One of the best Western movies ever is on TV tonight

The movie was controversial upon release due to its high level of violence.

Released in 1969, the film follows a gang of ageing, ruthless American outlaws (including William Holden and Ernest Borgnine) in the 1910s on the run from bounty hunters. This is after a bank robbery of theirs goes sideways, leaving several civilians dead.

Hiding out in Mexico, the outlaws wind up being hired by a Mexican general (Emilio Fernández) to rob a train full of US weapons. Pulling off the heist and then retrieving their reward, however, proves extremely difficult.

Frustrated by how bloodless and neatly divided into heroes and villains the Western genre had become, Peckinpah and his co-writer Walon Green (Sorcerer) made nearly all the characters in The Wild Bunch, on both sides of the law, hardened killers.

The director also upped the violence levels to such an extent that the audience might get, in his words, "some idea of what it is to be gunned down".

The result is a movie that still hits hard to this day, thanks to its visceral set-pieces, thematic depth, and tough-as-nails performances by the likes of Borgnine and Holden, as well as Robert Ryan as the man tasked with catching The Wild Bunch.

The Western is airing on TV tonight on TG4 at 9.30pm. It's also available to rent on Apple TV, Prime Video and the Sky Store.

Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:

Anna - Film4 - 9pm

Cillian Murphy and Helen Mirren feature among the cast of this 2019 action thriller about a Russian spy/fashion model (Sasha Luss).

Mr and Mrs Smith - Legend - 9pm

The Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt-led action comedy that later inspired a hit Prime Video series.

Rocketman - E4 - 9pm

The excellent Elton John biopic starring Taron Egerton.

Robin Hood - Legend Xtra - 9pm

Taron Egerton headlines again, this time in a 2018 reimagining of the folk hero, Robin Hood.

Tár - RTÉ2 - 9.35pm

Cate Blanchett gives an incredible performance in this Oscar-nominated drama as a world-renowned conductor whose life begins to unravel.

Don't Look Now - BBC Two - 11.05pm

The beautiful and haunting '70s psychological horror about a couple (Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie) staying in Venice while struggling to cope with the recent death of their child.

We recently cited Don't Look Now as a possible influence on the now-in-cinemas (and much more violent!) The Mummy.

Alita: Battle Angel - Film4 - 11.20pm

This incredible-looking sci-fi is set on Earth in the 26th century and follows a cyborg (Rosa Salazar) who awakens in a new body with no memory of her past and sets out to uncover her identity.

Chaos Walking - BBC One - 11.25pm

A critically panned sci-fi starring Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland.

An Ideal Husband - RTÉ One - 11.50pm

The acclaimed '90s version of Oscar Wilde's beloved play, which is about to be revived at the Gate Theatre in Dublin.

Pearl - Channel 4 - 1.05am

Mia Goth should have been Oscar-nominated for her lead role in this psychological horror thriller about a young farm worker in the 1910s who dreams of becoming a film star while showing signs of repressed rage and violence.