Ah, Sam Peckinpah, arthouse predecessor to Quentin Tarantino. I wondered whether this flick would be along the lines of The Wild Bunch, but it's not strictly a western: It takes place in the then-present of Mexico City.
It's a story of revenge, but not quite what the title suggests. Protagonist Bennie (Peckinpah staple Warren Oates) is only vaguely familiar with Alfredo as a past patron of his favorite prostitute, Elita. He's jealous, but his real motivation to hunt down "Al" is a bounty. Elita truthfully informs him that Al recently died already, so Bennie's task is to drive to the cemetery, dig up the head, and present it while it's still recognizable. (Don't worry; we never really see it.) This is not as easy as it sounds, what with other violent criminals either wanting the bounty for themselves or bent on retaining Al's dignity. By the end, Bennie has suffered enough that his real bone to pick is with his employers.
Who wants Alfredo dead and why, you ask? The Mexican equivalent of a mafia don, because Al impregnated his daughter. (Netflix says he broke her heart, but then why would El Jefe have to torture the name out of her?) The full reward is $1 million, but of course Bennie hears a much smaller figure from the middlemen.
It's not clear to me why two guys would hire a pianist/bartender as a hitman, except that he's a fellow American and looks slightly rebellious in his shades. He's also former military, but I don't think that comes up before they make the offer. Heck, he claims that Alfredo's name means nothing to him.
Indeed, quite a few actions in the film left me thinking, "Why did he/she/they do that?" Maybe my soul isn't corrupt enough to relate well to many Peckinpah characters. As in Straw Dogs, there is a sexual assault that the victim seems to enjoy; in this case (with a young Kris Kristofferson), it is less successful but more voluntary. I'm not sure which scene is more troubling, but at least they're supposed to be troubling.
Violent? Not constantly, but yes. Bennie's Army training pays off better than I'd expect in RL. Don't get too attached to anyone -- not that you're likely to anyway.
I can see how BMtHoAG first bombed and then became a cult hit. Despite a low budget, its cinematic quality has aged well. You just need a high tolerance for grit. Knowledge of Spanish helps a little, too.
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