Never an easy or comfortable 'talent' to accept, legendary director Sam Peckinpah's working life was continually damaged by front office interference, in tandem with his tendency towards self-destruction. This powerful combination, together with a reputation for excessive use of violence in his films, makes this engrossing documentary about Peckinpah' s life and career long overdue. This film not only provides rare insights into the director's working methods but describes the demise of the old-style, trouble-making Hollywood director, and the new 'yes-men' now in demand by a system uneasy with maverick artists.