Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Enrique Iglesias, Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes, Cheech Marin, Willem Dafoe
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Rating: R
Genre: Action
2003

Times Seen:
Tim: 1


Summary:In order to overthrow the Mexican government, a corrupted CIA agent (Johnny Depp) brings El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) out of retirement. However, with double crosses and betrayals, the plot becomes out of control and a fight for survival begins.

Review:

Tim: This is by far the worst film in the Mariachi trilogy. It should be mentioned that this is not a normal trilogy, because the original (El Mariachi is a foreign film and its sequel, Desperado is also part remake. Despite all that, Once Upon a Time in Mexico is by far the weakest film in this series by director Robert Rodriguez.

Rodriguez seems to get so caught up in the big budget action film with explosions, gun battles, and car wrecks that he completely forgets to tell a story or worry about things like actually developing his characters. Even in the very action film-oriented Desperado, we can at least enjoy the characters. Here, Rodriguez has too many different characters and subplots and doesn't pay enough time developing any of them. What he creates is a muddled mess.

The plot of the film is honestly not worth paying attention to. There's something about overthrowing the Mexican government, but it is so ridiculous that you'd be better off just taking in the action. This really isn't a good film.

Johnny Depp is an interesting addition to the Mariachi series. He is hilarious in this film, but it feels as if Rodriguez is too focused on Depp and as a result, detracts from Antonio Banderas, who is supposed to be the hero of the series. I felt as if we got more Depp screen time than Banderas, which is not how you make a decent movie. I was a little disappointed to see that Salma Hayek appears only through flashbacks. This film is just such a mess that its not even worth going into. I recommend seeing El Mariachi and definitely Desperado, but with this film, Rodriguez ends his series not with a bang, but a whimper. Let's hope this is the last of the Mariachi films... for all our sake.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: El Mariachi, Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, From Dusk Til Dawn, Jackie Brown, Pulp Fiction, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl