Which 1969 western directed by Sam Peckinpah was known for its graphic violence?

The 1969 western directed by Sam Peckinpah and known for its graphic violence was The Wild Bunch. The film follows an aging outlaw gang operating along the Mexico–United States border in 1913, as automobiles, modern weapons, and changing laws make their way of life obsolete.

Peckinpah co-wrote and directed the film, which starred William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Warren Oates, and Ben Johnson. Its climactic shootout became famous for rapid editing, multiple camera angles, and a mixture of normal-speed and slow-motion images.

The Wild Bunch shocked audiences because western violence had often been presented as clean or heroic. Peckinpah instead made gunfights chaotic, bloody, and morally disturbing. The film's violence is frequently discussed alongside the Vietnam War, whose televised brutality influenced its presentation.

It is sometimes confused with other late-1960s westerns such as True Grit or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but neither was directed by Peckinpah. The Professionals was also a 1966 western, not the 1969 film described here.