201. The Wild Bunch (1969)

In 1969 this audacious western drove a nail into the coffin of the old studio system, recasting the West along with classic Hollywood stars including William Holden and Robert Ryan into a newly violent, gritty and cynical image reflective of the Vietnam War era. The movie was a huge success and had a major impact on the Baby Boomer generation. But 54 years later, after numerous filmmakers have built on the graphic elements of the film, what does it still have to say, if anything, to today’s generation?
Our panel of young film-lovers discusses the film’s violence, its male-centered world, its depiction of 1913 Mexico, the revolutionary spirit that sets this action film so far from movies made even just a few years earlier, and what to make of the hard-drinking director, often accused of misogyny and cruelty, the legendary Sam Peckinpah?
Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik 
Panelists: Grace Chapman, Kylee LaRue & Guy Lewis
An ElectraCast Production.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_Bunch
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1059489-wild_bunch
52nd on The 100 greatest American films by BBC
63rd on The 80 Best-Directed Films by Directors Guild of America (DGA)
80th on AFI's 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time by American Film Institute
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