“Once Upon A Time In Mexico” (Dimension Pictures)
In 1992 Robert Rodriguez created and directed a small budgeted film titled “El Mariachi.” It got a lot of good buzz on the Festival circuit and led to a bigger film, “Desperado,” in 1995. This was the second feature in a planned trilogy. Now we have “Once Upon A Time In Mexico” to complete the trilogy. Where the first two movies were funny, exciting and edgy; this latest film is a mess!
Antonio Banderas, who came on board to play “El Mariachi” in the second film, returns in this one. He is a gunslinger of sorts who is grieving over the deaths of his wife Carolina (Salma Hayek) and daughter. This provides the impetus for him to go after the military man who killed them.
Another key figure in the film is Sands (Johnny Depp). He is a renegade CIA agent who loves pork and often kills the cook. Sands’ character is hard to pin down as to belief and motivation but he does give Depp a chance to be a little bizarre one more time. This time out though there is no mascara as he used in “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Hayek is given star billing but her role is mostly a cameo. She has a few scenes but nothing of real impact or importance. The same is true for Willem Dafoe who plays a drug lord; Mickey Rourke who plays one of Dafoe’s henchmen; Enrique Inglesias who plays one of “El Mariachi’s” compadres; and Cheech Marin who plays an intermediary. All of these “stars” just make brief appearances in the movie and are gone.
The main problem with the film is that it doesn’t have a sense of direction. Is it supposed to be a drama or a comedy Is it supposed to be a satire or an action adventure Rodriguez doesn’t seem to know and the audience surely doesn’t. Scenes fade into other scenes with no rhyme or reason. And the result is confusion.
The film is rated R for violence and profanity.
There are some moments of brilliance in the movie but they are covered up by others of sheer stupidity. You never get a feel for Banderas’ character, and what you learn about Depp’s you don’t like. There are no truly good guys in this movie, but there are lots of really bad ones.
Many people have been anticipating this movie to be the one that kicks off the fall season of good films. Boy, are they going to be disappointed!
“Once Upon A Time In Mexico” starts off like a fairy tale, but the ending prompts a feeling of “They all lived miserably ever after” – and that includes the audience.
I scored “Once Upon A Time In Mexico” an adios 3 out of 10.
