A Western Masterpiece by Sam Peckinpah & Bob Dylan Was Butchered by Studios

Though his filmmaking career only lasted a couple of decades, Sam Peckinpah has cemented himself as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. He's a director who bridged the Golden Age of Hollywood with the American New Wave (or New Hollywood) movement of the late '60s and '70s, paving the way for more violent, realistic, and dark films. Famous for The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs, Peckinpah was transforming what a studio film could be. When Scorsese was making his debut film Mean Streets in 1973, it cost $650,000. The same year, Peckinpah made Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid for $4.6 million. Mean Streets was a success that launched Scorsese's career. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid was a failure that nearly killed Peckinpah's.