Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

Peckinpah and Oates - A Winning Team, 21 March 2006

From IMDb, "A family scandal causes a wealthy and powerful Mexican rancher to make the pronouncement--'Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia!' Two of the bounty-hunters thus dispatched encounter a local piano-player in their hunt for information. The piano-player does a little investigating on his own and finds out that his girlfriend knows of Garcia's death and last resting place. Thinking that he can make some easy money and gain financial security for he and his (now) fiancée, they set off on this goal. Of course, this quest only brings him untold misery, in the form of trademark Peckinpah violence."

In general, I do not enjoy depressing movies. Life is tough enough without having to watch how bad someone else has it. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is no ordinary Hollywood movie where everything is okay in the end. There is no "happily ever after". This is dirty, depressing, and uncompromising. With Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Gardia, Peckinpah created one of his most violent and unforgettable films. Watching Warren Oates character Bennie is a lot like watching a car crash. It's all but impossible to look the other way. It's truly an outstanding performance by Oates. In fact, I'll go so far as to say it might be the single best piece of acting I've ever seen.

9/10