I Am Sam

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (Sam Peckinpah, 1974)

File Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) as a film I thought I’d watched, but really hadn’t until now. Its opening sequence, portraying a pregnant woman subjected to torture by the henchmen of her Mexican overlord father, El Jefe (Emilio Fernández); who demands to know the identity of the man responsible for getting her up the duff. This scene immediately triggers the Mandela Effect of a Zapata Western that I had imagined seeing in the past. However, a deliberate misdirection follows: the film swiftly establishes a contemporary setting, with vehicles racing off and a jet taking off once it is revealed that the father of the unborn child is someone called Alfredo Garcia, for whom a $1,000,000 bounty has been offered by the furious overlord. Thus, the premise of the film is established.

Two American bounty hunters, Sappensly (Robert Webber) and Johnny Quill (Gig Young), enter a Mexican saloon in search of information regarding Alfredo Garcia’s location. They encounter Bennie (Warren Oates), a former U.S. Army officer currently employed as a piano performer in the bar. It turns out Bennie might be able to help them when he is offered $10,000 to find Garcia. Bennie gets his longtime, prostitute girlfriend, Elita (Isela Vega), involved. She once had an affair with the elusive, Latin Lothario. She also reveals to Bennie that he died in a car accident very recently. Thus, the couple go on a road trip to find Alfredo Garcia’s grave and obtain his head.

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia may be regarded as Sam Peckinpah’s personal interpretation of The Odyssey. Following the establishment of the principal characters, the plot unfolds like a road film, in which Bennie and Elita traverse the Mexican countryside, towards Garcia’s village. Along the way, they encounter a series of vivid figures, including two predatory motorcyclists, one portrayed by Kris Kristofferson, who attempt to rape Elita before Bennie dispatches them both.

The film also serves as a narrative of Bennie’s personal evolution. Initially characterised by heavy drinking and recklessness, he begins to acknowledge his shortcomings. His intention to make amends manifests in a commitment to marry Elita. This journey of earnest reflection shifts dramatically upon locating Garcia’s grave; without revealing plot details, notwithstanding the film’s age, Bennie becomes driven by a desire for retribution and the pursuit of final restitution.

The fine line between toxic masculinity and the aesthetic appreciation of Sam Peckinpah’s hyper-masculine cinema presents an obvious paradox. On the one hand, his output, particularly his genre-focused films of the 1970s, exemplifies violent misogyny; on the other, few filmmakers have examined the very elements of male machismo with such comparable depth quite like him. Therefore, films such as The Wild Bunch (1969), Straw Dogs (1971), and Cross of Iron (1977) transcend beyond just being portrayals of chauvinistic violence and intoxication, as proclaimed by easily offended cinephiles.

Ironically, the character of Bennie appears to function as a self-insertion of his co-creator/director. Peckinpah’s depiction of a man grappling with internal conflicts and seeking respite through alcohol mirrored his very own demons.

Warren Oates’s weathered face epitomises the gritty aesthetic of 1970s cinema. His rugged, hellraiser lifestyle proved advantageous in portraying the thoroughly dishevelled Bennie. He is a character who has hit rock bottom. The depiction of Bennie evokes an immediate sensory impression of sweat and alcohol, mirroring the visual olfactory resonance of Gary Bond’s John Grant in Wake in Fright (1971). Above all, the two characters are inextricably linked with deep psychological issues. Which more or less makes Bennie the perfect avatar of Peckinpah in what is undoubtedly his most personal film. However, it’s highly doubtful Peckinpah ever drove around with a rotting severed head in his car and had conversations with it.

Isela Vega is impeccably cast as Elita, a multifaceted character who understands Bennie more profoundly than he understands himself. Typical of a Peckinpah production, her role endures the director’s characteristic brutality. Vega’s ability to project authentic strength in a character who is largely unclothed throughout the film, renders her performance particularly remarkable. Her rapport with Warren Oates elevates the production beyond the conventions of a standard road movie. This quality prompted Peckinpah to select her over his initial choice, Aurora Clavel, who featured in his classic Western The Wild Bunch.

Although this neo-Western initially started somewhat sluggish, it improved drastically once Bennie and Elita embarked on their journey to locate Alfredo Garcia’s grave. Research into the production revealed that Sam Peckinpah continually revised scenes during filming; he even changed the ending following a discussion with his on-set biographer. Such abrupt modifications can affect a film’s coherence; however, having read about the original conclusion, Peckinpah definitely made a wise change. The finale left a sobering impression on me long after the credits.

In retrospect, I kind of regret not having seen this film until now. However, I do feel fortunate to have experienced a genuine, gritty 1970s thriller of this calibre for the first time. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia exemplifies the type of cinema I wish were still produced today; uncompromised by millennial writing or the constraints of political correctness. Sadly, it’s doubtful the film industry would even accept a film maker like Sam Peckinpah in its environment today.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

The Furious (Kenji Tanigaki, 2025/2026)

As an aficionado of onscreen violence, I am particularly drawn to action films that feature intense combat sequences, copious amounts of pain and a dash of blood or two. Fortunately, acclaimed fight choreographer Kenji Tanigaki, who was involved in one of your host’s favourite action films in recent years - Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024), has transitioned to film directing and has subsequently delivered an action-packed bruiser that’s a summer riot.

The Furious (2025/2026) follows Wang Wei (Xie Miao), a mute, Chinese handyman working “Somewhere in Southeast Asia” (the location is intentionally left vague), as he embarks on a mission to rescue his young daughter, Rainy (Yang Enyou), from child traffickers. He forms an alliance with Navin (Joe Taslim), who shares a similar motive in finding his missing journalist wife. The premise is straightforward and the plot is not particularly complex. The narrative’s simplicity justifies the pair’s decision to launch a series of devastating assaults on numerous machete-wielding adversaries in locations connected to the trafficking leader Paklung’s (Joey Iwanaga) operation.

Wei may lack the ability of speech, but martial arts skills do all the necessary talking in his quest to retrieve his daughter. Throughout his journey with Navin, the extent of the trafficking operation’s reach is revealed, including the corrupt police captain who remains indifferent as desperate children attempt to escape from a dilapidated apartment building known as The Snake Pit.

The fight scenes are choreographed with expert precision; drawing the eye deeper into the intensity of the battle. The impact of every punch, kick and weapon used is viscerally wince-inducing. Bones are shattered, blood is spilt, and in some cases, body parts are severed. This is back from the pub heaven for your humble host. Meteor Cheung’s cinematography is characterised by a fluid dynamic that mirrors the chaotic visual spectacle of the unrelenting action that occurs on screen.

Diminutive Miao’s strict kung fu discipline is contrasted with Taslim’s more erratic judo skills. When Wei mistakenly identifies Navin as a child trafficker, the pair briefly engage in a fight. A comedic moment occurs when Miao removes his jacket as he warms up to unleash pain. To Navin’s relief, he realises that Wei shares a similar objective and they subsequently team up. For fans of the game-changing martial arts classic The Raid (2011), Taslim has a rematch with the indomitable Yayan Ruhian. The latter plays a ruthless henchman to Paklung; who wields a deadly bow, upping the bloody gore quota considerably. However, Brian Le almost steals the film as the bald, dungaree-clad Ho, a strong and persistent antagonist who is more than a match for the combined skills of Wei and Navin. Ho is instrumental in the film’s unforgettable pièce de résistance; consisting of an epic two versus two versus one rumble.

The English dubbing may be an issue for some viewers. While it did not detract from my enjoyment of the film, it was sufficiently noticeable to warrant mentioning it for this review. Apparently, there is a Mandarin language version of the film; one that includes some different scenes. This is enough to interest me in determining which might be the better cut of the film in the foreseeable future. Although, given The Furious is a martial arts film of a very high calibre, it's a win for action film fans, regardless of which version they watch.

The Furious is an excellent martial arts film. Blending the premise of Taken with the intense action of The Raid, and if that justifies it with the label of dadsploitation movie by some, then so be it. Hail to 2026's big daddy of action flicks!

A Million Bucks or Chunks of Meat?

Night of the Juggler (Robert Butler, Sidney J. Furie, 1980)

Robert Butler and Sidney J. Furie’s Night of the Juggler (1980) doesn't feature any juggling in it. Also, very little of it is set at night. What it is, however, is a tough, frenetic and very gritty crime thriller set in New York City during the late 1970s. Furthermore, it serves as a perfect snapshot of the urban metropolis and its people from this period, in a similar vain to The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), Ms. 45 (1981) and Wild Style (1982). All films which also received the 4K UHD treatment this year. 

In the heart of New York City's Central Park, a teenage girl is snatched by ruthless psychopath, Gus Saltic (Cliff Gorman). He's set his sights on a million dollar ransom for the city that he believes has wronged him. He refused to acknowledge the young girl he has abducted is not the daughter of a rich property developer, but of blue-collared truck driver and former ex-cop Sean Boyd (James Brolin). Boyd will do anything in his power to rescue his daughter from Saltic, including facing off with various seedy lowlifes and a cop who harbours a personal vendetta against him.

James Brolin’s wild mountain man look—shaggy hair, bushy beard and plaid shirt—seems intentional, almost designed to set him apart from the New Yorkers portrayed in the film. But since Night of the Juggler was shot in 1978, just before he starred in The Amityville Horror (1979), where he looked and dressed almost the same, I’d say that was merely Brolin’s fashion sense back then. His character, Sean Boyd is introduced as a bit of a cheeky Jack the Lad in the film. His early scenes show him decapitating a poor rat with a paper guillotine, saving the office secretaries from anymore distress. Following that, he purchases three hot dogs for breakfast for himself and his young daughter, Kathy (Abby Bluestone). The tough living of father and daughter is really touching, establishing the bond between the pair before the event of the kidnapping.

Boyd is almost unstoppable as he desperately tries to get his daughter back. The chase scenes both on foot and on wheels are exciting and thrilling. In one sequence, a sympathetic cabbie, played by a young Mandy Patinkin, seems to be having a blast weaving through New York traffic with Boyd. His Latin accent is like a sneak peek to his most famous line from his filmography.

In another scene, Boyd searches for a possible clue to find Saltic in a seedy peep show. It's delivered with comic effect as the desperate man has to feed coins into a machine to question a naked dancer, played by none other than the famous pornographic actress Sharon Mitchell, to chase a possible lead. A scene reminiscent of the Frankie Goes To Hollywood sequence from Body Double (1984).

Cliff Gorman appears to be having the time of his life as a racist psychotic antagonist. An odious individual, nicknamed by the South Bronx locals as The Moleman because he lives below the ruins of his tenement and lurks in the sewers. Saltic mistakes Boyd's daughter for the child of a wealthy property developer who he blames for ruining his area:

"All the rich bastards lie. That's how they get rich and that's how they stay rich. They're not putting anything over on me because I'm wise to their tricks with their taxes and bullshit and all the little games they play so good, huh? They're all in it together, juggling the books. Well now they're gonna pay. Now I'm gonna be the juggler. I'm gonna juggle the books my way and it's gonna balance out to me." Gus Saltic.

Gorman’s performance is incredibly menacing and deeply unsettling. His opening scene is him sitting at a diner, transforming his breakfast into a face and then ruining it with heaps of ketchup. You don’t need to be a psychiatrist to realise he’s playing a complete nutter. Another wonderful detail about Gorman’s madman is his giggle, which is reminiscent of Renfield’s iconic laugh from Dracula (1931). 

Ironically, he would play a polar opposite character as a compassionate detective in the part after-school special, part sleazy crime thriller Angel (1984).    

Richard Castellano, best known for playing Clemenza in The Godfather (1972), portrays Lieutenant Tonelli, the typical world-weary cop, who is both helpful and a hindrance for Boyd. He even keeps Saltic in the dark about the fact that he has kidnapped the wrong girl. Every movie cop has a little quirk or something odd about them; Tonelli’s is the headache from his daughter’s wedding plans. He talks about it all the time in the film, even using it as an excuse to call home while he’s conducting a phone tap.

Dan Hedaya plays Sergeant Barnes, the crooked cop who’s got a grudge against Boyd. Boyd snitched on him and destroyed his life. Thus, Sgt Barnes acts as a secondary antagonist in the film, and is quite possibly almost as unstable as Saltic. He recklessly shoots at Boyd with a shotgun on the busy streets, even though there are civilians everywhere. Plus, when he finally catches Boyd, he shows how little he cares about his former colleague’s daughter by refusing to send the police to her recently discovered location.

Finally, Maria (Julie Carmen) is a beautiful clerk at the dog pound who assists in locating Saltic. She feels for Boyd’s plight and joins him in his search for Kathy. This decision adds a further obstacle to the mix: the local Latino gang, who are not happy with a "gringo" on their turf with a Butter Pecan Rican. 

Night of the Juggler, based on William P. McGivern’s 1976 bestseller, had a rather bumpy journey to the screen. James Brolin got hurt on a stunt prop, which left him with a limp and a plaster cast. Sidney J. Furie wasn’t happy with how things were going and left after filming about a third of the movie. Robert Butler then took over. Filming begun in the summer of 1978, yet the finished product would not be released until two years later. The fast-paced chase in the first act isn't repeated for the rest of the film. But don’t worry, there are still some amazing moments too, like Boyd’s final showdown with Saltic.

Lieutenant Tonelli’s constant complaints about his daughter’s wedding feel a bit forced and predictable. Thankfully, they are not annoying enough to be irritating.

Seargeant Barnes might seem a bit out there in the film, though. Having a secondary antagonist among all the other challenges Boyd has to overcome to find his daughter is a bit much. Still, Hedaya’s performance is really memorable, no matter what.

Night of the Juggler is a film that really has earned its cult following. It’s a fascinating blend of sleaze, violence and a delightful nod to unapologetic film making seldom made today. Plus, its reputation really took off as a title that wasn’t given a proper home on physical media, other than being only available on VHS. Thankfully, this changed thanks to Kino Lorber in the US and Radiance’s new Transmission imprint in the UK.

I really enjoyed this. It's essentially "What if Taken was a Seventies film?" It felt like a trip down memory lane and it truly lived up to its reputation, even with a few obvious flaws. Night of the Juggler will definitely find appreciation by anyone who loves gritty crime thrillers from the 1970s and early 1980s. It’s packed with a dark and cynical atmosphere and keeps you on the edge of your seat with genuine suspense and tension. I’d definitely recommend it.

Kowloon Ruck

Twilight Warriors: Walled In (Soi Cheang, 2024)

Director Soi Cheang first came onto my radar with his Hong Kong crime thriller Limbo (2021). Despite its incredible production design and hyper-stylised noir aesthetic, the central core of the film was like every generic crime thriller involving the hunt for a serial killer. It was superficially alluring, at best. His latest film, adapted from a graphic novel known as City of Darkness, is also laced with fantastic visuals, but more importantly, it also has a more interesting plot.

Twilight Warriors: Walled In is set during the eighties in Hong Kong's shanty city of Kowloon. The historical region resembled a post-apocalyptic nightmare rather than an actual urban province. The gargantuan ramshackle is the basis for the film's amazing look. Within its corrugated walls is a densely populated feudal society with triad bosses acting like governing elders.

After being ripped off obtaining a fake ID card by Mr. Big (the legendary Sammo Hung still kicking arse in his seventies), Chan Lok-kwan (Raymond Chan) runs afoul of the triads by mistakenly snatching a bag of drugs thinking it was the money owed to him. The result is an epic chase fight into the Walled City, where the triads are prohibited from venturing in. Lok-kwan finds sanctuary in the urban shit hole to be temporary when he runs into another gang led by the chain smoking, martial arts master Cyclone (Louis Koo). After some more fighting, Lok-kwan goes through the motions of finding acceptance with the inhabitants of the Walled City.

The police free zone has its own laws and politics, which is fascinating during the downtime of not having a violent fight light up the screen. This also benefits the film's world building along with defining its central characters. There's a back story to Lok-kwan, which eventually leads to serious consequences for everyone living in Kowloon.

A refreshing concept is how Mr. Big isn't the major villain in the film. That duty falls to his maniacal second-in-command, King (Philip Ng), who looks like an Asian verison of Paul Calf. Controversially, King the power of invulnerability. He is impervious to lethal machete strikes, a sledgehammer to his skull, and can chew on red hot coal like it's a chicken nugget. This comic book style villain is more than a challenge for Lok-kwan and three of his comrades during the film's epically climactic showdown.

The fight choreography comes somewhere in between Steven Chao's cartoonish action in Kung Fu Hustle (2004) and the brutal grittiness of Gareth Evans' The Raid films. Thus, Twilight Warriors: Walled In does not disappoint with its entertaining action scenes. Did not expect the emotionally effective drama sequences, either. A good example is the brotherhood of Lok-kwan's inner circle: Shin (Terrance Lau), Twelfth Master (Tony Wu) and the masked AV (German Cheung). From playing mah jong to dispensing street justice to a prostitute killer, a tight bond is formed with the foursome, where they're willing to sacrifice themselves to prove it.

The film is superior to the average John Wick-core actioner, which has long outstayed its welcome. Of course, there is the potential of the comic book style combat being a turn off for some, but it more than makes sense considering it's based on an actual graphic novel. A rare win for comic book movies over the last few years.

Overall, Twilight Warriors: Walled In is a quality action film. Not only does it deliver an abundant amount of shit kicking, but it does it with resplendent glee. Apparently, there are another two films (one, a sequel; the other, a prequel) planned and this instalment has managed to get its hooks in, and left me willing to check them out too. Recommended.