10. Junior Bonner (1972)
Steve McQueen stars as a rodeo cowboy
who goes to his hometown when the rodeo passes by. J.R., as he is called, is a
man who lives his way f life and does not seem to want to change. His brother
on the other hand is in real estate and goes as far as to tear up the family home
to make way for his property. His mother and father are separated but are on
friendly terms. His father was also a big rodeo star and seems to have found
potential work in Australia. The focus of the film is a big contest where the
top prize is cash and J.R. is determined to win it.
In his first collaboration with Sam
Peckinpah, McQueen shines as a man who refuses to go with the flow. (A theme
that recurs in his work.) Much of the film’s humor stems from J.R.’s
relationship with his hard drinking, womanizing father played wonderfully by
Robert Preston. When the film was first released, it was received well
critically but audiences did not show up to the film. I think what appealed to
Peckinpah were the themes of change and family. If you enjoy Steve McQueen,
rodeos, humor and family drama, this is a film you might enjoy.
9.
Major Dundee (1965)
In his third film, Peckinpah attempts to
make an epic American civil war picture. Charlton Heston plays the titular
union officer in charge of locating children taken by the Apache. He enlists
the help of his soldiers, Confederate prisoners and other drifters. Richard
Harris plays the Confederate Captain Tyreen in charge of his men obeying to Dundee.
The film’s troubled production included
studio interference, a feud between Heston and Harris and a drunken Peckinpah verbally
abusing his crew. It got so bad that Heston reportedly threatened Sam with his
character’s sword if he did not show any respect. With the film going over
budget and a troubled director, Columbia took the film out of his hands and
released their version to negative reviews and low box office numbers, In 2005,
the director’s cut was released based on his notes and the film is an
improvement over the theatrical release and worth checking out.
8.
Cross of Iron (1977)
In his only war film, Peckinpah depicts
the battle between the German and Russian forces on the Eastern front. James
Coburn portrays Sgt. Steiner, a war weary man who wants to the war to be done.
He has earned honor among his platoon and other German officers. Maximilian
Schell plays an aristocratic Prussian officer who joins Steiner’s platoon to
earn the iron cross. James Mason, Seneta Berger and the great David Warner
round up the cast.
Peckinpah’s film makes it clear that war
is hell and not glamorous. Coburn and Schell excel in their performances as two
men who have different ideologies of war. The battle sequences still contain
his trademark slow motion. The film did poorly at the box office and with “Star
Wars” coming out two weeks later, the film was forgotten. Regardless of
success, the film is really well made and here is hoping they will make a
better DVD release.
7. The Getaway (1972)
Steve McQueen plays Doc McCoy, a
recently paroled thief tasked with a robbery by a corrupt businessman. Ali
McGraw plays his wife and accomplice along with two other men. After the
robbery, a double cross occurs that leaves the couple running away from both
the law and criminals.
McQueen once again teams up with
Peckinpah to create a well crafted action film. The chemistry between McGraw
and McQueen made it clear that sparks were flying both on and off the screen.
Many Peckinpah aficionados will claim this film is really not his but I beg to
differ. This film contains many of the director’s trademarks such as going to
Mexico, slow motion action sequences, and the times changing.
6.
Ride The High Country (1962)
Classical Hollywood stars Joel McCrea
and Randolph Scott star in what many will consider to be Peckinpah’s breakout.
McCrea stars as a former law man, Judd, tasked with guarding a shipment of gold.
He asks his friend Gil (Scott) to accompany along with Gil’s sidekick. Unknown to
Judd, the two plan to take the gold for themselves. Along the way, they meet a
young woman whose future marriage to a drunkard adds another conflict.
This is an important film for Peckinpah
as he plays his themes and foreshadows his later work for the western genre.
Both McCrea and Scott were staples of the genre and also their first and final
time working together on screen.
5.
Straw Dogs (1971)
Dustin Hoffman stars as David, a timid
math professor who moves to England with his young wife in her hometown. Soon,
they are terrorized by the locals as their antics turn from horsing around to
pretty dark stuff.
This may well be Peckinpah’s most
controversial film due to not only the depiction of violence but also rape.
Hoffman brilliantly plays David as a man who slowly descends into his violent
nature despite his hatred of it. The director also has displeasure for violence
but shows it to remind people that it is an ugly scene.
4.
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)
James Coburn stars as outlaw turned law
man Pat Garret tasked to capture Kris Kristofferson’s Billy the Kid to justice,
either alive or dead. The film explores the relationship between these
characters and the journey they go through. All set to the music of Bob Dylan
who plays a supporting role.
Peckinpah could have made an old
fashioned shoot’em up western but instead, we are given a tragedy and a
character study of the two characters. Pat Garrett did not enjoy having to hunt
down his former friend but he had a job to do while Billy tries to evade
capture. Like “Dundee”, this film was taken away by the director post-production
and their version was harshly criticsized upon release. Fifteen years after the
film was released, a director’s cut was released posthumously based on his
notes and it is the version that is available on DVD.
3. The Ballad of Cable Houge (1970)
Peckinpah's
follow up to "The Wild Bunch" retains that film's themes but with a
different, light-hearted tone this time. Jason Robards stars as Cable Houge,
who is left behind to die in the desert and finds fortune when he finds water,
quickly building a rest stop for stagecoach passengers. The film's comedic tone
stems from Cable Houge being a relic of the past as the people he encounters
are with the current time.
Estella Warren stars as the
prostitute with the heart of gold and a young David Warner as a womanizing
preacher who befriends Houge. Peckinpah would later go on to name this film as
his favorite out of all the films he has made.
2. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo
Garcia (1974)
The
underrated Warren Oates plays Benny, an American piano player living in Mexico.
He gets tasked with bringing the head of a dead gigolo to a Mexican rancher in
exchange for money. Benny hits the road with his girlfriend and chaos ensues as
usual in a Peckinpah film.
The film’s
genre is a mixture of crime, action, neo-western and black comedy. It is a film
that can only be seen as a plot summary does not do justice to the story. In a
way, the film was a personal one for Peckinpah. This can be evidenced in the
character of Benny and Warren Oates even borrowed Sam’s sunglasses for the
film. It also explores the evils of men and the process they pay in achieving a
goal.
1.
The Wild Bunch (1969)
A group
of aging outlaws go for one last score in Mexico during the revolution. In
pursuit of them is a former member of the gang tasked by the government to
capture them or go back to prison. The outlaws also have to come to terms with
the end of their era. While my summary of the film is short, it is a grand
treat.
This was
the film that got the attention of both critics and audiences of Peckinpah’s
visceral style to violence. It is also a personal favorite film of mine and I
can put it in my top five. I love the story of the outlaws who are facing the
end of their prime and decide to head down south of the border. The characters
are another favorite of mine being played by William Holden, Ernest Borgnine,
Ben Johnson, Warren Oates, Edmond O’Brien and Jaime Sanchez. Robert Ryan plays
a former member who goes after them to reduce his sentence. Like “Pat Garrett”,
the film can be seen as a tragedy for the characters despite their violent and misogynistic
ways. Technically wise, Peckinpah finally achieves his slow motion editing for
the film’s three main set pieces: The opening robbery, the train robbery and
the epic shoot out finale. The film’s violence was meant as an allegory for the
Vietnam War and to show audiences that being shot at is painful. After its
release, a slew of violent films began to emerge.
