Quentin Tarantino on Sam Peckinpah

Quentin Tarantino reacts to the work of filmmaker Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs, The Getaway, Junior Bonner, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, Ride the High Country and Cross of Iron).
Source: Video Archives Podcast
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[@familycorvette]

How can QT not love Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia? It's like a neo-western written by Edgar Allan Poe.

[@SiavashAgharazi]

that surprised me too

[@christophermirkovich7290]

great point

[@stevencoffin328]

I'm surprised he didn't even mention it.

[@andreasesser4641]

Eh. Alfredo Garcia is basically just an homage to Treasure of the Sierra Madre, which is far superior. Peckinpah must have been a big fan of John Huston. Alfredo Garcia is a decent movie, but far from his best. Its a hipster pick. Straw Dogs and Wild Bunch are his masterpieces. I love Ride the High Country, Getaway and Cross of Iron too though.

[@SiavashAgharazi]

@@andreasesser4641 a hipster pick? Lol it's a very daring and out of the box film yes, I don't know why you think that makes it less worthy of consideration. And it has a completely different tone and attitude than Sierra Madre. Even if we take it as a "hipster film", that's never kept Tarantino from taking a film seriously, he's never subscribed to the idea of a cannon looking cinema, which for me is one of his attractions. So our surprise is still valid.

[@Vgallo]

Pat garret and Billy the kid is one of my fav movies, those scenes are so powerful and there’s a real poetry to the whole film imo.

[@ronaldh8446]

I love it too, although Q makes a valid point about it being episodic. And that Slim Pickens death scene is just perfection.

[@genarosiles2951]

I disagree on QT with Cross of Iron. The script, James Coburn acting, and soundtrack we’re pushing the boundaries of anti war film. Still, peckinpah was a master on his movies and I love how many film directors (Including QT) pays homages to his raw action.

[@teetaunjj7894]

He said it's art.... Lmao.... guess QT is clueless when it comes to what art is.... can't stand when these clowns try to be so pretentious... it's so not art... you clowns are just making a movie... can't fix stupid though

[@erikskoog8415]

Totally agree, one of the best anti-war movies out there

[@peterhealey6040]

Most sure I read Orson Welles stated it the best (anti) war film.

[@mikewachumpski6152]

Definitely on par with wild bunch in my eyes. The ending scenes are so brutal.

[@MiloFPS]

I thought the war scenes were good, the gay subplot was average, the films pacing dull. I thought it was overrated. Good anti war message but we’ve seen it done way more powerfully before

[@christophermirkovich7290]

Cross of Iron is awesome

[@stevandslimproductions]

AGREED

[@killerkraut9179]

O yes!

[@amdtexas9383]

Ride the High Country is an awesome movie

[@bobcobb3654]

I like that he appreciates Junior Bonner. Always though that was one of Steve McQueen’s best movies.

[@spongebobsquarepants4576]

I think Tarantino missed here "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia". This one should definitely be with the rest of the top movies mentioned.

[@ussartubb2737]

This Channel has not missed!

[@lanolinlight]

Surprised he doesn't dig BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA.

[@jatinderdevgun9093]

Too right! Also (this may not be favorable) I rate Cross of Iron higher than Inglorious bastards...

[@paulorlando5877]

yes I thought that would be his favorite, lol.

[@kuramobay2445]

Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia - QT forgot that one.

[@culturesnoop]

The Osterman Weekend never gets any love.

[@Kristian-vb5dk]

It's a decent spy thriller with a great cast, but not that good movie, especially by Peckinpah standards. I actually even like Peckinpah's Killer Elite (not a great movie, but a decent actioner) more. James Caan and Robert Duvall are fantastic and Peckinpah made clear that he had a very low opinion of the Kung Fu craze which was going on at the time.

[@Madbandit77]

​@@Kristian-vb5dkThat's funny because Kung Fu movies had the violent aesthetic of a Peckinpah film.

[@roguetoken5640]

Personally I love Major Dundee. Just a solid western.

[@wilfridkirbyclarke]

Loved this channel since I found it last week. You post some great clips- curious to hear QT's opinion on Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia though, I was expecting that would've been one of the four movies he loved from Peckinpah

[@billslocum9819]

Junior Bonner is definitely one I didn't expect. I like it a lot, but it is the antithesis of Bloody Sam. No shootings, and one bar fight played more for laughs.

[@ssssssstssssssss]

It sounds like he thinks it is just okay. But that kind of surprises me because it feels like a Tarantino film before Tarantino

[@AlanCalsen]

Convoy is a real B movie masterpiece, the making of it would make a great film. Sam is really a character QT should have tackled in a movie.

[@chickenandksivideoreviewer9739]

I think straw dogs is criminally underrated. Love it

[@nl3064]

Not really. It's been critically re-evaluated and garnered much more praise since its release. It's included among the 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Its frequently held up as a classic and often cited as one of Peckinpah's best.

[@chickenandksivideoreviewer9739]

@@nl3064 true but I don't think I've met another person irl that's even heard of it

[@chickenandksivideoreviewer9739]

@@nl3064 compared to other 70s classics like taxi driver

[@nl3064]

@@chickenandksivideoreviewer9739 well apparently you're surrounded by retards. That shows more about the people immediately around you than the movie's cultural status.

[@Anwarl2022]

Late comment, Straw Dogs gets recognition but it’s also one of 3 new wave movies that really pushed the bounds of graphic content at the time. The other two are A Clockwork Orange and Dirty Harry. It’s no where near as well known as those today.

[@ethanbradley2089]

One Eyed Jake, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Major Dundee, Straw Dogs and Cross of Iron are all great. I wouldn't want to ball wash the guy I rip off all the time.

[@erikskoog8415]

Were the iron crosses grow is amazing, so much social commentary

[@benedictjohnson]

That’s just your opinion, man.

[@krisscanlon4051]

Dude!

[@Ragnar6000]

Cross of Iron is not overated its underated!

[@kspringerrw]

Who is Tarantino hanging out with that he feels Cross of Iron is overrated? I don't think I've ever heard it mentioned outside of deep dives into Peckinpah and maybe I've seen it on a very idiosyncratic list or two of best WW2 movies.

[@1972glm]

Doesn't like Ride the High Country or Cross of Iron that much? Besides The Wild Bunch and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, those are my two favorites if his.

[@Mr.Goodkat]

I didn't even finish cross of iron, it seemed to have no plot yet and had been on ages.

[@teetaunjj7894]

Qt is stupid...he calls finished movies "Art"... Art lmao

[@stephen3762]

I like The Getaway, but if you think about it too much the robbery scene, while exciting, is a stupid plan. Ebert's review is pretty funny. Alfredo Garcia and Wild Bunch are gems.

[@classiclife7204]

"High Country" not bloody enough?

[@BilltheButcher1855]

Cross of Iron is anything but overrated. If I had a top 5 of Peckinpah films, I would say it is number 2 behind the Wild Bunch.

[@verbplural5631]

It is a brilliant film that one. From both the starting to the end it is unlike any film you have ever seen on bravery.

[@BilltheButcher1855]

@@verbplural5631 James Coburn was a one of a kind actor too. That voice is impeccable.

[@plasticweapon]

it's a terrible movie made by a diseased mind.

[@Hexon66]

In the real world, Cross of Iron is hugely underrated, and sadly, largely unknown. But in QT's cine-world there's a whole different perspective that has to be *just* that much cooler than the other kids with hot takes.

[@Kristian-vb5dk]

"Director's cuts" of Pat Garret and Billy the Kid are (not the 1973 version, but both recuts: 1988 version and the later special edition) every bit as good as Peckinpah's other classics (Wild Bunch, Ride the High Country, Getaway, Ballad of Cable Hogue, Junior Bonner, Straw Dogs). Surprised Tarantino did not mention "Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia". It is the most personal and grittiest of Peckinpah works, where the protagonist (Warren Oates) basically plays Sam Peckinpah himself.

[@Dumptruck4Lif]

I wonder if he’s seen The Ballad of Cable Hogue? It’s a lot more lighthearted but it’s still got a lot of his political and social commentary, and it’s pretty funny

[@davidnorton2473]

Superb film I'm surprised didn't mention it

[@Ltd71400]

Sam referred to Cable Hogue as his favorite of his own films.

[@ronaldh8446]

I love Cable Hogue. It's one of those movies I liked when I 1st watched it and grow to love more with every viewing.

[@scottrose220]

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a masterpiece. I think it’s one of the greatest westerns ever made

[@williamhuddleston2026]

Ballad of Cable Hogue is one of my favourite movies and it's as if it doesn't exist......sad.

[@danielbrennan8962]

The issues he has with Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, are the same issues I have with Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained and Hateful Eight have. Great set pieces but other than that, not much else to them. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is far superior than those three films put together.

[@jatinderdevgun9093]

couldnt agree with you more..;well said. PGABTK is a masterpiece that I can watch over and over again... Peckinpah WAS the real deal

[@Tasha6cat]

Really surprised he didn't dig Garrett, but that's Quentin. Hot takes on everything in cinema.

[@MikeBarratt-lk3gt]

​@@Tasha6cat He did dig pat Garrett and Billy the kid he said he still loves it just not in his top four did you even listen to what he said.

[@benedictjohnson]

1,000,000,000%

[@nl3064]

@danielbrennan8962 alright, calm down you hipster snob. I like Peckinpah, and seen just about all his movies, and I get Pat Garret is one of his more esteemed classics. But I agree with Tortellini, it's a movie of good moments (I keep coming back to the knockin' on heaven's door scene) but it, for some reason, doesn't quite congeal together smoothly. It feels like Peckinpah was trying to recapture the lightning in a bottle that was The Wild Bunch, but couldn't quite reach that same peak. Those three Tarantilo movies far outdo it, visually and entertainingly, you're not impressing anyone.

[@user-microburst]

Cross of Iron overrated??

[@jjrbarnett]

Right ? Most people haven't seen it.

[@plasticweapon]

i saw it and i hated it.

[@user-microburst]

@@plasticweapon the germans being the “good” guys is odd, but the movie is amazing

[@plasticweapon]

@@user-microburst i didn't complain about the germans being the good guys.

[@benjischannel3008]

Yeah. I don’t really hear anyone talk about that one. And the film was a flop thanks to Star Wars which came out the same year so it’s certainly a film I wouldn’t be surprised if it was seen as a hidden gem especially nowadays. A lot of classics that are now virtually forgotten today but still kept alive by real fans.

[@Brandknob]

Thought *for* *sure* that he would love Cross of Iron

[@peterhealey6040]

A bit "deeper" than QT approach, which I find to be more entertainment than philosophy.

[@Hexon66]

@@peterhealey6040 That was exactly my thought, too.

[@jkeegan154]

The Killer Elite is his most underrated film.

[@JohannesYtterstrom]

Gotta love Sam Peckinpah!

[@kevhead1525]

I guess Ride the High Country didn't have enough gore for his tastes. Or feet. But eh. His opinion.

[@MoneyMakingMitchNY]

I like QT but his take on high country is off. It's the most poetic of Peckinpahs films. The whole persona of Joel McCrea charcter is something many men can aspire too, " I just want to enter my house justified".

[@kevhead1525]

@@MoneyMakingMitchNY and the sad end of McRae was analogous to the sad end of the west. Sad and beautiful ending.

[@fritzwalter4660]

@@kevhead1525 This scene was the inspiration for the death scene of Jason Robards in OUATITW.

[@JOSEMANUELSEIJASFERNANDE-md2rh]

Peckinpah, un clásico a la altura de Ford, Hawks, Walsh, etc.

[@SupertzarMetal]

The Ballad of Cable Hogue

[@rhysperegrine5100]

I love the Video Archives podcast...but I'm really enjoying relistening to the clips you've chosen (and set to video so well). Good work my friend!

[@RD-lt3ht]

QT critiques his betters. QT will never be more than a talented maker of pastiche.

[@johntaylorson7769]

"They're just a series of set pieces, and some set pieces you like better than others." ...like nearly all the films you've made after Jackie Brown?

[@brunoheggli2888]

I like Pipi longstocking and the pirates!

[@jaylimmo]

Guy’s got a lot a fucking balls saying anyone else’s movie is just a few set pieces. INGLORIOUS BASTERDS is just three set pieces - the opening interrogation, the basement bar battle, and the movie premiere - with a bunch of connecting tissue.

[@RockinBobXYZ]

Came here to make the same comment. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - you have the Bruce Lee fight, the visit to Spahn Ranch, and the fight at the end. Most of Tarantino’s movies are just a series of set-pieces with weak connective narratives.

[@fredkeeler4620]

The Wild Bunch one of the first official R-rated films. The final shoot out still packs a wallop

[@TheTrashStash]

why did he freak out at the end? "ITS WHY ITS!!! ITS WHY ITS!!...ARRRRT!!"

[@CUMBICA1970]

I discovered an interview of him from around 1982 in which he revealed he wanted badly to helm the movie adaptation of Ray Bradbury's "Something wicked this way comes" and how much he was frustrated when it went to Jack Clayton. He added "That's why I hate Hollywood. The producers only bring action stuffs to me and don't let me do movies like this. They only think about money. I would've loved to show to my children."

[@FreeFree-ur4zq]

STRAW DOGS is one of my favorite films.

[@theprophetofprowrestling2425]

Major Dundee and Ballad of Cable Hogue are great. Love QT but couldn't disagree more with his take that Peckinpah only has four good movies.

[@MikeBarratt-lk3gt]

Well didn't he say 4 masterpieces and he likes the rest ok

[@sherbournesubwaymess]

#1 - Straw Dogs, #2 - Convoy, #3 - The Wild Bunch, #4 - Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia #5 - The Getaway Convoy is simply a FUN movie to watch.

[@drainel9707]

Yes i love convoy too

[@Theomite]

I mean, it's an opinion to be sure, but *above* THE WILD BUNCH? That's a possible bridge too far.

[@drainel9707]

@@Theomite i never said Convoy was his best

[@Theomite]

@@drainel9707 No, but even as a *preference,* man...

[@drainel9707]

@@Theomite i love all peckinpahs films except Cross of Iron and Osterman Weekend

[@PlatoCave]

QT is blind when he says Cross of Iron is overrated. He seems incable to fully comprehend the theme which is at par with Paths of Glory and The Bridge on The River Kiwai. Its authentic action scenes, masterful acting and uncompromising direction are few of the highlights enough to make it instant classic. But because it revolved around German soldiers in an entirely different way breaking the formula so I think it is intentionally declared as a so-so movie by stupid so called critics like QT.

[@jackwwalsh]

Alfredo Garcia? Classic.

[@binghamguevara6814]

You can see the influence of the wild bunch on reservoir dogs, especially the bank robbery and ear scene.

[@thomasfleischer83]

Sam was better than you"ll ever be, Quentin, sorry. His worst Western is better than your "Django Unchained ".

[@argentokaos2629]

Came here just to make the "Alfredo Garcia" comment... Ya snooze, ya lose... :D

[@roscoejones4515]

I'm right behind you! I am even-as-we-speak listening to QT's review of 'Straw Dogs', and when he didn't even mention Al Garcia I stopped dead in my tracks! WTF?!?!

[@argentokaos2629]

@@roscoejones4515 :D *Yep!* I mean, I feel like I'm used to his "hot takes" by now, but--- "The Getaway" *and* "Junior Bonner" over "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia"?? Now that's some Steve McQueen love! :D

[@roscoejones4515]

@@argentokaos2629 I'm a big QT fan but frankly sometimes his taste in movies sucks. All those B movies he's so in love with, I guess they're good, other than the writing, dialogue, directing, acting etc.etc. But hey, to each their own!👍

[@argentokaos2629]

@@roscoejones4515 :D He's a great director--- who had a great time in those '70s grindhouses. :D Even he's had to admit--- it affects his judgment a little... :D

[@Kristian-vb5dk]

Tarantino don't like Alfredo Garcia at all (as someone pointed out in the comments, QT called it a "garbage dump" in one of his books.) Tarantino has made some good movies, but his tastes are sometimes as weird as his foot fetish. Imo, QT is an overrated both as a director and a film historian. He is great at writing screenplays, though.

[@Vlad65WFPReviews]

As the author of IMDB's official short bio of Sam Peckinpah (I simply posted it first!) I was very interested to hear Mr. Tarantino say that he is not really a fan of Ride the High Country (which was much more a conventional western than his later work - but helped propel his career) and Cross of Iron, which many feel was well made despite its limited budget. I wish Quentin had elaborated on these two.

[@beyounglove6278]

What a channel mate, big big up!

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

Pat Garret and Billy the Kid is Peckinpah's best movie. Straw Dogs made no impression on me.

[@scottmandu8316]

Jr Bonner was a nice little film

[@randallgreene6428]

Without Sam peckinpah there would be no Quentin tarentino or Robert Rodriguez

[@luxi378]

I love how the ending of that clip escalates in some way, too..:-) that was edited at the end there, the audio? anyway i thought Cross of Iron and Alfredo Garcia were not bad... Killer Elite began good, but became bad.

[@kentallard8852]

no love for Ride the High Country?

[@TheEnnisfan]

I'm not a big fan of Straw Dogs. It's good, but I put Alfredo Garcia way above everything Peckinpah did besides Wild Bunch. The Getaway is awesome as well.

[@LeafInTheStream]

What Bob Dylan song is being referenced here?

[@peterbrown8880]

Cross Of Iron Quentin????????????????????????????????

[@scuzzytwo7556]

sam was sam working for him was different than knowing him as a friend, if he was drinking all bets are off? I liked him and we got along?

[@fsilber330]

Where does Quentin Tarantino stand on Jerry Lewis as a director?

[@payazokoki]

I want to know his thoughts on bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia.

[@Stephen-lt1tp]

Cross of iron, Alfredo Garcia, and convoy were better than junior bonnar :(

[@edwardmorley5273]

Spoken by a man who made his name in pulp fiction...

[@mustardegg2]

QT doesn’t appreciate Peckinpah…… unexpected

[@Algux]

"Cross of Iron" overrated 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Smacks of jealousy that...

[@spanishbaldman]

" ...that's why it's art ". Art, lol. Why is Tarantino always crying and justifying if he likes something depraved?

[@mihailokuveljic2832]

Not "!Cross of Iron" but "Inglourious Basterds" is overrated.

[@Kristian-vb5dk]

When I first saw Inglorious Basterds first scene where Christoph Waltz did that "nazi Sherlock Holmes" thing, I thought Tarantino has made a masterpiece. However, when the movie continued it quickly turned into a typical Tarantino action homage exploitation circus and I was mostly bored. That is my problem with many Tarantino movies. He can make great scenes and write a great dialogue, but he is too much all over the place with a childish fanboy mentality. Aside from his 90's work, he has a hard time making a coherent movie. In that regard, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is his best work since the 90's.

[@jessediaz1293]

No Convoy? That’s his best movie. He’s trippin on this one.

[@patrickrogers2304]

Thank you for cutting out Roger Avery and his daughter lol. 🙏

[@krisscanlon4051]

QT will slam on his hero and doesn't care...QT is close to Peckinpah...a famous director...loves critiquing hallowed directors and film...no one like him...QT is like John Lennon was towards the music industry in his post Beatles years...highly critical perhaps unnecessarily.

[@SailfishSoundSystem]

Peckinpah sucks shit. Straw Dogs? It's so bad my in film school we made fun of it.

[@michaelstewart6788]

Cross of iron is overated haah no inglorious basterds is overated

[@michaelstewart6788]

The getaway is garbage, how can you put that ahead of bring me the head of Alfredo garcia