Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

After a powerful Mexican land baron places a million dollar bounty on the head of the man who impregnated his teenage daughter, an alcoholic American expat (Warren Oates) catches wind of the proposition and sets off on a brutal odyssey with his prostitute companion (Isela Vega) in tow to collect the severed appendage. Sam Peckinpah's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is a cold and empty low budget B-picture that features stylish, unrelenting violence and a great performance from a tired and worn Oates.

*** out of ****

The Wild Bunch

At the tail end of a nearly faded West, Pike and the few remaining members of his band of outlaws (William Holden and Ernest Borgnine, Ben Johnson, Warren Oates, and Jaime Sanchez) head south to Mexican territory following a botched robbery and being pursued by a posse led by an ex-gang member (Robert Ryan). There they become entangled with a powerful general and a railroad magnate, are forced to confront their values, and continue on to their impending, bloody destiny. Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch created a whirlwind of controversy when it was released in 1969. Viewing it today, although the violence now seems commonplace, it still creates a shock, both because of how well it is handled through quick cutting and slow motion techniques and from the actual message behind it. It features an excellent veteran cast of distinct, worn faces with Ryan standing out with an excellent performance.

Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron

Sam Peckinpah was a man consumed with violence and rage. His professional and private life were consumed with turmoil, and where their weren't issues he made them. Constantly at war with the studios, he fought to bring his vision to the movies, a vision where the true nature of violence was shown on the screen. His temper and his abuse of his body ultimately got the best of him and his friends and family still remembered him warmly, despite his many demons. Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron is a documentary on the great and troubled director, which interviews friends, family, and collaborators, and tries to figure out what made him tick. We hear from such associates as James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, Ali McGraw, L.Q. Jones, and Jason Robards, and gather what seems like an honest portrait of a brilliant and troubled man. The documentary is also fascinating in the way his filming methods discussed along with the readings from his personal journals. Sam Peckinpah's films such as The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs, influenced countless violent films to follow made by directors who had not as much to say.

Straw Dogs

A pacifistic mathematician receives a research grant and leaves turmoil ridden America with his wife to live in the British countryside where she grew up. In their pastoral and seemingly peaceful village they receive increasingly alarming harassment from the locals which builds up into a situation where he must embrace the harsh violence he has so vehemently rejected. Straw Dogs is another take on the subject of violence by Sam Peckinpah, the director who was so consumed by it and determined to see its true nature presented on the screen. Dustin Hoffman delivers a stellar and totally identifiable performance as we watch his character's journey from cowardice to courageousness as he endures torment not only from the vicious townspeople but also from his tempestuous wife. The movie is thoroughly engaging and several segments grab hold of your attention like few films I seen. Some scenes do get out of hand, such as the extended rape scene, which shows Peckinpah's misogynistic side, and the final scene in which Hoffman defends his house, which although satisfying, is overly violent and counteracts the rest of the more subtle film. Straw Dogs is absorbing statement on violence containing a decisive performance from Dustin Hoffman which should speak to anyone who watches it.