Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

With this film, Peckinpah returned to the type of violence that made a name Peckinpah economically profitable for the Majors. Maintains all the lyrical power present in the work of Peckinpah and nihilism that often accompanies its protagonists. But "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" is also the most romantic movie of how many did the Californian and the resulting mixture of the best films of this author: enemy of the world and a lover of alcohol.

Warren Oates is responsible for making peckimpanian sum up the world of Bennie, the best character (along with Pike's "Wild Bunch") of the complete filmography of the director. In "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" there are no half measures or there are subtleties. It's a dirty movie, full of dust that the director portrays regardless. It is a story of losers whose hopes always reborn with the next drink. In the film, Bennie has closed a deal. The mercenary says:
-A failed, referring to Bennie
- No one fails all the time, answer this without getting angry.

Sam Peckinpah's speaking, of course.

Bennie developments throughout the film is masterful. When the story begins Bennie believes the money found in the ability to change course, but eventually realize that his only friend is the head of Alfredo Garcia (friendship was a topic that Peckinpah was quite important. Instead of portraying such relationship so funny, the director describes this unusual relationship and the birth of a strong and heartfelt friendship), and he's been dead much longer than I thought.

What is not so common in Peckinpah's films there is romance in this movie. One would think that a director who was able to film a rape openly in the early seventies (Straw Dogs) can not have an ounce of romanticism. But the truth is that Sam Peckinpah was a way of narrating the romance as special as his way of showing violence. While "The Getaway" reunion (sexual) McQueen and MacGraw is endowed with great crumb, not be overcome at the scene where Bennie and Elita (Isela Vega) take a picnic under the shade of a tree. There is love and the viewer feel full. It is the most important scene of the movie because without that scene, would not understand the change of Bennie.

There is another scene later that exudes nihilism when the two are in a filthy room near the cemetery. Here, unlike the previous one, the dialogue is terse, but the viewer does not need more to understand the tears of Elita.

This is probably the most personal film by Sam Peckinpah. A story absurd and surreal thriller halfway between the western and a road movie. Here Peckinpah unleashes everything that characterizes his film, chaos in the narrative, great psychological burden and ambiguity in the main characters, the figure of the anti-hero or loser, female characters without gender bias, extreme violence but with great lyrical charge of destiny or fate. Sam Peckinpah shows us the stark reality through dusty roads, sweat, blood, rugged landscapes, seedy slums, crabs, whores or the religious fervor of the Mexicans. Warren Oates is great in the role of loser who seeks reward for the head of Alfredo Garcia. Also participating actors as usual director Robert Webber, Gig Young and Kris Kristofferson and his cast with Isela Vega Mexican favorite, Emilio Fernandez and Chano Ureta. The script is Peckinpah's own along with his assistant Gordon Dawson. The music, apart from some ballads and songs sound mejicanas, features a score by Jerry Fielding also common. The photograph was taken by Alex Phillips. Note that there is no abuse of deaths too idle, frequent use in Peckinpah's films in those years.
Sam Peckinpah created a work without compromise, the universe embodied in a story full of lyricism, chaos and violence that will delight lovers of this great filmmaker.


8/10