Scott LeBrun This yarn (scripted by director Sam Peckinpah and Gordon T. Dawson, based on a story by Peckinpah and Frank Kowalski) takes place in Mexico, where a powerful land baron (Emilio Fernandez) must deal with scandal. His young daughter has been impregnated by the notorious scoundrel of the title, prompting him to utter that immortal line. Two bounty hunters (played by guest stars Robert Webber and Academy Award winner Gig Young) encounter a small town piano player, Bennie (Warren Oates) in their quest for information, and hire him to help them out. Bennie finds out from his own girlfriend (super sexy Mexican superstar Isela Vega) that Alfredo is in fact already dead. So they set out on a trip to locate where the s.o.b. is buried, and bring back his decapitated head as proof.Peckinpah takes his time spinning this particular yarn, making the film more about the journey - Bennies' journey - than the destination. Therefore, it may not appeal to people who want more action and more bloodshed throughout. But fret not: after a horrible, sombre story turn in the second half, it turns into a revenge saga where our antihero is determined to mete out some punishment. Make no mistake: he IS an antihero, one who does not hesitate to kill others in the pursuit of his goal. Yet he takes no pleasure from it. He just does what he has to do. It's his girlfriend that is more of a moral center for the story. It has some very appealing and poetic moments, gradually working its way bit by bit to a lot of gunfire and squibs going off. It also can boast some fairly funny black humor, since Alfredos' severed head is naturally quite smelly and attractive to flies, and Bennie has to use ice to keep it from rotting too much.Jerry Fieldings' score is excellent, as is the vibrant cinematography by Alex Phillips, Jr. In an offbeat touch, only a few credits are placed up front, with most of them saved for the end, with the films' title coming up just before the fade-out.The cast is superb. The late, great Oates makes the most of this meaty leading role, even emulating his director in his performance. Vega is both delectable (going topless at times) and a tremendous dramatic actress. Webber and Young are very good, subtly underplaying the nature of their relationship. Kris Kristofferson has an effective cameo as a lusty, creepy biker.Highly recommended to fans of both Peckinpah and Oates.Eight out of 10.

William Samuel Sam Peckinpah's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is one the bleakest, most violent, and most depressing movies I have ever seen. It chronicles a cycle of violence and destruction that kills all who are sucked into it. There is no hero in this story, and no one remotely likable, with the exception of a middle aged whore. It was hated by critics and audiences upon its release, and I can't blame them. But I don't agree with them either. This is a good movie.It's not a good movie because it's easy to watch, or because we like the people in it, or because it carries some important message. If it even has a message, it's that nothing matters and everybody dies. It's a good movie because it is one of the most powerful expressions of disillusionment and nihilism ever produced. It's a good movie because it has no illusions about itself. It knows that it's about rotten people and wretched deeds, and refuses to shy away from the ugliness or make excuses for the things that happen. And it's a good movie because it's absolutely fascinating.The reason that anyone wants Señor Garcia's head is that he had the poor judgment to impregnate the daughter of a wealthy crime boss, who now offers a million dollars to the man who will deliver his head. There are many who wish to claim the bounty, but no-one knows where he is. No-one except Benny, a poor bartender who learned from his girlfriend that Alfredo is already dead and buried after a fatal car accident. Now all he has to do to claim part of that reward is dig up his old friend and cut off his head. Or so he thinks.At this point, the sheer futility and pointlessness of everything that will happen should be perfectly clear. A million dollars is being offered so that an evil old man can have his revenge, but what's the point if he's already dead? And it only becomes bitterer and more cynical from there. Benny never had anything against Alfredo. His girlfriend once loved the man. But if desecrating an old friend's grave will get him $10,000 then he'll do it. Because that head is his ticket out the slums. He's been stuck in a dead end existence without prospects, without hope, far too long to let anyone or anything stop him.And there will be many who try. Lots of people want that head. Some are driven by the same greed as Benny. Others have more personal reasons. But none of them will back down, and none of them have anything resembling scruples, or the slightest bit of mercy. And so the bullets will fly, and the body count will rise. And the fighting and killing will continue long after there's any reason for it, past the point where money is on the line, until anger and killing have become ends unto themselves.And that is what fascinates me. Most of the people who die in this movie didn't have to die. Benny didn't have to fight them. But he doesn't know how to stop fighting. He's lost too much, and his anger has consumed him utterly. When he started out he was already desperate, impatient, and unhappy, and as his journey becomes ever more miserable he's gotten closer to the edge, until killing is the only thing left to him.There's a section in the middle where he's retrieved the head and is driving back alone in his battered car. And the head is sitting in the car next to him, wrapped in bloody cloth and surrounded by files. And he's talking to it, almost shouting at it, telling it how none of this was worth it and it's his fault that so many have died. It's like the Wilson scenes in Castaway, only a hundred times more demented. And it stands out because it so perfectly sums up the madness, desperation, and sense of decay that permeate the entire film. It's just hard to believe that there can be a world that is so devoid of happiness or meaning, where so few people have so few morals, where the 'hero' will shoot a dead man "Just because it feels so good." And that Peckinpah can make it so engaging, and achieve such purpose out of futility, is the most amazing thing of all.

utgard14 The teenage daughter of a wealthy Mexican known as El Jefe is knocked up by Alfredo Garcia. El Jefe wants Garcia dead and places a $1,000,000 bounty on his head. Dive bar piano player Bennie (Warren Oates) wants to collect on the bounty. Luckily for Bennie, his hooker girlfriend Elita (Isela Vega) knows where Alfredo's buried. So Bennie gets Elita to take him to Alfredo's grave, where he intends to cut off the corpse's head and take it to El Jefe. But things go horribly wrong along the way.One of Sam Peckinpah's more controversial movies. Most people seem to either love it or hate it. I'm kind of in the middle. The first 3/4 of it is slow-going and you might find yourself checking your watch. When it finally picks up the pace it is undeniably interesting and hard to turn away from. It's Peckinpah so expect violence and nastiness with unsavory, dislikable characters and a somewhat nihilistic tone to it all. Excessive use of slow-mo in action scenes is also a bit much. It almost seems like the man is parodying himself. Peckinpah devotees will like it most.

seymourblack-1 Sam Peckinpah was an extraordinary and controversial filmmaker who during his career earned both respect and notoriety. "Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia" is a movie which illustrates some of the reasons why he achieved this reputation and also provides an offbeat piece of entertainment which leaves a lasting impression.Some Peckinpah trademarks such as extreme violence, misogyny and well choreographed action scenes are featured on numerous occasions but the movie's most compelling component is its depiction of the journey taken by a guy whose motivation gradually changes from pure greed to a need to escape to a better life and then ultimately, a need for redemption.When an extremely wealthy Mexican landowner called El Jefe (Emilio Fernadez) discovers that the man who'd deserted his pregnant, unmarried daughter is Alfredo Garcia, he offers a $1,000,000 reward for whoever brings him the head of the man who he'd previously treated like a son.A little time later, in a tourist bar in Mexico City, two well dressed bounty hunters called Quill (Gig Young) and Sappensly (Robert Webber) meet Bennie (Warren Oates) who's the establishment's American piano player. The two hit-men are finding it difficult to locate Garcia and after Bennie learns from his girlfriend Elita (Isela Vega) that Garcia has recently been killed in a car accident, he agrees to bring them Garcia's head for a payment of $10,000.Elita, a prostitute who'd previously had an affair with Garcia knows where his body is buried and so she and Bennie go on a cross country journey to locate the hunted man's grave. What follows includes the arrival of two bikers who plan to rape Elita, an attack by some other bounty hunters who steal Garcia's head and another attack by members of Garcia's family. Nearly all these people end up dead and the body count continues to climb inexorably until the movie reaches its violent and spectacular climax.A tremendous number of people get killed in this movie and there are many examples of Peckinpah's propensity for depicting violence very graphically. His penchant for using slow motion sequences in shoot outs is seen by his detractors as a distasteful glamorisation of violence whereas others regard it as an example of his undeniable talent. The most shocking incidents, however, are where El Jefe has his daughter publicly humiliated and tortured and Sappensly, very casually and cruelly knocks a woman unconscious.The milieu within which Bennie makes his journey is bleak and chaotic and his efforts to progress or prosper become utterly futile. In this predicament and despite the obvious dangers involved, all that he's been able to do is follow his destiny and ultimately this is what makes his story so tragic and memorable. Whilst this movie may not be entertaining in the conventional sense, it is unquestionably a very powerful and absorbing drama which is also profoundly existential.