David Samuel `` Sam '' Peckinpah ( ; February 21 , 1925 -- December 28 , 1984 ) was an American film director and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic `` The Wild Bunch '' ( 1969 ) .
David Samuel `` Sam '' Peckinpah ( February 21 , 1925 -- December 28 , 1984 ) was an American movie director and screenwriter . He is known for his work in the 1969 movie `` The Wild Bunch '' .