Review of "Once Upon A Time In Mexico"

By m maldonado

Movie: "Once Upon A Time In Mexico"

Directed, Written, Edited, Filmed and Much Much More by: Robert Rodriguez

Favorite Quote: "In fact, this is so good, I am going to go into the kitchen, and shoot the cook."

If you've ever seen or heard of "Spy Kids", you are only barely familiar with the varied work of Robert Rodriguez. And you're only getting the campy, Disney side of it to boot.

"Once Upon A Time In Mexico", the third movie in the "El Mariachi" series (preceded by "Desperado" and "El Mariachi"), is steeped in blood, violence, and firearms. And, on the surface, that would seem to be about all that the film has going for it.

Underneath the gore and gun-toting, however, lies Rodriguez's strong sense of humor, and an even stronger pride for Mexico, which especially underlies the final scene of the movie, in which El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) kisses a sash bearing the colors and symbols of the Mexican flag. Both humor and pride run their course through the movie, sometimes in the same scene, sometimes on their own. They are, however, the movie's mainstays.

The story unfolds with Johnny Depp (playing bitter CIA agent Sands, who has no real love for Mexico or its people) conferring with Cheech Marin (an unnamed informant of Depp's) in a bar. The humor becomes immediately apparent as Marin recalls El Mariachi's first meeting with General Marquez, one of the many villains of the movie. Mariachi plays an electric guitar and blows Marquez's goons away--literally, because there's a shotgun built into the neck of the guitar. Mariachi's love and partner, Carolina (Salma Hayek), makes her entrance, and more men are killed--the humor keeping its hold the whole way.

The movie's plot, while lacking in real complication or suspense, is somehow capable of holding a viewer's attention notwithstanding. Scene after scene, the vibrant colors (provided via high-definition digital cameras), the semi-witty humor, and the sheer intensity of the situations El Mariachi gets into just grabs you and shakes you by the throat, screaming "Watch ME! WATCH ME!"

"Once Upon A Time", despite its faults, is an excellent movie. Sure, there's a lot of subtitles, and it takes a bit of time to get absorbed into the world of El Mariachi, but those can be easily gotten past. If you can suspend your disbelief just the slightest, you'll be able to sit back, relax, and just enjoy.

Rating: A