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Once Upon a Time In Mexico By: The Lady of The Night Out  Once Upon A Time In Mexico has all the trapping of a great movie. What a cast: Antonio Banderas. Johnny Depp. Selma Hayek. Eva Mendes. Willem Dafoe. Cheech Martin. Enrique Inglesias. Mickey Rourke. And the music! If you like Spanish guitar music, Once Upon A Time In Mexico, has the best score since the Lion King. If only this wonderful ensemble had a coherent script with some decent roles to play! This movie by writer/director Robert Rodriquez is supposed to be a stylish, 21st century version of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns of the 1960s. But unfortunately, the movie director has some newly influences, too: He’s seen the Matrix, Pulp Fiction and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. His gripping story of power and revenge, told in Grand Opera style, descends into a series of Matrix-like fire fights and Pulp Fiction gross-out violence. An hour of bloody shoot-em-ups is both grisly and boring. And the plot is so convoluted and filled with double-crosses it’s near impossible to even separate the good guys from the bad guys. The only actor with a part to sink his teeth into is Depp, who plays a corrupt CIA agent. He is hilarious as an overly important operative who routinely shoots the chef if he likes his meal. His sports a T-shirt with CIA in huge letters. Underneath it says, “Cleavage Inspection Agency.” His classless couture makes him look like a Las Vegas tourist. Catch his marijuana leaf belt buckle. The biggest waste is Banderas. He plays the role of El Mariachi in spare, Clint Eastwood style. Well, Clint could stare you down with a gaze that says everything. Banderas just stands there looking good at 43. This plot revolves around revenge – Banderas’ beloved wife and daughter were murdered by villainous General Marquez. Now Depp gives him the opportunity to get even. After watching Mel Gibson pine for his lost soul mate in Braveheart, I kept looking for one ounce of pain in Banderas. Giving his part some depth would have gone a long way to making this a great film. What’s wrong with character and feeling? Enrique Ingelias, whose big huggy hit called “Hero” is now the de rigueur first dance wedding song, plays one of Banderas’ mariachi musicians whose guitar cases also breathe fire. It’s a jarring sight to see this crooner blithely mowing down every human in sight. On the other hand, Mickey Rourke is great as a drug lord’s sidekick who’s permanently attached to the Taco Bell dog. And it’s not even that good at violence. If you want to see a squirmy eyeball scene, rent Casino. My advice: Skip this one and just buy the sound track. Movies to rent: This movie is the last one in a trilogy. The first was El Mariachi, which he made for $7,000. Banderas took over the role in Desparado. This director also did the Spy Kids movies, which also starred Banderas. Antonio Banderas: Philadelphia, Mambo Kings, Evita, Assassins Johnny Depp: Pirates of the Caribbean, the definitive Edward Scissorshands, Chocolat, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Willem De Foe: The English Patient, the Last Temptation of Christ, Born on the Fourth of July.
Night Out Las Vegas' Other Reviews - |
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