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ONCE UPON A
TIME IN MEXICO review by Joseph B. Mauceri
REVIEW: What is ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO? It is a dream, a fable, an epic adventure set against the harsh reality of Mexican society. Take a look at the credits, and you will quickly see that this film, unlike any other independent or Hollywood feature, is unquestionably the singular vision of filmmaker Robert Rodriquez. Into the stark reality of drug cartels, corrupt politicians and a futile society, he injects El Mariachi, a musician turned gunfighter. It's a classic tale. I'm certain it's a story that fans of the Asian cinema will easily recognize. In essence, El Mariachi is as much a musician as he is a gunfighter or a samurai. In structuring the tale, Rodriguez attempts to create a stand-alone tale. The problem is that he tries to bridge the gap between "Desperado" and this film with a series of flashbacks. Rodriguez claims that ONCE UPON A TIME is actually the forth film in the series, and the third is the one audiences have never seen, but get glimpses at through the flashbacks. He dolls out the subplot in brief glimpses through the first and third acts, and builds into the flashbacks one of the film's big action sequences. It terms of the general narrative of the film, the flashback sequences feel a bit forced, and don't mesh as well with the rest the film. Rodriguez usually tells his stories in a linear fashion, and I found the flashbacks to give a disjointed feeling of the film. It's the only element of the film makes my "reel value" a less than perfect $10.00. As far as the "shot, chopped and scored," Robert Rodriguez shows that he is the Michael Jordan of Hollywood. He does it all, and he does it well. You can see every dollar he spends on his film up there on the screen. Because he wears so many hats, he has that much more to spend on the elements he wants to make his films look so damn good, an exceptionally stylized look and feel. The cast here is amazing. Banderas, he is El Mariachi. It makes one question why the hell he ever did a film like "Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever." He looks great, moves great, and delivers a line like no one whoever played James Bond has. I love Ruben Blades, and he has been gone too lone from the big screen. I was surprised at how good singer Enrique Iglesias is on screen. Salma Hayek is good, but because her character only appears in flashbacks actress Eva Mendes steals much of her thunder. Willem Dafoe doesn't have much to say and he makes a great villain, from "To Live and Die in L.A." to "Spiderman." I enjoyed Mickey Rourke's performance, as well as that of his dog's role, but he looks terrible. His face looks like it had a flat, and that's due to the fact that he recently had his cheek implants removed. Cheek implants! For all the great performances, Johnny Depp steals the show. He creates this rogue CIA agent with an impressive personality ticks. It's little wonder that there is early buzz about featuring the character in a feature film. After a summer with it's fair share of mindless blockbusters, ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO is an adult epic that manages to transcend ethnic and language boundaries. Great acting, great music, and 100% Robert Rodriguez, this is a film without parallel. There are a couple of simple shortcomings, but ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO is an extraordinary flawed masterpiece that still offers audiences a rewarding cinematic experience, and few valuable lesions to the rest of the filmmaking community. OFFICIAL
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SYNOPSIS