessly punished. The scene, for example, where Stiener berates and threatens a replacement soldier who is a Party member would probably never have happened. By late 1943 even officers were being degraded and sent off to suicide-squad 'punishment battalions' for minor transgressions or seditious statements. In reality, a soldier like Stiener would have most likely been shot, sent to a military prison or killed off digging up land mines in a penal outfit. The "lone wolf" mentality was simply not tolerated in the German army of 1943 (in Sajer's "Forgotten Soldier" a lieutenant is demoted to corporal and sent to the punishment squad for losing his field telephone when he swam the 900-yard Don River...what would have happened to Stiener for mouthing off to the colonel?).

Additionally, we have more sterotypes: the loveable but doomed men of Stiener's squad, including the "I have dead meat written all over me" teenage boy, the evil Party member, the cowardly lieutenant, the well-meaning but ultimately hapless senior officers (played by James Mason and David Warner) and the obligatory scene where we find out that the Russians are people too. Really, the film is very similar in structure to a Dirty Harry movie: the lone-wolf anti-hero who scorns medals and glory, the pencil-pushing politician/boss, and nice-guy dead-meat partner, the ultimate hollow victory....blah blah blah.

"Cross of Iron" is undermined by the love of cruelty that Sam Peckinpah was rightly infamous for. Graphic violence certainly has its place in a war movie, but as usual, Peckinpah felt the need to cram the viewer nose-first into buckets of human gore. This cheapens the antiwar theme of the movie; viciousness is fine so long as it is committed by the hero, but dastardly if if perpetrated by the villain. Morally, the massage of the movie is unclear: Stiener does not avenge the death of the innocent young soldier by the Russian POW women, but later brutally kills his own lieutenant for shooting others of his squad. Then, when confronting Stransky, who actually gave the order by blackmailing the cowardly lieutenant, he does not kill him but gives him a chance to "show that Prussians can fight." Okay, Stiener is probably insane by the end of the film, but none of this made sense to me. In Peckinpah's mind, the trembling lieutenant deserves to die more than Stransky, because he's afraid and "just wants to go home" wheras Stransky, while evil, deserves to live because he is not a hypocrite: he is willing to kill and allow others to be killed for his Iron Cross, but is also willing to fight himself. Maybe Peckinpah's theme was that war is unfair. So it all balances out, I guess?

I guess not. "Cross of Iron" is a chronically over-rated war movie that bludgeons the viewer with Americanized themes, graphic violence, and a hypocritical antiwar message, brought to you by a director who idolized violent men. As entertainment it is a matter of taste, but as historical fiction, it is nonsense.

Peckinpah's last triumph
Sam Peckinpah, in his 1977 effort "Cross of Iron", darred to look at the war throught German eyes. Thus becoming one of the handful of directors with the audacity to view the German soldiers as a humans, and not as faceless barbarians. Based upon a novel by Willi Heinrich, Cross of Iron is the tale of Steiner, and his troops fight for survival on the Taman peninsula in 1943. Thought it is not near the final stages of the war as many believe, the film depicts the turning of the tables in favor of the Soviets; after the losses at Stalingrad and Kursk. This gritty, unflinching and realistic portrail of combat on the eastern front, seems more stunning if you keep in mind the budget restraints. Authentic in almost every aspect, all the vehicles, weaponry and uniforms all flawless. The Wehrmacht soldiers are dirty and unreasted as they would be during uncessant battle, unlike many a war film which have the soldiers clean and proper. Also during filming, Soviet T-34 tanks acquired from the Czech Republic, were administered during a skirmish. At the time Peckinpah was addicted to coccain and was an alcoholic, yet through all the self-inflicted harm of his reckless life style, his directing capability remained unscathed. The Sam we know from the "Wild Bunch" and "Straw Dogs" is still here, with the slow-motion seens of carnage and his trademark "zooms". But aside from his usual hallmarks, he also give use a personal view of combat. Sam doesn't want to be a spectator, he wants to be a participant, and in doing so he lets us experience the noise, confusion and horror of the Russan front. The film though however great, is not without flaws. First off the casting is questionable, James Mason, David Warner and James Coburn seem somewhat out of place. Being either American of British they could have made a more conscious effort to sustain a fluent german accent. There also is some scenes, a lack of light, which can cause some confusion. Still Sam Peckinpah has left us with an enduring and powerful statement about war, honor, survival and friendship in a world gone mad.

The Idiot: Simon Gurney
I disagree entirely with what that idiot simon gurney said. I read the novel and have seen the film, and not only is it a faithful adaptation, but the few changes which are made only ameliorate the story. I find your comment on the quality of the action scenes offensive. Perhaps you could offer me an example of better ones in a war film. Maybe if you werent so ignorant to history, you could tell just how well done those scenes are, they convey perfecly the madness, and confusion of the desperate days of the Third Reich. I do not think it is proper for you to to critize a film which you yourself have yet to watch in its entirety. I hope others will not be fooled by your groundless comments, thus missing one of the few great war films.

Not exactly a classic, but better than most WW2 films
I would rate it 3.5 stars, because it's better than average as compared to other ww2 films however there are a few small problems I have with this movie. First off, the opening minutes contain scenes of implied homosexulaity between the german soldiers. I'm not sure the accuracy of this, although no doubt it probably did happen, but seems to be a fairly important point thoughout parts of this movie. If this is supposed to further convince the audience of the depraved nature of the soldiers, it works in that regard but it is quite obvious that they are depraved anyway and that added nothing to the storyline nor to the plot.

The other problem I have is, although most of the battle scenes contain close to accurate german and russian weapons, the overhead bombing scenes contain shots of U.S. navy corsairs dropping bombs. These were probably stock footage taken from a navy film and look horribly out-of place here.

But despite those two issues, most of the rest of the movie is good and portrays an accurate, interesting and engaging portrait of battle in the russian theatre during ww2. I especially liked the use of light as most of the battle scenes were shot as daytime attacks and that indeed was the way it happened on the russian front. The sneak attack at the bridge by Steiner's platoon was filmed and sequenced to show all of the moves by the attackers, leaving nothing hidden or off camera. Certainly an interesting way to portray this kind of sequence and it came out quite effectively.

Sam Peckinpah uses the slow motion to good effect and has indeed changed the face of war films circa 1977. Every war movie that was released after this movie tends to show a more grimmer and graphic view of war and that is certainly how it should be done as there is nothing glorious or heroic about war. Those are the words used by the politicians that order people to fight each other to the death.

Great casting, excellent camera work and a good story combined with music that adds a sense of innocence lost and horror to the subject, all ad up to not quite a classic but a very good depiction of ww2 battle action in the Russian theatre. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's better than the 1994 remake starring Kim Basinger and husband Alec Baldwin, but this 1972 thriller relies too heavily on the low-key star power of Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw, and the stylish violence of director Sam Peckinpah, reduced here to a mechanical echo of his former glory.McQueen plays a bank robber whose wife (MacGraw) makes a deal with a Texas politician to have her husband released from prison in return for a percentage from their next big heist. But when the plan goes sour, the couple must flee to Mexico as fast as they can, with a variety of gun-wielding thugs on their trail. MacGraw was duly skewered at the time for her dubious acting ability, but the film still has a raw, unglamorous quality that lends a timeless spin to the familiar crooks-on-the-lam scenario. As always, Peckinpah rises to the occasion with some audacious scenes of action and suspense, including a memorable chase on a train that still grabs the viewer's attention. Not a great film, but a must for McQueen and Peckinpah fans. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (33)

An action flick with a twist
Steve McQueen stars opposite his real-life wife Ali McGraw in this action thriller, directed by Sam Peckinpah. Peckinpah goes a little mild in this film, especially when compared to such other films of his as the Wild Bunch, but this movie is still pretty violent, and has a lot of action. Doc (McQueen) is a newly paroled prisoner who, in exchange for his freedom, agrees to do a job for the man (Ben Johnson) who helped him get parole. What Doc doesn't know is that his wife (McGraw) also had to sleep with this man to gain her husband's freedom. The result, when Doc finds out, is that he and his wife spend most of the movie squabbling about their relationship while they try to get safely to the Mexican border.

Basically, the plot of the movie revolves around the bank robbery gone wrong. There is more here, though, and this is what saves the movie from being just another dull action flick. The relationship between Doc and his wife is very compelling, and developed interestingly as the movie progresses.

The movie is well directed, and Steve McQueen is great as always. Still, this isn't one of the best movies of the era, and cannot even really be considered a classic of the period. Despite this fact, however, The Getaway is a good movie, and worth seeing.

Almost
Knowing that this film was directed by Sam Peckinpah, we expect violence...and plenty of it. It's there to be sure but what is (to me) most intriguing is the relationship between Doc (Steve McQueen) and Carol (Ali MacGraw) McCoy who struggle to extricate themselves from the Mob even as they agree to one last bank robbery. (Off-screen, their love affair ruined her marriage to Robert Evans whose studio was involved with producing this film.) There are numerous nasty moments. Also, remarkably, several humorous and sometimes playful moments as when Doc joyously jumps into a lagoon. Members of the supporting cast are first-rate, notably Ben Johnson (Jack Benyon), Al Lettieri (Rudy), and Sally Struthers (Fran Clinton). Based on Jim Thompson's novel The Getaway, this film really doesn't follow any specific formula. (Peckinpah's films never do.) It evolves logically but casually from one situation to the next. However, there are unexpected developments and complications along the way, notably Rudy's kidnapping of a staid veterinarian and his sexually unfulfilled wife. Credit Walter Hill for an especially literate screenplay as well as Lucien Ballard for his contributions as cinematographer and Quincy Jones as composer of the music score. Director, cast, and crew have created an especially entertaining film, comparable with Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Badlands (1973), and The Gauntlet (1977). Almost (not quite) a great film. One man's opinion.

Peckinpah Under Control
I'd rate this film Peckinpah's second best, next to "Ride the High Country." He places his gifts as a technical master at the service of the plot instead of vice versa and the result is a genuinely intriguing crime drama. Bank-buster McQueen is mortgaged out of prison by his wife's infidelity with a parole board member, who also demands another robbery to clear the debt. The performance that stands out is that of Al Lettieri, McQueen's associate turned enemy. He really shines in a supporting role as a determined sociopath.

"Punch it, baby!"
What makes this movie work is the great chemistry between Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw. Both are solid here, as is the direction from Sam Peckinpah. The best scenes here are the action sequences. The car chases are well-staged and edited sharply to maintain intensity, and the shoot-outs are classic Peckinpah, with slow-motion cuts edited with real-time gun-play and the blood splatters everywhere. Yes! My favorite Peckinpah film is still "The Wild Bunch," where his style of filmmaking affected all action films that followed. In "The Getaway," for the most part, the story and plotting are good, except for a few scenes I just can't get around. One is at the bank robbery when one of the robbers disarms the security guard and leaves the gun a couple of feet away from him laying on the floor. You should be able to guess what happens there. The second is why did Harold exit the movie like he did. I won't give away the scene, but it made no sense other than to rid the plot of a superfluous character. The third and final head-shaker is when the two lead characters are being sought by the police. They stop at a drive-in for burgers and coffee even after they hear on the radio a description of their vehicle, and that the police are on the lookout for it. The last criticism is that this film screams 1970s. From the mutton-chops to the gritty texture of the movie there is little doubt as to what decade this came from. However, the two lead actors carry the movie with excellent performances, and Sam Peckinpah's work here is among his best. His style of filmmaking may have been emulated and improved upon over the course of the ensuing decades, but his original vision started the revolution.

Very good realistic action flik
The Getaway is a good action movie that pairs Steve McQueen and director Sam Peckinpah for the first time. Bank robber Doc McCoy is released from prison with the help of a crooked politician with one catch. He must rob a bank and split what he takes with him. The bank heist goes wrong when one of McCoy's partners shoots a bank guard. Soon after, McCoy learns that his wife slept with the politician to get him out early from prison. From here on in it is a mad dash for Mexico with all the stolen money while the politician's henchmen and the police are in hot pursuit as well as another one of McCoy's partners. This is a very realistic movie that shows it like it is. The short introduction in prison, the bank heist, the chase through Texas, and the final shootout in a seedy hotel all have a very gritty feel to them that adds the sense of realism in the film. Also, the showdown in the hotel is very well put together. What a surprise, Sam Peckinpah doing a good action scene.

Steve McQueen stars as bank robber Doc McCoy and is very good. Like many of his movies, he doesn't have to act much, he just has to be cool, and he doesn't disappoint here. Ali McGraw plays Doc's wife Carol. Many people think she is a bad actress, but I don't think she is that bad in this role. Ben Johnson stars as the crooked politician with alterior motives, and is his usual good self. The Getaway also stars Al Lettieri as McCoy's partner in hot pursuit, Bo Hopkins, Sally Struthers, Peckinpah regular Dub Taylor, and in a small but very good role as a down on his luck cowboy, Slim Pickens. The DVD offers widescreen and fullscreen presentation, a theatrical trailer, behind the scenes info, and Reel Recommendations. The Getaway is a very good movie with an excellent cast and good storyline. It is too bad McQueen and Peckinpah did not work together more often since The Getaway and Junior Bonner were such good films. Fans of McQueen will enjoy this gritty action movie. Go check out The Getaway! ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Modern Day Cowboy Picture
Good show with Steve McQueen as former rodeo champion Junior Bonner who is past his prime and at the crossroads of life on whether he'll retire, or continue chasing the eight-second buzzer in rodeo competition. He returns to his home in Prescott, Arizona, to compete in the oldest rodeo on the circuit and have another shot at a champion bull that defeated him in previous competition. This is also a homecoming for JR and he unfortunately he finds his father, Ace Bonner (portrayed by Robert Preston), penniless and separated from his mother (Ida Lupino). Mixed into this story is his younger brother Curly (Jo Don Baker), working on his first million as a successful real estate developer and who shrewdly bought their father's ranch for a steal and sold it to a gravel company.

It's a bittersweet reunion, with JR unable to help his father and tensions running high between him and Curly. Curly looks down on JR and Ace as washed-up old rodeo stars who failed to move with the times. Ace and JR live for the cowboy experience and money doesn't appear to be an issue as long as there's enough to get by and neither acknowledges Curly's success with any respect. For the moment however, there's a big rodeo to attend and that's all that matters for Ace and JR.

This is a nice movie by director Sam Peckingpah, better known for his violence-packed features, portraying a father and son who were probably better suited for the 1800s, but accept life as it comes in a modern day world. Steve McQueen fits this role nicely as the likeable and noble rodeo star still trying his best. The presence of Robert Preston and Ida Lupino, and Ben Johnson as a cattle stockowner, reinforce a romantic western theme. A good country music soundtrack, excellent rodeo footage, and the location at Prescott, Arizona, round this out to an appealing feature.

DVD imagery is very good and in letterbox format, music and sound are likewise. For those interested, Prescott is a nice place to visit and the local people, to their credit, have preserved the historical downtown area.

Peckinpah in relaxed mode
Can Sam Peckinpah make a film about the human condition that doesn't involve bullets and bloodbaths? JUNIOR BONNER answers that question with an unequivocal "Yes!"

This contemporary western stars Steve McQueen as a once-proud rodeo star who has had more of a habit of losing than of winning the big shows. He comes home to Prescott, Arizona, home of the nation's oldest existing rodeo celebration, intending on breaking his losing streak. But he finds too much has changed: his family's old ranch is being turned by his older brother (Joe Don Baker) into a mobile-home park; his mother (Ida Lupino) and father (Robert Preston) are no longer on speaking terms; and his own values have become painfully antiquated.

Even this film's ending is deceptively ambiguous: McQueen DOES win the big prize at the rodeo by riding the meanest bull around and staying on for the required eight seconds, but this means he won't be able to stay. As Lupino asks, before he parts: "Ya had to win, didn'tcha?"

Except for the rodeo scenes and one amazingly-staged fight in the local bar, Peckinpah eschews his tricks for a story that practically anyone can relate to. Although JUNIOR BONNER wasn't that well recognized in its time (due to poor distribution and Peckinpah's violent reputation), it has excellent performances from McQueen, Preston, and Lupino, as well as Ben Johnson as the stock contractor who oversees McQueen's progress with sympathy.

This is a must-have for anyone interested in westerns, whether authentic or contemporary, and in Peckinpah; it was proof positive that he could do a story that didn't require any squibs.

Another great teaming of McQueen and Peckinpah
Junior Bonner is not your typical Sam Peckinpah movie, but do not let that scare you away from this movie. J.R. Bonner is a well-known rodeo cowboy on the last legs of his rodeo career. Returning to his hometown of Prescott, Arizona for Frontier Days, the annual 4th of July celebration, Bonner finds that everything he knew before has changed. His father refuses to take responsibility for his life, instead always looking for a way to make easy money while alienating his wife. J.R.'s brother has become a real estate afficionado and is only worried about the bottom line. At the same time, JR has a burning desire to finish off strong by riding and conquering the rodeo's meanest bull for the full eight seconds. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this movie. It is a very understated, self-reflexive film, unlike some of Peckinpah's other films. It is an excellent story about changing times and a family's effort to survive those changes. If you like the teaming of star Steve McQueen and director Sam Peckinpah, check out their other collaboration together, The Getaway. I highly recommend both movies.

Steve McQueen is great as the quiet rodeo cowboy, Junior Bonner, who finds everything in his life is changing, and he can do very little about it. During his career, McQueen perfected the quiet, loner type, and this is a perfect example. Robert Preston is also very good as Ace Bonner, JR's father who refuses to let anyone or anything change him. Ida Lupino plays Elvira Bonner, JR's mother who will not forgive Ace for going out on his own and leaving his family. Peckinpah regular Ben Johnson plays Buck Roan, Junior's good friend and owner of the rodeo. Joe Don Baker plays Curly, Junior's real estate brother. The movie also stars Barbara Leigh, Mary Murphy, Bill McKinney, and Dub Taylor. The DVD offers widescreen presentation and commentary from three Sam Peckinpah biographers. For another great pairing of Steve McQueen and Sam Peckinpah, check out Junior Bonner!

Still workin' on 8 seconds......
As a big fan of film director Sam Peckinpah and actor Steve McQueen, I always thought I had seen their most substantial work. Much to my surprise, I viewed the 1972 film "Junior Bonner" for the first time recently and was stunned by its quality and depth. "Junior Bonner" is a terrific film, complete with Peckinpah's individualistic themes, McQueen's understated though electric presence, magnificient location detail, boozy saloons and elder statesmen (and women) coming to terms with a rapidly receding past.

A genre unto itself, the rodeo lifestyle was documented with surprising fervor in the early 1970s by a handful of interesting films including "Honkers," "J.W. Coop," and "When the Legends Die." Each film explored the themes of a changing civilization which embraced convention while muting individualism and personal freedom. Thus, Peckinpah and McQueen were truly in their element with "Junior Bonner."

The film covers a day in the life of Junior Bonner (McQueen), an aging rodeo star who returns to his Arizona hometown to participate in an annual rodeo competition. We are soon introduced to his family, including his estranged parents (Robert Preston and Ida Lupino) and his budding businessman brother (Joe Don Baker) looking to profit from the sale of his father's land while exploiting the frontier/cowboy persona.

"Junior Bonner" is so understated, that the viewer must read between the lines throughout its brief running time, including a fascinating dinner scene with McQueen, Lupino and Baker when they discuss the family's future. It is a moment of brilliant directing and acting.

Ironically, what is probably the least seen film of Peckinpah and McQueen's careers is also one of their best. Peckinpah has never before been so restrained, if not gentle. Known for his fierce action sequences in such films as "The Wild Bunch" and "The Getaway," Peckinpah utilizes his detailed, frenzied style during the exciting rodeo sequences. But his handling of the more intimate moments, especially those between Preston and Lupino, are some of his most gentle scenes he ever put on film. In many ways, Preston's character is just a scruffy version of Peckinpah himself - a deeply flawed but eventually loveable dreamer. It is Peckinpah opening up to the viewer for one of the few times in his career.

McQueen, likewise, plays a character very close to him as a man. The role of Junior Bonner is that of a gregarious loner, limping from the hard knocks of life, trying to quietly go about his business but discovering he can do anything but. His accent, his mannerisms and his reactions to everyday life always ring with a note of truth. It's absolutely one of his finest performances.

Perhaps the film's only fault is the rather abrupt ending which seems to come out of nowhere. It's unconventional, but then again, so were Peckinpah and McQueen. Unheralded, and relatively unknown, "Junior Bonner" is a great film ripe for discovery. Quiet, unassuming and good natured, "Junior Bonner" is a perfect display of two legendary motion picture talents (Peckinpah, McQueen) exploring themes perhaps closer to their hearts than any film they ever made.

Peckingpah¿s unassuming contemporary western
Junior Bonner is one of Peckingpah's more personal films. Here, as in The Wild Bunch and Ride the High Country, he continues his exploration of men living in eras where their success is in the past. This isn't the typically violent fare of most Pechingpah films, instead he brings a gentleness (for him) to the story.

Steve McQueen is excellent as JR Bonner, an aging rodeo rider and semi-drifter. The rest of the cast include Robert Preston doing a dynamic job as his father Ace, Ida Lupino as his mother Elvira and Joe Don Baker as his brother, Curly.

We slowly become familiar with the family and their divided past. Ace is getting on in years and wants one last chance at adventure in Australia. Elvira, his long suffering wife, just seems to be riding it out while Curly is "on his way to his first million..." There's tension between them but there is also affection, especially between JR and his father.

Junior Bonner is a wonderfully understated western, well recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sam Peckinpah knew he couldn't call a movie Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and get away with it. That's why he did it. When he undertook this nakedly personal project, in self-exile in Mexico, the director was a deeply bitter man out of favor with critics, the media, and the Hollywood establishment, which had just released his Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid in a mutilated version. "Bring Me the Head..." sounded like the parody title of an ultraviolent Sam Peckinpah movie, and he flung it in our faces just as his onscreen surrogate tosses the titular object at the camera.

Thing is, the movie is a masterpiece--raw, shocking, beautiful, and brave--in which Peckinpah confronts his enemies and his own demons. Warren Oates plays a gringo piano-player stuck in Mexico who hears that some powerful men are willing to pay a bounty on a guy he knows. They don't know the guy is already dead, killed in a car accident. It'll be easy to exhume the trophy and collect the money--except that it will cost our seedy hero everything he has and ever wanted.

John Huston's Treasure of the Sierra Madre had always been a key legend for Peckinpah; this film is a subterranean re-imagining of it, with Oates as both the son of Fred C. Dobbs and the carnival-mirror reflection of Peckinpah himself. And Isela Vega's performance as the sainted whore Elita--bruised and worldly one minute, radiant and clear-skinned as a child the next--is an act of grace. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (31)

Lesser-known Peckinpah classic
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is a dark, raw Sam Peckinpah modernized western that has finally been released on DVD.When a rich Mexican rancher's daughter gets pregnant out of wedlock, the rancher offers a bounty of $1 million for the head of Alfredo Garcia, the man who impregnated his daughter.Two of El Jefe's, the rancher, lieutenants enlist the help of Bennie, a down on his luck piano player, to help them find Garcia.Along with his girlfriend, Elita, Bennie embarks on a journey through Mexico to find Garcia and take his head.However, what Bennie sees as an opportunity for a new life, Elita sees as something completely morally wrong.This is an incredible movie to watch as you follow Bennie's journey.It is raw, basic, and violent.I've read that the Bennie character is basically Sam Peckinpah's real life persona, and you can see this easily. This movie isn't as well known as some other Peckinpah movies like the Wild Bunch or The Getaway, but don't let that stop you from seeing this movie.A must have for Peckinpah fans!

Warren Oates is excellent as Bennie, the down-and-out piano player who becomes obsessed with bringing in Alfredo Garcia's head for a reward.It is a shame Oates did not get more starring roles in his career because characters like this allowed him to show off his acting ability.Isela Vega plays Elita, Bennie's girlfriend who isn't sure if they should go through with the mission.Vega is very good, but her part is distracting as she is topless for much of the first hour.The cast also includes Robert Webber and Gig Young as Sappensly and Quill, the rancher's lieutenants, Helmut Dantine as Max, Emilio Fernandez as El Jefe, and Kris Kristofferson in a small part as Paco, a wayward motorcyclist.The DVD offers widescreen presentation, a good commentary track with Peckinpah scholars/biographers, and a theatrical trailer.For an excellent Peckinpah movie at its most basic, check out Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia!

This movie is a hoot!The ultimate road trip movie!
Alfredo Garcia is a Mexican Don Juan who gets the wrong girl in trouble and her father, the patron of a great Mexican estate, puts a big bounty on his head.Pekinpah regular Warren Oates is a loser expatriate American making his living as a piano player in a lowlife Mexican bar.(You'll recognize him as the deserter who got shot in Major Dundee, and one of the two brothers in the Wild Bunch, the guy who when drunk got engaged to a Mexican prostitute, "Boys, I'd like you to meet my fiancé.")Since he knows Alfredo he is offered $10k (which was worth a lot more then than it is today) to murder Alfredo and bring back his head as proof.Oates quickly discovers that Alfredo has already died.He therefore departs on a road trip to a remote Mexican graveyard to get the head and claim his reward, taking along his mistress a gorgeous but aging Mexican prostitute who obviously is of mostly European descent.Along the way they encounter various lowlifes and other bounty hunters.Robert Webber and Gig Young, two well known middle-aged actors of the 1960s, are American goons who are hired by the same employers to make sure that the job gets done right.It turns out that Alfredo has a large family and his relatives, for some strange reason, object to the removal of his head from the grave.Then Oates has to collect his money from his employers who are not exactly sterling characters either.This movie is a hoot!Oates has some really great lines that you have to see to believe.Kris Kristoferson appears briefly as a lowlife biker.The violence is pure Pekinpah.If Mexico didn't exist I think that Pekinpah would have had to invent it.Besides this movie, they go down to Mexico in the Wild Bunch, Major Dundee, and even at the very end of the Getaway.If you like those other movies you'll probably like this one too, although it has a darker mood to it.Also, Warren Oates has to carry this movie by himself, he doesn't have the big stars with him like in those other movies.

No One Loses All The Time...
I loved this film! The late great Warren Oates stars as a woeful anti-hero out on a quest for the head of Alfredo Garcia. He's being paid by a wealthy rancher's lieutenants to bring back proof of Garcia's death, his head. Only Garcia died in a car accident and has already been buried. I don't want to give away the entire plot. One of the criticisms of this film was that it was too violent which I found surprising considering that the violence was pretty mellow by today's standards. Most of the film consists of drama dialog between the anti-hero and his woman. The dialog between characters makes this film the masterpiece what it is. I highly recommend it.

Road Trip From Hell
Possibly the most difficult Peckinpah film to watch, this nasty 70's gem is interminable in its first 45 minutes, then the remainder of the movie reaches a near frenzy of suspense, murder, and the usual ambiguousness Peckinpah was known for.

The viewer can count on the usual Peckinpah trademarks:
-Gratuitous violence towards women;
-Balletic, slow-motion graphic violence;
-an unlikeable anti-hero;
-consumption of mass quantities of hard alcohol;
-a sometimes rambling narrative;
-a nihilistic ending.


This is not to say this movie is bad; far from it. At times it approaches the level of self-parody, but Peckinpah had a story in his mind he wanted to capture, and he does so in his inimitable fashion.


The road trip consists first of Warren Oates and his girlfriend seeking the head of the titular character, then the road trip evolves into Oates transporting the head, sans girlfriend, to the Mexican land baron who put the price on the head. Along the way, many people die in beautifully edited slow-motion as only Peckinpah can do.


Plot holes aside, it is a very gripping movie once it kicks in at about the 45 minute mark. Look for Kris Kristoferson in a cameo as a filthy biker/rapist, as well as Robert Webber and Gig Young as stone cold killers/businessmen.

This movie, along with Straw Dogs, cemented Peckinpah's reputation as a misogynist. As mentioned above, there are plenty of scenes of women being physically abused for no apparent reason, so those of you with feminist girlfriend's/wives may want to watch this after they've gone to bed.


I'm still trying to figure out how Warren Oates transported the head aboard AeroMexico!

Head Cheese
"Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" plays like a parody of Sam Peckinpah films with one distinction:Peckinpah directed it.This may be purely intentional on the part of Peckinpah in response to his critics for the excesses in his films.I think.The first hour or so kind of meanders redeemed by the tender exchanges between star Warren Oates and Isela Vega.Every now and then Peckinpah interrupts these moments to exploit the obvious charms of Vega in the buff.There's even a bizarre quasi-rape scene with Kris Kristofferson playing a biker.It's not until the film's second half that it kick's into second gear as Oates retrieves the aforementioned title head.Oates' conversations with the head and his efforts to preserve it so he can collect the bounty on it can only be described as the darkest of dark comedy.Of course there are other interested parties who would love to relieve Oates of his booty so naturally it would not be a Peckinpah film without gunplay and gratuitous bloodshed done in glorious slo-mo.An interesting entry in the Peckinpah canon but not on the level of "The Wild Bunch" or "Straw Dogs". ... Read more

Reviews (79)

Definitely worth seeing. Worth owning? Questionable.
Dustin Hoffman is a living legend. You can read any of the other excellent reviews here to get a good idea of what the movie is about, so instead I'm going to give you 'the truth as I see it' about why you should see this movie.
Obviously, Dustin Hoffman plays the role of David wonderfully. Susan George does a good job, although it would have been nice for this intended town hottie to have a pretty smile along with her pretty physique. But I guess that's the catch 22 in selecting a British cast, especially from that day and age.
The controversial rape scene in this movie, is almost paralyzingly disturbing. (Yes, paralyzingly...I don't care if it's not a word.) It's disgusting really. It was also very confusing for me, because of the fact that she was saying no, but the viewer actually does get the impression that she doesn't mean no. She kisses her 'rapist' and pulls him closer, and she invites him in in the first place, and then tells him not to leave. A very awkward occurrence. When the second guy rapes her, we understand clearly that she does not want him, but still she seems to have some strange bond with the first guy (apparently and ex-boyfriend or something) as they have a sort of strangely mutually understanding chemistry throughout the movie. This was one of the most disturbing scenes in any movie I've seen recently. It doesn't help that all the while we get up close facial expressions from her, showing a sense of horror and disgust, but at the same time thrilling satisfaction.
Basically, she gives in very easily when there is any sense of punishment as a consequence of resistance. She is trapped in a kind of school-girl mentality, playing childish pranks and teasing the men by showing her breasts and underwear to them. I'm guessing this is related to the way she was treated when she was that age. David, on the other hand, is a controlled, maturing man, trying to focus on his work. He doesn't give in so easily, and although some have said that he plays the role of mouse time and time again until he finally emerges as a 'real man' in the end of the movie, I personally feel that he is not the timid guy everyone thinks him to be, but rather that circumstance does not allow him to show his manliness (for example, when his wife brings in the bowl of milk with the beers). He is more confused than anything because he doesn't believe there is any real reason to confront the hooligans, until the execution of Kitty.
Anyway, like a lot of other people I was very confused by the ending. The implications of David defending his house, his wife, his honor, and his sense of manhood by protecting a man that actually was guilty of murder (albeit accidental), raise a whole other topic of discussion.
The violence, with the exception of the rape scene, is pretty tame according to today's standards, but the psychological horror is in full throttle here. This is a thinker's horror/suspense (not horror in the conventional sense of the word) movie.
The laughter of the crazy hooligan was really annoying to me. I'm sure many people will disagree with my views on the movie, but I think it's important to look at the movie for what it IS, as well as what it means.
I'm definitely glad to have seen this movie, and would highly recommend it, but I don't believe I'll be adding it to my collection. I might see it again one day, but movies this disturbing and confusing aren't usually on my list of favorite flicks to cuddle up to late at night.

PEACENIK HOFFMAN GOES BONKERS
In 1971 Sam Peckinpah's controversial STRAW DOGS was censored by the British Board of Film Classification. The cuts made it even more provocative than Peckinpah intended. Consequently, Straw Dogs was labeled by the media as an obscene, misogynistic piece of filmmaking. Regarding the uncut American version, even the esteemed Pauline Kael said it's "the first American film that is a fascist work of art."

"Straw Dogs" stands as one of Peckinpah's best, and a reminder of the ongoing struggle between an artist's freedom and suppression by the powers that be. But more than that, it's a brilliant and harrowing exploration of man's primitive animal nature and its implied, inherent violence.

The transfer's clean and sharp. Extras include an 80 minute look at Peckinpah's films and a new interview with Susan George, who talks about her daring, controversial performance of a woman who for a few brief moments seemed to enjoy being raped.

What does "Straw Dogs" mean? Is it from the saying: Behind every coward's eyes burn straw dogs? If so, what does that mean? What are "straw dogs"?

Another thing. Recently (of this writingt) Dustin Hoffman has made a point of speaking out about certain military operations to free brutalized, oppressed people. Personally, I'd rather not know what an actor thinks and feels about politics. However, in "Straw Dogs" Hoffman shows what it takes to fight evil aggression. His screen performance will outlive his words.

Recommended.

HORRIBLE!!!
I agree with another reviewer in that you'll either love this or hate it. But I think most people will hate it. (Note: I have nothing against violence in films, and I liked the Kill Bill movies.) The main problem here is that almost every character in this film is utterly unlikable, and terrible things happen to the two characters who are likeable. But even that wouldn't be so bad, if the film had a message.

Dustin Hoffman's character is a whiney, wimpy, and mean spirited person who, when he finally decides to act, he does so for all of the wrong reasons & defends the wrong person. I end up hating him MORE than the bad guys.
I rank this as the most unwatchable movie I have ever seen, even below "Short Cuts".
However, if you liked "Short Cuts", you'd probably like this, and vice versa.

A Remarkable Film Which Stands the Test of Time.
This is a really interesting film on many levels. It's not perfect; but, few works of modern art are. Nevertheless, this work stands the test of time. Firstly, one of the most remarkable things about this film is the absolutely Hitchcockian editing, which is remotely primitivistic, but strangely compelling: the editing engenders a peculiar ambience to the film right from the beginning brawl scene in the pub. Then, from the denoument sequence--which begins with the equally primitive church function and runs through to the climax and epilogue--the editing is nothing less than fine art. Secondly, the sets of the pub and the farm house are very convincing and interesting in their own right: there's plenty to look at. Also, the outdoor scenes with the ocean in background and the Cornish village all have the verisimilitude of realism. Thirdly, the soundtrack is not at all bad. Fourthly, the acting is good: of course, Hoffman is nothing less than brilliant; Peter Vaughn is excellent as the burly boorish Englishman; and Susan George isn't bad: she begins weak, but by the middle of the film she's quite okay, and from the denoument mentioned above, she's fine. Also, David Warner as the half-witted cripple is excellent--though not given notice in the credits. Lastly, the story is fairly well formed and possibly plausible--though that's no recommendation for fiction! It is possible in realistic or naturalistic fiction that a university professor might get a grant and take a semester or even a year off to do research; and this professor might want to go to some remote European destination where his wife has ancestral property by the sea, to get away from it all to do his thought-work; and it is possible that this professor might have married the woman out of sexual attraction, fully knowing that she had much less education than himself and was his intellectual inferior. But the plot has a quasi-classical form of characters with flawed personality traits; tension and contentious issues; incident follows upon incident resulting in a shattering climax, followed by an ambivalent coda. What more can one say?

Another amazing masculine character study by Peckinpah.
It's not at all hard to see the connection between Peckinpah's two greatest movies: Straw Dogs and The Wild Bunch. Both are studies of what it means to be a man, a look at the masculine and sometimes violent male nature. Basically, Straw Dogs is about an extremely timid American intellectual who decides to escape the Vietnam-fueled violence of the USA by moving into the small English town where his wife was raised. However, the man soon realizes that violence is pretty much omnipresent, when the men he hires to fix up his new home begin pushing him and his wife around. I won't give away the ending, but if you know Peckinpah you can probably guess.

of course, most people will probably want to see the movie for its infamous rape scene (which got the film banned in the UK, where it was filmed). Not only is the rape graphic, but the victim actually appears to enjoy it; at least at first. Here I must disagree with the lengthy rant of a prior reviewer when I say that the rape scene is not simply an exercise in mysoginy, but rather helps to show just how immasculinated the main character has become. Throughout the first half of the movie we see his wife slowly flirting with the contractors (at one point even letting them see her topless). This suggests quite obviously that she has become so disgruntled with her husbands lack of backbone that she is actively seducing the very masculine contractors, and the fact that she enjoys the rape is simply the logical extreme of her desire to have a truly "manly" partner. Of course, those who've seen the movie know that eventually she's punished for her covetry of man's aggressive nature.

Overall, I highly recommend this movie. In fact, I'd suggest you get it ASAP, since the Criterion version has been out of print for months now and won't likely be available for much longer. You need a strong stomach to watch it, certainly, and the pace is very deliberate, but those who have patience and put effort into understanding the meaning of the film will be very well rewarded. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's better than the 1994 remake starring Kim Basinger and husband Alec Baldwin, but this 1972 thriller relies too heavily on the low-key star power of Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw, and the stylish violence of director Sam Peckinpah, reduced here to a mechanical echo of his former glory.McQueen plays a bank robber whose wife (MacGraw) makes a deal with a Texas politician to have her husband released from prison in return for a percentage from their next big heist. But when the plan goes sour, the couple must flee to Mexico as fast as they can, with a variety of gun-wielding thugs on their trail. MacGraw was duly skewered at the time for her dubious acting ability, but the film still has a raw, unglamorous quality that lends a timeless spin to the familiar crooks-on-the-lam scenario. As always, Peckinpah rises to the occasion with some audacious scenes of action and suspense, including a memorable chase on a train that still grabs the viewer's attention. Not a great film, but a must for McQueen and Peckinpah fans. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (38)

STEVE McQUEEN ALL THE WAY, BABY!!!
This would be a 5 star movie, but Ali MacGraw, despite being gorgeous, CANNOT ACT!I liked her in LOVE STORY, where her acting was almost decent, but she sucked in THE GETAWAY.After watching this movie several dozen times, her performance always sours it for me.The rest of the movie is great though.MacGraw just looks lost, even intimidated by McQueen.He carries this movie, helped by great performances by Al Lettieri, Sally Struthers (she was thin once!!!), and the one of kind Slim Pickens.This isn't a masterpiece, but it's heavy on vibe and the screen presence of McQueen.He really was a better actor than Eastwood and Bronson.I recently saw PAPILLON, and was blown away by McQueen's performance.Dam, he was even better than I thought, not to mention underrated.The movie was so-so, but his, along with Dustin Hoffman's, performance was Oscar-worthy.Anyway, THE GETAWAY is worth owning, even if you only watch once a year.

A personal favorite cult movie!
In this special genre - the thriller - there are so many films you forget in two or three months . But there are such unforgettable works that literally become part of your memories. This powerful and kinetic movie will invlove you from the first images.

This particular phenomena can be explained thanks to the fortun