Edit: I’m just realizing that this movie reminds me so much of Tarantino films which also feel like style and violence glossed over shallow substance and one dimensional characters.
In short—I get the appeal, but it’s not for me.
Look, there’s a lot here to say about how the industrialization of the West made society cave in on itself, but I have one issue—I just don’t care about the characters enough; we can have morally gray characters but I deadass don’t CARE about them, but maybe that’s just me. This movie felt like Peckinpah went “oh shit no more Hays Code, let me make a revisionist western where I use excessive violence in a boring and uninteresting way just because I CAN.” Also, there’s a difference between having a film that has poor treatment of women as a critique of the society at the time and a film that does it just because it can… Wild Bunch felt uninspired and shallow on that aspect.
However, the film does do some things well. Firstly, the use of the double exposures, ripple flashbacks, symbolism, biblical references, and the editing all were quite good and are what keeps this movie afloat for me. I will have shit to talk about during my class tomorrow, but like Shane, I may respect a film’s importance to cinematic history more than I may like it.
I know this movie works well for some people, but it just felt bland for me.
🎶Farewell Transmission - Jason Molina
Edit: I’m just realizing that this movie reminds me so much of Tarantino films which also feel like style and violence glossed over shallow substance and one dimensional characters.
In short—I get the appeal, but it’s not for me.
Look, there’s a lot here to say about how the industrialization of the West made society cave in on itself, but I have one issue—I just don’t care about the characters enough; we can have morally gray characters but I deadass don’t CARE about them, but maybe that’s just me. This movie felt like Peckinpah went “oh shit no more Hays Code, let me make a revisionist western where I use excessive violence in a boring and uninteresting way just because I CAN.” Also, there’s a difference between having a film that has poor treatment of women as a critique of the society at the time and a film that does it just because it can… Wild Bunch felt uninspired and shallow on that aspect.
However, the film does do some things well. Firstly, the use of the double exposures, ripple flashbacks, symbolism, biblical references, and the editing all were quite good and are what keeps this movie afloat for me. I will have shit to talk about during my class tomorrow, but like Shane, I may respect a film’s importance to cinematic history more than I may like it.
I know this movie works well for some people, but it just felt bland for me.
🎶Farewell Transmission - Jason Molina
