It all began in the summer of 1973, when the author--then a young man fresh out of film school--traveled to Mexico in pursuit of the man behind a list of motion picture masterpieces that include "Ride the High Country", "Major Dundee", "The Ballad of Cable Hogue", "Straw Dogs", "Junior Bonner", "The Getaway", "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid", and the classic western epic that revolutionalized the face of global cinema, "The Wild Bunch". Simmons' seminal 1982 biography of Sam Peckinpah, published by the University of Texas Press and updated in the 1998 Limelight Editions release, is central to this current edition. With more than 100 pages of additional material and photos from the author's private collection providing even greater in-depth analysis of the director's films, this edition looks back on "The Wild Bunch" five decades after its theatrical release to gauge its lasting impact on filmmakers who have followed in Peckinpah's footsteps. Beyond the creative analysis in this new edition, Simmons shares with the reader his personal reflections of the man, the myth, and the legend he came to know as mentor and friend. More than mere biography, more than a mere recitation of events in the life of extraordinary filmmaking talent, this book provides a deep understanding of Hollywood's movie-making process. As such, it serves as both inspiration and cautionary tale. One cannot presume to have an appreciation of American Film without reading what the author shares within these covers.