Warren Oates is given his ultimate star vehicle in Peckinpah's dark tale of a washed up petty hood and lounge pianist who sees a last chance for redemption in the dangerous bounty offered by a powerful local landowner. The film sets off on a drug-sodden road trip that inevitably turns sinister as desperate mercenaries compete for the promised fortune in a frenzy of savage greed that recalls The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, one of Peckinpah's favorite films. Although today Alfredo García’s unwavering nihilism seems wonderfully counterbalanced by the film's shaggy-dog narrative and visual style, the film's unusual tone resulted in a box office disaster, and Alfredo Garcia became the last of Peckinpah’s films that he would also write. The film’s stature has grown steadily over the years, and it now takes its rightful place in the top ranks of Peckinpah’s achievements and as an enduring cult favorite.