Nine men who came too late and stayed too long...

Starring: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Jaime Sánchez, Ben Johnson, Warren Oates, Emilio Fernández, Strother Martin, L.Q. Jones, Albert Dekker, Bo Hopkins, Alfonso Arau, Dub Taylor

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"We're gonna stick together, just like it used to be! When you side with a man, you stay with him! And if you can't do that, you're like some animal, you're finished! We're finished! All of us!" - Pike Bishop

Why watch this? Peckinpah's great ode to Western violence stands the test of time.

Plot Summary: Set in 1913, an aging group of outlaws attempt one last big score during a time when the traditional American West is fading. After a botched railroad office robbery, they flee to Mexico with bounty hunters on their trail, led by a gang member. In Mexico, they get involved with a rogue Mexican general while trading guns and ammo.

Dad's Preview: Two years after the shocking violence (well, not by today's standards) in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), this film hit screens. Critics were split, mostly due to the wanton violence and ruthless nature of the lead characters. What everyone, then and now, can agree upon is that the film is well-directed, the all-star cast's performances are career-defining, and the cinematography, a slow-motion ballet of savagery set in the angry Mexican landscape, is breathtaking. William Holden deserved an Oscar for his portrayal of Pike. These men depicted - killers, thieves, hired guns - have no concept of a normal life. They are past their prime. Yet, they live by the brutal outlaw code of the West: stick together to the bitter, and in this case bloody, end.

Touchstone Films, Silver Screen Partners II; Buena Vista Dist. Co.