1. Edmond O'Brien
   Jaime Sanchez
2. Emilio Fernandez
   Steve McQueen

While the Wild Bunch could've used tough guy Steve McQueen in their gang, he doesn't appear in this film. He did, however, star in Sam Peckinpah's "The Getaway" (1972) with Ali MacGraw.

1. "Shall We Gather at the River"
   "The Old Rugged Cross"
2. "Just a Closer Walk with Thee"
   "Amazing Grace"

Robert Lowry's traditional hymn appeared in several Westerns directed by John Ford, notably "The Searchers." In "The Wild Bunch," the hopeful song plays as numerous characters are killed.

1. William Holden
   Ernest Borgnine
2. Warren Oates
   Robert Ryan

William Holden (1918-1981) was one of the leading actors of Hollywood, winning an Oscar for his role in "Stalag 17" (1953). His greatest passion, besides acting, was protecting animals.

1. Ernest Borgnine
   Robert Ryan
2. Strother Martin
   Albert Dekker

Italian-American actor Ernest Borgnine (1917-2012) won a Best Actor Oscar for his role in "Marty" (1955). Younger viewers may know him as Mermaid Man in "SpongeBob SquarePants."

1. The Vietnam War
   The assassination of JFK
2. Watergate
   The first moon landing

Peckinpah subverted the traditional Western in "The Wild Bunch," making sure not to glamorize the outlaws. Critics read "The Wild Bunch" as a response to the Vietnam War and its horrible violence.

1. "The Devil's Brigade"
   "The Counterfeit Traitor"
2. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing"
   "The Bridge on the River Kwai"

William Holden appeared in David Lean's classic World War II film "The Bridge on the River Kwai" as Shears, an American P.O.W. He gets involved in a dangerous plot against his captors.

1. $10,000
   A ranch of his own
2. Parole
   A gold mine

Deke Thornton used to be in the Wild Bunch. At some point, though, Thornton was arrested and received parole in exchange for helping a gang of bounty hunters track his old friend.

1. To attack Mapache's men
   To rob a series of banks
2. To defend his village
   To hunt down Pancho Villa

Still reeling from Mapache's attack on his village, Angel persuades Pike to let him give some of the stolen rifles back to his village as a means of defense. Take that, Mapache!

1. Guadalajara
   Agua Verde
2. Cuernavaca
   Acapulco

The Wild Bunch find the general in Agua Verde and, surprisingly, accept a job from him: stealing weapons. With Angel's grudge against Mapache, though, things will surely go awry!

1. "If they move, kill 'em."
   "Go ahead, make my day."
2. "We rob banks."
   "You can't give the enemy a break."

Pike utters these famous words to the Wild Bunch during the opening robbery, signaling to the audience that these outlaws mean business and won't hold back to spare innocent lives.

1. She leaves Mapache for Angel.
   Angel shoots her.
2. She marries Mapache.
   Her fate is unknown.

Angel loses it when he spies Teresa with his sworn enemy, Mapache, and shoots his former lover in a jealous rage. You just know Angel's rash act will have tragic consequences.

1. Dutch
   Sykes
2. Angel
   Tector

We knew Angel's actions would come back to haunt him. Angel gave some of Mapache's rifles to rebels, and Teresa's father informed Mapache. Will the Wild Bunch come to the rescue?

1. Birds
   Crickets
2. Scorpions
   Rabbits

On their way to rob the railroad office, the gang of outlaws observes some children putting scorpions on a red ant hill. This troubling image foreshadows the grim events of the film.

1. Burt Lancaster
   James Stewart
2. Gregory Peck
   All of these actors

Many famous actors turned down the role of Pike, including Charlton Heston and Robert Mitchum. In the end, William Holden delivered an unforgettable performance as the aging outlaw.

1. Dutch Engstrom
   Lyle Gorch
2. Deke Thornton
   Mapache

When Deke Thornton comes upon the recent carnage in Agua Verde, he seems sorry to see his old friends lying dead. He leaves the bounty hunter gang behind after taking Pike's gun.

1. Ben Johnson
   Robert Ryan
2. Warren Oates
   Emilio Fernandez

Sam Peckinpah got fed up with Robert Ryan over this issue and placed Ryan's name over some horses' behinds in the opening credits. That's one way to go down to posterior—er, posterity.

1. Pike Bishop
   Freddie Sykes
2. Angel
   Harrigan

Pike loses many men during the botched robbery, including Crazy Lee. Only later does Pike learn that Crazy Lee was Sykes' grandson. Pike reassures Sykes that C.L. did "fine ... just fine."

1. Ernest Borgnine
   Ben Johnson
2. Jaime Sanchez
   William Holden

Leading man William Holden was clean-shaven in most of his previous films. But Peckinpah had a vision for his grizzled, gritty characters, who likely didn't have much time to shave!

1. Mapache
   Angel
2. A woman
   A boy

Pike decides he's going out in this final showdown, and he doesn't hold back as he shoots Mapache's men. A woman does shoot Pike, but it's ultimately a child who delivers the killing shot.

1. Ennio Morricone
   Jerry Fielding
2. Bernard Herrmann
   Jerry Goldsmith

Jerry Fielding's unforgettable soundtracks for Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" and "Straw Dogs" both earned him Oscar nominations. He collaborated with Peckinpah on other films, too.

1. Steel washers
   Gold
2. Bags of cash
   Weapons

The deadly robbery at the beginning was for naught. Pike and his men discover that the railroad company tricked them, giving them bags of washers rather than the money they'd expected.

1. Starbuck
   Houston
2. Seminole
   Marathon

The small Texas town where the Wild Bunch rob the railroad office is the fictional Starbuck. No one's prepared for the bloody gunfight between the outlaws and the bounty hunters.

1. The Battle of Bloody Porch
   The Ultimate Showdown
2. The Battle at High Noon
   The Showdown of No Survivors

The final showdown was so realistic in its gruesome depictions of carnage that it disturbed crew members who had seen actual combat in the war. It was just the effect Peckinpah wanted.

1. "Yankee Doodle Dandy"
   "I've Been Working on the Railroad"
2. "Polly Wolly Doodle"
   "Buffalo Gals"

The carefree traditional song "Polly Wolly Doodle" has been sung by such kid-friendly figures as Shirley Temple and Donald Duck. Then Peckinpah inserts it into the shockingly violent "The Wild Bunch," to ironic effect.

1. Lyle and Tector
   Ben and Warren
2. Deke and Dutch
   Angel and Crazy Lee

Ben Johnson (Tector) and Warren Oates (Lyle) played the infamous Gorch brothers. As a fun bit of trivia, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" featured vampire brothers by the same names.

1. "The Red Pony"
   "Cannery Row"
2. "Of Mice and Men"
   "The Pearl"

Emilio Fernandez (1904-1986) remains a dominant figure in the history of Mexican film. One film that he is known for is "The Pearl," the adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1947 novella.

1. Freddie Sykes
   Don Jose
2. Lyle Gorch
   Deke Thornton

Children appear throughout the film as witnesses to—and often participants in—the violence surrounding the main characters. Could Peckinpah be commenting on human nature? Hmm ...

1. Freddie Sykes
   Dutch Engstrom
2. Angel
   Lyle Gorch

While Angel argues that the weapons they're stealing for Mapache could be used to kill their family, Pike views it as just a job. Still, he agrees to let Angel take one box of rifles.

1. Don Jose
   Pancho Villa
2. General Mapache
   General Huerta

The Wild Bunch's trouble in Mexico begins when they discover that General Mapache raided Angel's village and executed his father. Understandably, Angel has a score to settle with him.

1. Edmond O'Brien
   Strother Martin
2. Ernest Borgnine
   L.Q. Jones

Ernest Borgnine wore a cast on his foot during "The Wild Bunch" after breaking it shooting "The Split" the previous year, resulting in a noticeable limp. Now that's showing true grit!

1. Roger Ebert
   Pauline Kael
2. Gene Siskel
   Leonard Maltin

In "The New Yorker," Pauline Kael compared the film to Kurosawa's "The Seven Samurai" in terms of the scope and magnitude. She also mourned for each character, despite their flaws.

1. Buck is blinded in a shootout.
   Buck tries to steal from the gang.
2. Buck insults Pike's mother.
   Buck betrays the gang to bounty hunters.

Buck is one of the few who survives the shootout at the beginning of the film, but he is gravely injured and blinded by a gunshot. When Pike sees Buck's injuries, he shoots his old comrade.

1. Walon Green
   Robert Altman
2. Martin Scorsese
   Ettore Scola

"The Wild Bunch" is one of Walon Green's best-known writing credits, but he also produced a number of hit shows, including "NYPD Blue" and "Law & Order." Hey, those are pretty gritty too.

1. 1896
   1907
2. 1911
   1913

The Mexican Revolution, which started in 1910 and lasted about ten years, successfully ended a long dictatorship. The Wild Bunch head to Mexico in the middle of this long struggle.

1. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"
   "Ride the High Country"
2. "The Searchers"
   "High Noon"

"Ride the High Country" set Peckinpah on the stage. The gripping tale of friendship and betrayal in the California Sierras echoed some of the themes found later in "The Wild Bunch."