Sam Peckinpah, active in the 1960s and '70s, was a tough-as-nails director famous for his action movies and brutal Westerns. His most well-known works are the thriller Straw Dogs starring Dustin Hoffman and the classic Western The Wild Bunch. His movies frequently delve into themes of nihilism, masculinity, and compromised morality. Stylistically, one of his signature moves was the use of slow motion, particularly for shootouts and fight scenes.
Peckinpah was certainly one of the most intense and graphic filmmakers of that era. Not for nothing, his penchant for on-screen carnage earned him the nickname "Bloody Sam". He also had a reputation as a rule-breaker and renegade. Indeed, he chafed against the studio system and notoriously feuded with studio executives on multiple occasions. Nevertheless, he succeeded in producing a bold and boundary-breaking string of films, which inspired countless directors that followed. These are the best of them, ranked.
10 'Junior Bonner'
Released: 1972
The legendary Steve McQueen leads this Western as Junior "JR" Bonner, a seasoned rodeo cowboy returning to his hometown of Prescott, Arizona, for the annual rodeo. He's past his prime, however, and his rodeo days appear to be numbered. Nevertheless, he bribes the rodeo owner to let him compete, hoping that the prize money can turn his dreams into reality.
At the same time, Bonner must deal with the messy dynamics in his family. His brother Curly (Joe Don Baker) wants to bulldoze the family home for a business venture, while Junior's broke father Ace (Robert Preston) hopes in vain to move to Australia and farm sheep. The result is one of Peckinpah's more reflective movies, examining changes in society and the disappearance of the frontier way of life. It's also a portrait of masculinity and aging, with Junior trying to make up for his decreasing energy and athleticism with sheer grit and confidence.
9 'Major Dundee'
Released: 1965
"Don't get yourself killed. That would inconvenience me." This gritty, ambitious Western takes place during the Civil War. Charlton Heston plays Major Amos Dundee, a Union officer with a checkered past. After being relieved of his command due to a battlefield blunder, Dundee puts together his own unofficial fighting force. He leads this motley crew of soldiers, Confederate prisoners, and local volunteers on a mission to track down a marauding Apache war chief (Michael Pate). As the group faces external threats from both the Apache warriors and French imperialists, internal tensions rise, testing the limits of loyalty and honor.
Richard Harris also delivers a memorable performance as Captain Ben Tyreen, a former Confederate officer with reasons to hate Dundee, but who swears an oath of allegiance to the major until the mission is complete. Their relationship adds to the film's exploration of the blurred lines between enemies and allies during this tumultuous period in American history.
8 'The Ballad of Cable Hogue'
Released: 1970
Peckinpah took something of a left turn with this Western, which is more comedic and gets more playful with the conventions of the genre. Unusually for Peckinpah, there's also not much violence or shooting. Instead, the story focuses on failed prospector Cable Hogue (Jason Robards) who is abandoned in the desert by his two duplicitous business partners, Taggart (L. Q. Jones) and Bowen (Strother Martin). Hogue struggles for four days, bargaining with God all the while, until he eventually finds an isolated spring containing life-saving water.
Realizing that the spring is the only water source between the two nearest towns, Hogue decides to live there, build a house, and start a business. This poses all kinds of challenges, however. Not to mention, Taggart and Bowen eventually return, and Hogue must use all his wits to outsmart them. It makes for a quirky and poignant frontier tale. As with Junior Bonner, The Ballad of Cable Hogue is very much about the demise of the Old West and the dawn of a new America.
7 'Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid'
Released: 1973
"It feels like times have changed... Times maybe, not me." Pat Garrett (James Coburn) is a former outlaw turned sheriff, tasked with bringing his old friend, Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson), to justice. Het sets out on a bloody mission to capture the famous gunslinger, involving mayhem, gunfights, and treachery. The narrative is complemented by strikingly oppressive cinematography and a suitably bleak soundtrack by Bob Dylan (who also appears in a small role). In fact, Dylan's hit song "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" was written for this movie.
Unfortunately, the production of Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid was beset by problems. In particular, there were significant tensions and disagreements between Peckinpah and the studio. Ultimately, the studio cut the theatrical release version down to 106 minutes, and it was widely panned by critics. However, Peckinpah's longer, preferred version was eventually released on video in 1988 and received overwhelmingly positive reviews.
6 'The Getaway'
Released: 1972
This thriller focuses on Doc McCoy (Steve McQueen), a convict four years into a ten-year prison sentence. Corrupt businessman Jack Beynon (Ben Johnson) offers to get Doc out of jail if he takes part in a bank robbery with Beynon's minions, Rudy (Al Lettieri) and Frank (Bo Hopkins). It all goes according to plan - that is, until Frank kills a security guard and Rudy attempts a double-cross. Doc makes it out with the cash, and he and his wife Carol (Ali MacGraw) set off with the bad guys in hot pursuit.
The Getaway is a taut hybrid of a crime film and a love story, anchored by stellar acting. In fact, this is probably the last of McQueen's great action performances. He's restrained and internal yet still effortlessly charming. The character also seems like it may be a kind of stand-in for Peckinpah himself, who felt trapped by the studio system and hectored by his superiors.
5 'Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia'
Released: 1974
This neo-Western tells the story of Bennie (Warren Oates), a down-and-out former American Army officer now scraping by as a barroom pianist in Mexico City. He senses an opportunity after he learns that a wealthy Mexican crime lord (Emilio Fernandez) has placed a bounty on the head of Alfredo Garcia, the man responsible for impregnating his daughter. Desperate for a payday, Bennie embarks on a violent journey to locate Garcia's severed head.
This is one of Peckinpah's bleakest and most nihilistic movies, practically overflowing with brutality, bloodshed, and moral decay. This did not go down well with audiences at the time. On release, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia bombed at the box office and was excoriated by most critics. However, its critical standing has improved over the intervening decades, and it is now something of a cult film. The film's defenders praise its acting and bold subversion of genre formulas.
4 'Ride the High Country'
Released: 1962
Steve Judd (Joel McCrea) is an aging ex-lawman who was once highly respected but is now struggling to get by. He is hired by a bank to guard a shipment of gold from a mine to the town of Hornitos, California. This is a dangerous job: six men have already been killed while trying to transport gold on the trail. Judd recruits his old friend Gil Westrum (Randolph Scott) to help him with the job, but secretly, Gil is scheming to keep the gold for himself.
Although not radical, Ride the High Country does veer into revisionist territory, offering a more jaded take on classic Western themes. Here, Peckinpah looks at ideas of morality being comprised by circumstance, as well as the impact of modernity on the West. Although maybe a little rough around the edges, the film does hint at the more accomplished Westerns its director would go on to make.
3 'Cross of Iron'
Released: 1977
This war film unfolds on the Eastern Front of World War II, focusing on a squad of battle-hardened German soldiers facing off against the Soviets. Their commander, Sergeant Rolf Steiner (James Coburn) has grown increasingly weary and demoralized, losing faith in his superiors. Nevertheless, he remains committed to the safety of his men. The ambitious and callous Captain Stransky (Maximilian Schell) is brought in to take over the command, leading to conflict between the two very different men.
Cross of Iron is an anti-war movie, and somewhat unusual for its time in that its protagonists are German officers. It's unrelenting and brutal, focusing on the mud and fear and bone-tiredness of these forsaken men. The extensive battle sequences might be a little repetitive, but there's no denying Peckinpah's talent for on-screen carnage. Although the film was not successful on release, Orson Welles gave it high praise, calling it the greatest war movie ever made.
2 'Straw Dogs'
Released: 1971
"I will not allow violence against this house." Dustin Hoffman and Susan George star in this psychological thriller as David Sumner, an American mathematician, and his English wife Amy. Seeking peace and quiet, they relocate to Amy's home village in a rural part of the UK. But instead, they find themselves plagued by ever-increasing tensions. Amy's ex-boyfriend Charlie (Del Henney) and his vile friends begin harassing the couple. This culminates in a brutal assault, triggering in David an incendiary lust for vengeance.
The film is tense and bruising, to the point that watching it almost feels exhausting. But that's all by design and part of its impact. This is Peckinpah's sharpest exploration of masculinity and he holds nothing back. The abuse and violence in Straw Dogs were highly controversial when it came out, but the film is now generally seen as a classic and one of Peckinpah's best projects. Its fans include Quentin Tarantino, who called it a "masterpiece". "There's not a clear read or bead on any character in this movie," he said of Straw Dogs. "[That's] why it's art."
1 'The Wild Bunch'
Released: 1969
Widely regarded as a masterpiece of its genre, this epic revisionist Western follows a gang of aging outlaws who are struggling to adjust to the rapid changes of the early 20th century. As a result, their leader, Pike Bishop (William Holden) plans to pull off one last heist and then retire. However, the job turns out to be a setup: Pike's former partner Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan) has been hired to take out Pike's gang. After a bloody shootout that leaves half the crew dead, Pike must find a way to survive and eventually settle his score with Thornton, with the bounty hunters always on his tail.
The Wild Bunch immediately connected with audiences and quickly became highly influential. Its grittiness, realistic violence, and morally complex protagonists reinvigorated the Western genre, being widely imitated by films that would follow. The movie has also been praised for its gorgeous cinematography. Roger Deakins, for one, named The Wild Bunch as his all-time favorite film.
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