Review of Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) by Aidan H — 28 Jan 2008

This the nastiest, dirtiest, seediest film noir ever made with Oates superb as the alcoholic, piano-playing loser living on tips in some Mexican hell-hole who parlays his hooker girlfriend's past relationship with the titular AG to scrape together some quick get-out-of-town cash.

To say things go disastrously wrong would be an understatement and Oates' character undergoes a most profound philosophical change that leads him to do the right thing with a fine and righteous bloody vengeance.

Overlooked by many critics, this, in my opinion, is Sam Pekinpah's greatest moment and one of my all-time favourite crime thrillers. Hard, brutish and a classic of the genre.