Editing Sam Peckinpah (section)

===''Junior Bonner''===
{{main|Junior Bonner}}
Despite his growing alcoholism and controversial reputation, Peckinpah was prolific during this period of his life. In May 1971, weeks after completing ''Straw Dogs'', he returned to the United States to begin work on ''[[Junior Bonner]]''. The lyrical screenplay by Jeb Rosenbrook, depicting the changing times of society and binding family ties, appealed to Peckinpah's tastes. He accepted the project, at the time concerned with being typed as a director of violent action. The film was his final attempt to make a low-key, dramatic work in the vein of ''Noon Wine'' and ''The Ballad of Cable Hogue''.

Filmed on location in [[Prescott, Arizona]], the story covered a week in the life of aging [[rodeo]] rider Junior "JR" Bonner ([[Steve McQueen (actor)|Steve McQueen]]) who returns to his hometown to compete in an annual rodeo competition. Promoted as a Steve McQueen action vehicle, the film's reviews were mixed and the film performed poorly at the box office. Peckinpah remarked, "I made a film where nobody got shot and nobody went to see it." The film's reputation has grown over the years as many critics consider ''Junior Bonner'' to be one of Peckinpah's most sympathetic works, while also noting McQueen's earnest performance.{{sfn|Weddle|pp=428–34}}{{sfn|Simmons|pp=139–53}}