Original subtitles

This story is inspired by real events.

The people and events shown were created for artistic purposes.

Any similarity to reality is purely coincidental.

[general, in Spanish] I'd die for Parral.

[person] Don't say that, General.

[general] I always say that.

A long time ago, a Holy Child told me not to come back to this place

due to a dream I had.

But dreams are just that. Dreams, aren't they?

Look, they put a levee in.

[pedestrian] Long live General Pancho Villa!

[pedestrian 2] Viva!

[Villa] My life has always been a tragedy, a hunt.

[Villa] They killed me on July 20, 1923.

At least that's what the cowards thought,

but they didn't dare look into the eyes of the man they were trying to kill.

PANCHO VILLA CENTAUR OF THE NORTH

[Villa] General Porfirio Díaz became President

when Benito Juárez died in 1872.

He appointed himself president.

And he loved governing so much, he reelected himself over and over again.

No less than eight times.

Backed by police and military, he governed with an iron fist.

His family and friends took on high positions and became wealthy.

Meanwhile, in the rest of the country,

landowners exploited and controlled laborers and their families' lives.

He gained favor with European powers and the United States,

allowing them to exploit our mines, railways, and large swaths of land.

Any attempt to disclose this ended in unofficial massacres,

shootings or executions.

The supreme order was: Kill them immediately.

Cogojito Ranch, Durango, 1894.

[cow moos]

-[donkey brays] -[goat bleats]

[foreman] I don't care if it's little. Get to work or I'll make you.

[laborer] How can I?

[foreman] Quit your whining, fucking Indian.

-[laborer groans] -[laborer 2] Hey, look, your nephew.

[foreman] Hey, asshole, get to work.

What are you looking at? Come on. Get to work.

No way you understand that.

I do. My dad taught me.

And you? Can you read?

-Well... Well, very little. -[child] Doroteo! Doroteo.

Run home.

Mr. Agustín is harassing Marianita.

Please leave, Mr. Agustín. Why do you want to take Marianita?

Don't be greedy.

[Agustín] It's my right as owner of these lands, Micaela.

What's wrong? Your daughter is beautiful.

-[groans] She's an adult now. -[Marianita cries]

What are you doing here, Doroteo? Go back to work.

[whimpers]

[Agustín grunts]

What? If you dare disrespect me, they'll hang you, fucking Indian.

-[Micaela screams] -[Agustín groans]

Run away, Doroteo. Run away, Son.

[Agustín groans]

-[horse whinnies] -Get him, get him!

Call the police!

Let's go! Let's go!

[horse nickers]

[horse whinnies]

-[groans] -[gunshot]

[gunshots]

Whoa. Whoa, whoa. Whoa.

Here, together.

-Did you see him fall? -Yes, General.

He'll die anyway.

Let's go!

[wolves howling]

[rain pattering]

[thunder rumbling]

[wolf snarling]

[growling]

[howls]

[growls]

[panting]

[hoofbeats approaching]

[horse blusters]

Quiet, horse.

Where to, friend?

That's my horse.

I didn't know that.

I just found it. I'll get down, but keep calm.

[scoffs]

Ignacio Parra.

I'm Doroteo Arango.

This is my buddy, Refugio Alvarado.

What's a kid like you doing hiding in a cave like this,

all scraped up and with a gun that ran out of bullets?

Are you security or police?

[both laugh]

And what are you?

Are you hiding?

What'd you do?

I shot the landowner's son twice.

[Refugio] Oh, wow! The kid's cheeky, man.

You know you could be hanged for what you did?

He disrespected my little sister.

Ah, no, well that's terrible.

They'll be looking for you for a while.

We're used to it, right, man?

[laughs] Ain't it so.

Let's go.

Wait.

Can I go with you?

Now I'm homeless, and I need to go far.

For a bit, eh.

Know how to use this?

Of course.

I've been killing rats and rabbits since I was a kid.

Hey, Son, killing small animals isn't the same as killing a man.

If things go wrong, it has to be done.

Understood?

All right.

I'm here to learn and do whatever you say.

Just tell me where to put a bullet.

[laughs] Giddy up then.

[sniffs] We have to move to another state

because it's never a good idea to sleep in one place for too long, eh?

Gotta learn, kid.

Let's go.

Hey, but I don't have a horse.

[Parra laughs]

-[horse whinnies] -[rancher] Come back, bastards.

-[Parra] Let's go. -[rancher] My horses.

-[gunshots] -[horse whinnies]

-[Parra] Hurry, hurry. -[Refugio shouts]

[Parra] Tell us how you want this to go.

The easy way or the hard way?

And remind your bosses that these lands were ours

until the government gave it to them.

So, I think a few animals seems fair.

Get down!

If I were you, I wouldn't move.

-[rooster crows] -Let's go.

-[Villa] I figured you'd kill them. -[Parra] Why?

Even bandits should be honorable.

Hurry, get the others. Go.

Hurry up!

What are you taking from here?

Whatever we can get out of this ground, Doroteo.

The minerals are Mr. Burkhead's.

[sighs] The mules take it all to the border.

[Parra] What? Too little for you?

I've never even held a hundred pesos in my hands.

Well, get used to it.

But not too much, eh?

And above all,

never, ever bite the hand that feeds.

-Got it? -Of course, Mr. Tigre.

You're already like family to me.

Exactly. Exactly.

Now I'm like... [sniffs] ...like a father.

And if you do things right, one day you'll be like a father to others.

You'll protect them.

But be careful not to let in any snakes.

And how do you know if that happens?

Easy, kid.

Long gazes, short steps and bad intentions.

Let's go.

-No. -What? What, you aren't man enough?

No, I'm a man, but I just don't drink.

-Is that a problem? -No, not at all.

-Better for us, right, man? -[laughs]

-More for us. -Exactly.

-[Parra] Relax. -[Refugio] Get up.

-Over here. -If you don't move...

Some years later.

-...nothing will happen to you. -[Refugio] Faster.

Hurry, man.

[Villa] And as the years passed, the family grew,

and so did our earnings.

Look, it was well-hidden, but I found it.

[chattering]

[Villa] But so did our notoriety.

WANTED - IGNACIO PARRA MACÍAS $15,000.00 REWARD

I never thought a fugitive life would take me this far.

We crossed every mountain countless times.

I even learned where every cave was.

And I knew the routes like the palm of my hand.

From the highest mountain to the end of the earth.

But I began to miss my family.

I have a family matter. Will you wait for me?

All right, we'll wait for you in the shade.

All right, see you soon.

-[bird chirps] -[knocks on door]

[horse whinnies]

Doroteo.

Son.

I thank God for protecting you.

They talk about you and your friends even at mass.

It was a good thing Mr. Agustín recovered.

But if they see you, they'll grab you, so be careful.

Look what I brought you.

Oh, my son.

Where did you get this money?

If you keep hanging with those guys, it'll be the end of you.

Robbery is wrong, Doroteo. You know I've always told you that.

Destiny brought me here. I'm not looking for forgiveness.

The desire to help my family came out of my suffering.

And I prefer being a bandit to having my family want for anything.

Fine, that's all right.

Where's my little sister?

She left.

[Villa] She left? Where'd she go?

With Santos Llano.

The policeman.

My sister with a police officer.

-The ones who chased me. -She didn't know that.

She was told you fell off a cliff.

Time went by, and they offered to protect her.

Protect her from what?

Give me your blessing, and it'll be God's will.

Doroteo.

Bring her to me.

Take the money.

[horse blusters]

[Marianita] Santos. Santos!

-Who are they? -I don't want to know.

-Get in the house and don't leave. -[gunshot]

Doroteo, what are you doing here?

I'm here to end you, shameless fool.

Santos, I hope you remember me because we have some unfinished business.

We're going to be married lawfully, I swear.

Well, this is what's right because it's too late.

-[gunshot] -[Marianita screams, whimpers]

No, Santos. Santos!

[Villa] Refugio!

Take my sister to my mother's house.

-She'll tell you where she lives. -[Marianita sobbing] Santos.

[Villa] Get up.

[sobs] Kill me too!

Go and take care of our mother and our siblings.

That's your duty.

[Refugio] Don't sway me.

[Marianita sobbing] Santos.

-[horse whinnies] -[sobbing continues]

[elder] Shh. [groans]

-[Parra] What are you bringing there? -Bread. Let me pass.

-Sell us a bit. -[elder] I can't.

I'm taking it to the Santa Isabel estate. It's for the owners.

Oh, well if it's for the landowners, give it to us.

Those bastards are always robbing bread from the poor.

I'll take care of my own business. Move, asshole.

[Reza exhales]

[elder groans]

-[body thuds] -[horse whinnies]

That wasn't right, Reza.

Of course it wasn't right. He who insults me, dies.

Well, man. Men have been killed for less. It's nothing.

[Villa] You had to kill a man for bread?

You told me once that even bandits should be honorable.

Oh, Doroteo. At this point you should know that on these lands, lives are worthless.

If Reza was offended,

it's his right to rectify it.

That's his way. His honor.

Well, I don't think killing an unarmed man is at all honorable.

[Reza] You'll see one day, Doroteo.

And if you're going to shoot, I hope you have enough bullets

and speed to kill us all.

Well, if that's how it is,

I'm done here.

I just hope you don't shoot me in the back as I leave.

I've saved every one of your lives.

And more than once.

If I saw, I won't say.

[smacks lips]

-[horse whinnies] -[Villa clicks tongue]

So, now what? Should I take him?

[horse whinnies]

No.

A man who earned our respect that way

shouldn't die like that.

[Villa] What are you carrying?

[merchant] Medicinal syrups.

[Villa] And for protection?

Are you gonna say "the hand of God"?

There's a lot of robbery around here.

And let me tell you, I don't like lies.

[merchant] They're not mine. They belong to the warehouse owner.

[Villa] Let's see.

Pass them over. Carefully.

[guns cock]

You're right.

There are a lot of attacks round these parts.

That's why we're here.

Wanna pull the trigger?

It'll be two of us that die today.

Good move.

What's your name?

Pancho. Francisco.

Francisco what?

[Villa] I realized that if they knew my real name, they'd share it.

Not sure how I thought of my grandfather's last name.

Villa.

Pancho. Pancho Villa.

Do you know that name, men?

Good thing.

It's too early for justice the way Mr. Porfirio likes it.

[Villa] That justice was simple.

They'd take you to an abandoned road

and just shoot you in the back.

And then say that you ran away.

[head guard] Oh, whoa.

[Villa] They called it the runaway law.

[head guard] Do you want water, prisoner?

While I take a piss.

Turn around. Leave me alone.

Done. Let's go.

[Villa] Maybe I got off easy 'cause I surrendered without shooting.

What's clear, the judge didn't have me shot.

Attention, soldiers. Steady your grip.

[Villa] But I was sentenced to the barracks.

-Aim. -[guns cock]

-Fire! -[gunshots, echoing]

Soldier Villa, to the front.

You are a good shot. You've shot before, right?

Well, more or less.

I'm promoting you to instructor. What do you think?

Fine.

-[Villa] I lasted a year. -[soldier] Come here.

[Villa] Our fun was mostly cockfights.

I learned a lot from the captain who was good to me.

-[soldier] Let's go! -[crowd cheers]

[Villa] But the rest was about harsh rules and punishments.

It wasn't for me.

So I stole rope for the horses' muzzles

and got to work.

[panting]

[steam engine chugging]

[train whistle blows]

[Villa] As a deserter, I became a bricklayer,

a shopkeeper and even a miner, without any experience.

-[miner 1] Hey. -[miner 2] Careful.

-[Villa screams, groans] -[miner 3] Víctor!

[Villa groans]

[in English] Good Lord!

The doctor. [in Spanish] Go get him.

[miner 3] Yes, sir.

-[Villa groans] -[in English] Take it easy, Pancho.

[in Spanish] It could be gangrene.

If that's the case, I'd have to cut to here.

[Villa] You cut my leg, and I'll wring your neck.

[nun] Son.

Doctor, I'll cure him.

[Villa] And if science won't allow for that?

[nun] I'm going to get black nightshade.

[Villa] I heard it's poisonous.

[nun] If the devil uses it, it is.

[wolf howls]

[Villa groans]

You going back to the mine?

Things happen for a reason.

I almost lost my foot.

-I should go back to what I know. -And what's that?

You remind me a lot of my mother. I miss her.

May the Virgin Mary guide you.

Thanks for everything.

[Villa] And that's how I returned to my unknown path of known suffering.

As soon as I could, I returned to my hometown to see my mom.

-[dog barking] -[rooster crows]

A few more years had passed.

I don't even know how many.

[Villa] Hipólito.

Look at you. You're so grown up.

Doroteo. Well, who told you?

Who told me what?

Our mother...

passed away this morning.

They are preparing her for the funeral.

[Villa sighs]

-Take me to her. -There's a lot of police waiting for you.

[horse nickers]

[dog barking]

[Villa] After a while, I returned to Chihuahua.

I tried honest work again.

But I couldn't make ends meet.

The government scum fined you for everything.

And they hoarded meat at the market.

Hey, I'll give you this one for free.

I ended up with almost nothing.

[goat bleats]

Like I said, I'm saving you from doing laundry.

Undoubtedly.

I follow through.

To make matters worse,

those who were looking for me found me again.

Mr. Francisco Villa?

I think I saw him over there.

[gunshot]

[both panting]

[officer] Did you see a man go by here?

[rooster crows]

[officer exhales]

I'll see you later, honey.

Good evening.

[door creaks]

How cold is it outside?

-It's weak, isn't it? -Aye.

Have a sotol to warm up. My treat.

-Hey, sir... -No. Thank you.

I'd prefer a coffee.

Well, everyone has a vice, right?

A coffee for my friend here.

Tomás Urbina. Nice to meet you. And you?

-Pancho Villa. -[Urbina grunts]

Thank you.

[Urbina] Tell me, man.

What brings you to San Bartolo so late at night?

Just passing through.

-And you? -Same.

Just passing through.

They say that those who are out this late are sons of the night.

Like...

Like wolves, hmm?

You carry a good revolver.

[wolf howls]

You too.

[Urbina] What are you looking at?

Don't worry, man. [laughs]

Hey.

Tell me something.

Do you like livestock?

Aye.

Well, what do you know?

I know a ranch down the road,

and I feel like they have some extra livestock, hmm?

Understand?

I think we understand each other now.

[Urbina] Aye.

-Cheers. -Cheers.

[Villa] The next day we stole two horses and many cows.

And that's how a long and strong friendship began.

[crickets chirp]

[horse whinnies]

[Urbina snores]

[rural guard] Let's see if he already left.

Follow the tracks... [continues, indistinct]

[rural guards chattering]

-[Villa] Urbina? -Mmm?

-[Villa] Urbina, get up. -Mmm.

-[Villa] The police. -[mumbles]

-Be quiet and get up now. -I told you they were coming.

-Get up. -[Urbina groans]

-[Villa] Shh. Shh. -[Urbina] Damn.

Another damn bottle or what?

I don't like alcohol because of this shit.

[Villa] We rambled on like this throughout Chihuahua and Durango.

The police behind us the whole way.

Sometimes we shared what we stole with the poor.

And they would protect us. Hide us.

They'd give them red herrings.

-For school notebooks. -Thank you.

-That's it, man. -Let's go, man.

[Villa] I wanted to take my earnings and rest.

So I built a three-room adobe home with my own two hands.

Modest as it was, it was like having my own palace.

Hello. I brought you a bottle of sotol.

One of those that'll knock you out. Hmm?

Listen, friend, when I was coming here,

I think I saw someone watching you.

[dog barks]

No, if they had recognized me,

they'd have come already, no?

[sighs] I don't know about you, Pancho,

but I would've gotten tired of running already.

Well, yes.

Well, I know someone on the other side of the border.

He could give us work and protection.

What do you think?

Eh? What do you think of your elite baseball, Doroteo?

The best, Mr. Burkhead.

But call me Pancho Villa.

[patrons chattering]

[Burkhead, in English] It's a good name.

Pancho "Vila."

[Villa] Villa.

[in Spanish] Here, let me introduce you to my friend, Urbina.

He knows a lot about roosters. He's a handler.

He's also an expert at card games.

He is trustworthy.

So, if you need anything, he and I are at your service.

-[chattering continues] -[Urbina] Absolutely.

So tell me, sir. In addition to mining, you also manage cockfights?

[Burkhead] I like to gamble.

My favorite game:

-[in English] Rooster fights. -[Urbina laughs]

[in Spanish] So, I need to get my animals across the border.

Among other things.

Well, exactly.

We can take your birds and other things across the border.

You just tell us how much.

Three dollars a week.

[in English] Each one.

[in Spanish] And if other things come up, well, more.

[chattering continues]

Well...

-Cheers. -It's done. Cheers.

[Burkhead] Cheers.

[in English] Those are my boys right there.

[chattering, laughter]

[cardplayer, in Spanish] Okay, let's start playing.

A bunny rabbit. [laughs]

There it is. We won again.

-[Urbina] No, Pancho? -We did it.

-[Villa] I'm getting another. -[Urbina] Go.

[Villa] Sometimes there were problems with the miners.

So we'd resolve matters for Mr. Burkhead.

[Urbina] Hey, come here. Come on.

I can speak with my friend Mr. Burkhead so he can improve conditions.

Even though I know you've been stealing.

And that nonsense doesn't fly with me.

You know me. You'd better get to work.

Trust me. I will trust you.

Otherwise, my friend Urbina here...

will have a little chat with those who don't comply.

And we don't want that, do we?

Of course not, man.

[person] Come on. Go.

[crowd shouting, cheering]

[Burkhead shouting, in English]

[gambler 1, in Spanish] Green! Go, green! Get him, let's go!

[gambler 2] Let's go! Let's go, red!

[shouting continues]

[Villa] We started doing so well,

that soon we earned much more than we agreed on with the American.

[cheering continues]

[in English] Yes, yes, yes! Go! Go! Go!

[gambler 1, in Spanish] Grab him, green! Go!

[Burkhead cheering]

[Villa] Only some kisses? I'll save you from selling peanuts.

Better yet, tomorrow we'll marry and make it right.

[horse whinnies]

-[Urbina] Hey, man. -[Villa] Wait, man.

-No, man. -Wait.

-Go. Run! -What?

They caught up to us. Run.

[gun cocks]

[Villa] The problem with cheating is people cheat you back.

And then you have to settle accounts before the blood reaches the river.

[Burkhead cheering]

[Villa] Especially your own.

[crowd chattering]

-[gun cocks] -[gunshots]