--- title: "The Wild Bunch: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-wild-bunch/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-wild-bunch" critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Wild Bunch (1969): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 11 reviews: 6 positive, 5 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to The Wild Bunch, with praise clustering around Peckinpah’s forceful direction, the action sequences and the performances. Holden draws particular appreciation for bringing humanity, restraint and sadness to Pike Bishop. The favourable reviews find more than technical skill in the violence: they describe a film concerned with loyalty, ageing friendships and a changing world, whose humour and tenderness complicate its brutality. The reservations concern its treatment of women, its apparent celebration of violence and moments when its energy threatens coherence. Variety offers the clearest mixed assessment, finding the film overlong and its first half digressive, while still admiring the direction and later action. The supplied scores range from mixed to enthusiastic, with none negative, but four entries lack enough accessible review text to establish their reasoning. The documented disagreement centres on how far the craft and emotional weight answer those objections. ## Radio Times — Tom Hutchinson Rating ★★★★★. Hutchinson calls it one of the greatest westerns ever made, while acknowledging the controversy around its violence and portrayal of outlaws. He praises William Holden’s laconic, romantic performance as Pike Bishop. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-yiqwyo/the-wild-bunch/) ## Empire — John Naughton Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic praises the film as a beautiful, poignant epic. They single out the superb performances and Peckinpah’s technical command of the set-pieces. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/wild-bunch-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 26 February 1995. Turan argues that the film’s greatness extends well beyond its once-controversial violence. He singles out Peckinpah’s filmmaking craft, the performances, and the restored scenes’ emotional impact. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-26-ca-36196-story.html) ## The Independent — David Thomson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2005. Thomson finds the film irresistible: a beautiful, sad, and funny meditation on fatalism and a changing world. He especially praises its nuanced portrayal of loyalty and old friendships, while noting its troubling depiction of women and its celebration of violence. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/film-studies-the-wild-bunch-is-back-and-this-time-it-s-art-8696625.html) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film a powerful, ambivalent poem of violence, though it teeters on the edge of incoherence. They praise Peckinpah’s filmmaking energy and the mythic life he gives the gang. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/the-wild-bunch) ## Film Comment — William Pechter Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The issue listing identifies William Pechter's piece as a review of The Wild Bunch. The review text is unavailable here, so its verdict and specific praise or criticism cannot be determined. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/issues/fall-1970/?pdfviewer=issue&pdf-page=76) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint can be verified from the supplied text. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-wild-bunch-the-directors-cut-1995) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 1969. The page is inaccessible, so its verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint is available from the supplied text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1969/06/26/archives/violence-and-beauty-mesh-in-wild-bunch.html) ## Time Out — NF Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page identifies this as a review, but the critic’s verdict is unavailable. The description highlights the film’s opening image of children tormenting a scorpion and its bloody finale. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-wild-bunch-1) ## Variety — Whitney Williams Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 1969. The review is mixed, criticizing the film’s excessive length and digressive first half while finding its later action compelling. It singles out Peckinpah’s forceful direction and the realism of the action sequences for praise. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1969/film/reviews/the-wild-bunch-1200421999/) ## Eye for Film — Jeff Robson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 March 2009. Robson calls it a revolutionary, outstanding Western, while noting its treatment of women as the film’s one serious flaw. He praises the memorable action and Holden’s humane, pathos-rich performance. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-wild-bunch-film-review-by-jeff-robson) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-wild-bunch.md