Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

One of the most personal films from director Sam Peckinpah, this lurid and strange revenge tale stars Warren Oates as Bennie, a grubby lounge pianist playing for tourists in a Mexican dive when a couple of American hitmen (Robert Webber and Gig Young) saunter in looking for information on "an old friend." It turns out that a young peasant named Alfredo Garcia impregnated the daughter of a crime lord (Emilio Fernández) and now there is a bounty on his head. They offer Bennie $10,000 for proof that Garcia is dead (with his head as evidence) but the journey costs Bennie everything that matters as this pulp noir road movie thriller traveling through the Mexican desert ultimately takes a turn into brutal revenge drama. Bennie's not that bright but Peckinpah clearly loves this small-timer with his wrinkled white linen suit and clip-on tie and bad cantina sing-along songs. He may be a loser but he truly loves his philandering girl Elita (Isela Vega) and he develops more backbone with each stage of his odyssey, fueled by rage, tequila, and a perverse loyalty to the rotting head that he talks to like a father confessor. The film opened to scathing, outraged reviews (one notable exception was Roger Ebert, who called it "some kind of bizarre masterpiece"), but has since been embraced as a cult classic from a defiantly confrontational director. Extras include audio commentary by four Peckinpah historians. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)