The Wild Bunch - Peckinpah's Tet Offensive
Why This 1969 Western Reflected American Perceptions the War
Oct 19, 2009
In the summer of 1969 the United States was in a tumultuous period in its history. In the previous year Americans had witnessed the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, the Democratic National Convention protest/riot in Chicago, and the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy. Woodstock and Neil Armstrong's moon-walk were only weeks away. It was in this context that The Wild Bunch was released. It is a story about "old west" outlaws and their battle against the capitalist power structure and military dictatorship. Directed by Sam Peckinpah (Straw Dogs, The Getaway), The Wild Bunch encapsulates many themes ingrained in the 1960s, including the new left's sentiments in regards to imperialism as well as the divisive issue of race.
The film opens in southern Texas in 1913. The viewer is introduced to the "Bunch" as they prepare to rob a railroad bank. The gang's leader is Pike, played by William Holden (Sunset Boulevard, Network). Expecting an easy robbery, the "Bunch" soon realizes that a group of bounty hunters, hired by the banks owner, are waiting for them. The bounty hunters are led by a man named Thornton, played by Robert Ryan (The Longest Day, The Dirty Dozen). Pike and Thornton, once partners, now find themselves enemies. The melee that ensues ravages the town.
The "Bunch" cross the border into Mexico in the hopes of finding some way to make a big score. It is in northern Mexico that they encounter Mapache (Emilio Fernández), a self-proclaimed general with a strong presence in the region. In reality a warlord responsible for the suffering of local peasants, including those in Angel's home village, Mapache is currently embroiled in a struggle with revolutionary leader Pancho Villa. In order to defeat Villa, Mapache hires the "Bunch" to cross the border back into the United States and hijack a train carrying weapons. After the gang successfully steals the weapons, Angel forfeits his share of money from Mapache in order to provide one case of the stolen arms for his village. Mapache learns of this betrayal and holds Angel prisoner, his men savagely beating the member of the "Bunch."
Parallels to US Foreign Policy in The Wild Bunch
In the end the gang confronts Mapache and his army at their headquarters in Agua Verde. There they demand the release of their compatriot, Angel. Mapache responds by slitting Angel's throat. The final battle ensues in which the "Bunch" commandeers a machine gun they stole for Mapache and mow down hundreds of Mexican soldiers. They also destroy all of the weapons they stole in the process of the battle. In the end, however, they are all killed. When Thorton finally catches up with Pike, he is too late. The film ends with Thorton's decision to join Sykes (Edmond O'Brien)- an old friend of his and Pike's- in Pancho Villa's guerilla army.
The Wild Bunch is a film with many dimensions. The film is a blatant criticism of the American way of life. In many ways the "Bunch" represent society's outcasts, or counter culture. The film "undercuts 'establishment' violence" as the gang fights against the status quo of militarism, capitalism, and racism.
Imperialism is a major theme throughout the film. Considering the policies of the United States in Southeast Asia at the time, it is easy to see how this subject would resonate with many viewers. What is important about this theme is not whether the violent acts in the film are morally right or not. What matters is the people those actions affect. As the gang retreats from Thornton after their failed robbery they have a brief respite in Angels village in Mexico. Upon their arrival Angel soon learns that his father was murdered- by Mapache- as the warlord ravaged his village and stole livestock and food. In the world of Mapache, the villagers were simply collateral damage; objects standing in his way. The politically astute viewers of the 1960s could easily make the correlation between Mapache and U.S. intervention in Guatemala, Cuba, Vietnam, etc. The use of young people throughout the film as "cannon fodder" also underscores this point.
Militarism and capitalism work into the theme of imperialism. It is not a coincidence that The Wild Bunch is set on the eve of World War I and the Mexican Revolution. Mapache is a clear representation of a military dictator. The presence of German officer can be seen as a representation of facism. The "Bunch," loyal to Angel and his indigenous people, take a last stand at Agua Verde against militarism and facism.
The Bunch as Rebels Against the Corporate Order
Corporate capitalism is also a victim of Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch. Thorton, and the bounty hunters tracking Pike, are all hired by a railroad tycoon named Harrigan (Albert Dekker). The opening shootout is revealing; like the foreign policy of the United States at the time, Harrigan is willing to destroy the lives of the innocent and the poor in order to maintain his rule of law.
In the end, The Wild Bunch is about people coming to terms with the fact that "their... place is with the revolution." It is the story of a gang of men loyal to each other, regardless of ethnicity or politics. The "Bunch" is not focused on endless greed or territorial domination, but rather the bond between men beyond the reach of modern society. In a condemnation of militarism and corporate capitalism, Peckinpah shows the viewer the inevitable demise of such values as loyalty and family in the wake of technology and military supremacy.
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