Review of Once Upon A Time In Mexico

Introduction

If there`s currently any film-maker that can be labelled an auteur, it`s Robert Rodriguez. The maker of a handful of movies, he`s one of the directors currently epitomising cinematic cool. Most of that`s because he isn`t your typical Hollywood megaphone-jockey. He has a creative hand in virtually every area of the movies he makes, from writing through special effects to the score; and not simply as a director.

"Once Upon A Time In Mexico" is the third act in writer/director Robert Rodriguez`s "El Mariachi" action trilogy. A slam-bam, hellaciously stylish spectacular, it was inspired by Sergio Leone`s spaghetti western trilogy. Rodriguez`s close chum Quentin Tarantino suggested the link, and that the third act be called "Once Upon A Time In Mexico".

Antonio Banderas stars once again as El Mariachi, the guitar-playing hitman. The action frequently flashes back to an unmade intermediate chapter of the story between "Desperado" and "Mexico", where El Mariachi marries and has a daughter with Salma Hayek`s character Carolina. When both she and daughter are killed at the hands of one of the villains of the piece General Marquez (Gerardo Vigil), vengeance becomes El Mariachi`s driving force.

Johnny Depp once more sets his character at warped factor four as CIA agent Sheldon Jeffery Sands, a man with a penchant for false limbs and Puerco Pibil, a Yucatan dish that if he enjoys the meal, he has to kill the cook.

Willem Dafoe turns in a chilling performance as the calmly vicious Barillo, who thinks nothing of having a concert pianist maimed, a lookalike killed and skinned to cover his escape, or having a CIA agent`s eyes gouged out. Eva Mendes is an equally nasty piece of work as FBI agent Ajedrez.

Mickey Rourke makes an impressive appearance as chihuahua-wielding villain`s sidekick Billy while frequent Rodriguez collaborator Danny Trejo (he of the lunar landscape physiognomy) literally blows people away as Cucuy. Trivia hounds may be interested to know that the role was originally intended as a cameo for Quentin Tarantino, but he was too busy working on "Kill Bill". Cheech Marin and Pedro Armendariz Jr. complete the cast as one-eyed informer Belini and El Presidente of Culiacan.

Brutality is rife in this story of vengeance and corruption. There are shootings, stabbings, blindings and all manner of mayhem within the movie`s 102 minute running time. The 15 rating is well-deserved.

Video

This movie pushed the emergent Hi-Definition Digital Video technology to its limits. Introduced to the system by George Lucas, Rodriguez embraced the possibilities of a celluloid-less movie and gave the system its baptism of fire in blazing sun and baking heat. Shot in its native 16:9 (or 1.78:1 to put it another way), Rodriguez (or the studio) elected to present the movie theatrically in a vertically cropped 2.35:1 ratio. The movie is shown on this disc as shot. The image is (if possible) more detailed than film, more stable, just as colourful and exhibiting as good if not better range of contrast than celluloid.

Audio

A suitably rip-roaring Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix accompanies the film. Special mention should be made of the music score, as Rodriguez wrote that as well.

Features

The extras on this feature-packed disc are as entertaining as the main feature. There`s a lively director`s commentary track that runs throughout the feature and can be run as subtitles. There are trailers for all three "El Mariachi" films, as well as one for Antonio Banderas` title role in "Mask Of Zorro". There are no less than six featurettes of around ten minutes` running time apiece. "Ten minute flick school" shows the Robert Rodriguez way of making movies; "Inside Troublemaker Studios" does just what it says. "Ten minute cooking school" is an unusual extra - Rodriguez shares with us his recipe for Puerco Pibil, or Cochinita Pibil, the meal Johnny Depp`s character will kill for. "Film Is Dead" is a press conference with Rodriguez about the facilities and benefits of shooting movies on Hi-Definition Digital Video. I`m sold on it. "The Anti-Hero`s Journey" and "The Good, The Bad and The Bloody" round off the featurettes with more on the action and special effects involved in the movie. Sharp-eyed viewers may spot early in the latter featurette that KNB Effects` workshop has a dalek in it. This, and a second were built for Joe Dante`s "Looney Tunes: Back In Action".

Conclusion

Violent, yes. Brutal, perhaps. Gone too far? No. A lot of modern action-thrillers manage to lurch into the realms of horror. Rodriguez has a fine sense of what is right for this kind of movie and what just isn`t. The result is a breathtaking rollercoaster ride of a movie with just the right blend of style and quirkiness.