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| Once Upon a Time in Mexico |
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  (8/10)
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Runtime: 107 |
| Public Rating: 7.76 (366 votes) |
Director: Robert Rodriguez |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Action, Adventure |
Year: 2003 |
| Writer(s): Robert Rodriguez |
| Distributor: Columbia Pictures |
| Reviewed by: The Moose |
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Can it be true? Is the action flick set in the West making a come back in the local Cineplex? It sure appears that way with Kevin Costner’s Open Range rounding up nearly $50 million in tickets sales and now Robert Rodriguez returns to Mexico in the series that made him famous. Once Upon a Time in Mexico is technically the third film in what has been dubbed the El Mariachi series. Why technically? El Mariachi was the original student film made by Robert Rodriguez for only $7,000. When Sony picked up the rights to it and commissioned the new director to remake the film, Desperado ended up being more of a sequel then a remake. Rodriguez left the adult realm of filmmaking temporarily with much success helming the fruitful Spy Kids series. With Spy Kids 3-D Game Over grossing over $100 million at the box office a little over a month ago, the cult director hopes to double his success by finishing off the cult favorite series that started his career. But the question is whether he can transition back from the family genre to the more mature action fare? Judging by the trailers and television ads, he seems to have no problems but looks can often be deceiving.
The story of Once Upon a Time in Mexico once again follows the adventures of the guitar wielding El Mariachi as he seeks retribution and revenge. El Mariachi has become a huge legend in Mexico but there is more truth behind the stories then most would expect. So true are these stories of mass killings by the guitar playing assassin that many of the cartels in Mexico have placed a huge price on his head and forced El to retire in isolation. But the price on his head is not the reason for his retirement rather it is the death of his wife and daughter at the hands of his archenemy that has brought about server depression. When a corrupt CIA agent named Sands drives him from his small village, El is recruited to take out an evil cartel called Barillo, who plans to take control of Mexico after he assassinates the president. Why is The Mariachi so willing to step forward to help him? The general who is leading the charge for Barillo killed his wife and children. Mariachi is back and is seeking blood and revenge for payback. The story for Once Upon a Time in Mexico is pretty decent but the pacing is not very consistent. The feature starts off very decently and the action sequences are well choreographed but for a longer then necessary period of time in the middle Mexico feels dragged on and lacks the punch the action fare delivers.
The cast for the third film in the El Mariachi series is a mixed bag delivering both the good and the bad. Starting off with the good and possibly the best would be Johnny Depp who gives another fabulous performance following his exuberant role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the summer hit, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Taking on the role of the corrupt CIA agent Sands, Johnny Depp shows he can deliver charming dark humor along with a wonderful action performance which proves he can strike lightening twice in a few months. Antonio Banderas is excellent as El Mariachi once again and quite possibly better then he was in Desperado. The close friendship between Banderas and Rodriguez shows that the actor really knows what the director wants in a lead performance and doesn’t think twice about doing certain things within the feature. Salma Hayek, as beautiful and gifted as this actress is, was over hyped in promotion for this film. Without giving too much away about her character, she isn’t featured that much in the film and when she is it is in flashbacks and those scenes don’t have her speaking much. The decent thing to do would have had her have more important lines if not then why not just use clips of her from Desperado instead of having her featured so minimally? Willem Dafoe was pretty good as the evil cartel Barillo but it was very hard seeing him as a Mexican considering that he isn’t. Not to say he isn’t a good actor but there wasn’t as wonderful as decent a Latino actor available?
Overall, Once Upon a Time in Mexico is an explosive and well choreographed gun assault that only falters to reload every once in awhile. Robert Rodriguez has to be greatly respected for the work he does especially when he tries so hard to keep the budgets down for his films but does the budget cutting hurt the overall effect? The cinematography is astounding except for several scenes including a scene where Johnny Depp’s character shoots a man in the head in a restaurant. Those scenes looked like they were filmed on a handheld camcorder and felt insulting to the audience that paid decent money for the feature. And there was a lot more blood, gore and unnecessary violence then most people can tolerate in a normal action film but doesn’t beat out Bad Boys II for the “Action Gore Award” this year though. Despite some picking at the campy directing style of Robert Rodriguez and the overloaded action sequences, Once Upon a Time in Mexico is a decent action effort that kicks Dickie Robert’s butt across several movie theaters and beyond. If more films follow in Mexico’s footsteps then the Fall 2003 efforts will keep the movie-going public well entertained till The Matrix Revolutions arrives in November.
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