Bring me Alfredo Garcia's head

Mexican politician El Hefe (with Spanish. - "The Boss") offers a million dollars to the one who brings him the head of Alfredo Garcia - a gigolo, from whom his daughter became pregnant. Two months later, two killers of El Hefe are met in one of the taverns by Benny, a retired officer who earns his living playing the piano. They ask him about Garcia, but Benny replies that he doesn't know anything about him.

Benny meets with his girlfriend, a prostitute Elite, who confesses that she cheated on Garcia, who promised to marry her. Elite reports that a week ago, a drunk Garcia crashed in a car. The next day, Benny meets at the hotel with the killers of El Hefe and makes a deal with them for ten thousand dollars for Garcia’s head. Then he convinces Elita to go to the grave of Garcia, ostensibly just to make sure that he is dead and does not threaten their relationship. Along the way, Benny makes an offer to Elite, promising that life will change soon and she will no longer engage in prostitution.

On the way to Benny and Elite, two bikers who plan to rape the Elite stick. Benny manages to kill both.

In the village of Benny and Elite find the grave of Garcia. At night, Benny digs up the coffin, but suddenly gets hit with a shovel on the back of the head. When he awoke, he finds himself half-dug in a grave with the dead Elite. Garcia's body is decapitated.

Benny is looking for the kidnappers of Garcia's head, kills them and takes his head. Stopping at a roadside hotel, he fills the bag with his head in ice and begins to communicate with his head as if Garcia was alive. On the way, Benny is overtaken by members of the Garcia family and demanding that they give up their head, but the killers of El Hefe drive up. One of them shoots almost all members of the Garcia family, but he himself was mortally wounded by one of them. Benny kills the second and continues the way, all the while arguing with his head.

Benny arrives at the hotel where a ten thousand dollar deal was made. But the reward for him is no longer the main thing, rather he is driven by a thirst for revenge for the Elite, and he intends to crack down on all those involved in the hunt for Garcia’s head. He manages to shoot all the people of El Hefe in a hotel room, after which he finds on the table a card with the address of El Hefe.

El Hefe meets Benny as a hero and hands him a suitcase with a million dollars. Benny calmly talks about how many people died because of the head, including his beloved; El Hefe, impassively tells him to take the money, and throw Garcia's head to the pigs. Furious, Benny kills El Hefe’s bodyguards, and then himself. After taking his head, Benny makes a desperate attempt to escape, but he is shot in a car near the gate of the house.

• Warren Oates - Benny
• Isela Vega - Elite
• Robert Webber - Sappensley
• Gig Young - Johnny Quill
• Helmut Dantin - Max
• Emilio Fernandez - El Hefe
• Chris Kristofferson - biker
• Chano Urueta - Mansho, bartender
• Jorge Roussek - Cueto

Pekingpa was working on Ballad of Kable Hoge , when his longtime friend, screenwriter Frank Kowalski, suggested the idea for the film: “I have a great name:“ Bring me a head ... ”, - and called some other name, - salt is that the guy is already dead. " ^[2] Pekingpa liked the name, and he began writing the script at the same time, continuing to work in England during the filming of The Straw Dogs . Pekingapa offered the script to producer Martin Baum, who founded his own independent company Optimus Productions and entered into a contract with United Artists .

Work on the film began in mid-August 1973 in Mexico City . With few exceptions, the crew was completely Mexican. When searching for Pekingpa's nature, he was guided by an instinctive desire to show his own — realistic, unvarnished — perception of Mexico.

Filming began in late September 1973 and ended three days before Christmas. In the October issue of Variety magazine, Pekingap was quoted as follows: “For me, Hollywood no longer exists. He became a story. I decided to stay in Mexico, because I believe that I can make my films here with greater freedom ” ^[2] . The film and television workers' unions openly condemned this statement at the National Conference in Detroit and threatened "Alfredo Garcia" with a boycott. In his defense, Pekingpa declared that he had been misquoted.

The film was universally crushed by critics who accused Peckippe of overflowing sadism and insanity (the only exception was Roger Ebert ^[3] ).

The film completely failed at the box office, but over the years has acquired the status of a cult. In a black humor and satirical clichés on a road movie and a buddy film, some critics see the anticipation of a surrealist, obsessive cruelty humor of such directors as David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino (for example, Benny plays a significant part of the film in Mexico City and talks with a severed head).

Movies

• Eight heads in one bag (dir. Tom Shulman , 1997)
• Bring Me Mavis Davis Head (dir. John Henderson , 1997)
• Three Graves (dir. Tommy Lee Jones , 2005)
• Hostel (dir. Eli Roth , 2005)

Music

In the album of the “ Aquarium ” group “ Careless Russian Tramp ” ( 2006 ) there is a song “The Head of Alfredo Garcia” with a chorus “Bring away the head of Alfredo Garcia from here” .

• " Bring Alfredo Garcia's Head to Me ” (Eng.) On the Internet Movie Database  
• Bring my head to Alfredo Garcia (English) on the site allmovie