Once Upon A Time In Mexico - 9/14/03

Written by: Robert Rodriguez

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Danny Trejo, Enrique Iglesias, Marco Leonardi, Rubén Blades, Willem Dafoe

Official Site

SPOILERS - BEWARE!

I remember when El Mariachi came out, and people were really impressed with the work that Rodriguez had done with the film and its budget. The story was smart, the acting was well done, and there were some incredibly inventive camera techniques, which showed a very dedicated, original, inspired and creative director behind the camera.

His next film was the sequel, Desperado, with Banderas as the lead. Shot with a similarly low budget ($7 million), Rodriguez, again, had to rely on his talents and to use the money he was given, creatively. Desperado ended up doing quite well at the box office, and Rodriguez proved, again, that he could make an entertaining film... although I still thought the first was more intelligent and more thought out.

Four Rooms and From Dusk Til Dawn followed... both were films done for the fun of it. Collaborations with other filmmakers he'd met during the circuit years, and with Tarantino, who he'd met when he was pushing Reservoir Dogs. From Dusk Til Dawn had its moments, you could certainly tell that the director was the same as Desperado... his style was becoming a little more refined.

Now, keep in mind that Rodriguez doesn't just direct. He produces, he is the DP, he edits, he scores... he wears a number of different hats. I'm just glad that, unlike some directors with no acting ability, he doesn't get in front of the camera.

In 1998 he did The Faculty, which I thought was a terribly done film, written by Scream scribe Kevin Williamson. I thought the whole story was quite flimsy, and did well only because of the Scream backlash and the cast. I didn't really see much of a directing style in that film, though I will say this. Having read that John Carpenter's The Thing is a favorite of Rodriguez's, I can understand why he did the film. There are severe references to the film in The Faculty.

The Spy Kids trilogy was smart. Smart writing, smart marketing, very clever stories. The Spy Kids films have had the largest budgets he's worked with, because they've had the largest return of profit... so it just goes to show.

Once Upon a Time in Mexico had a budget of $30 million. I think that a large portion of that went to the actors, because you really don't see it that much on the screen. The locations are lavish, for certain, but Rodriguez had some major talent in this film. The film grossed, opening weekend, $24 million. Not bad, when its major competitors were Matchstick Men and Cabin Fever.

My biggest problem with Mexico is the story. I think that there is a time when a writer/director starts to blur the lines in his own work and really, REALLY needs to show the script to someone they trust and respect. Another writer, who will be honest with them. There were so many inconsistancies (though not as many as Spider-Man, which holds the record at 76), and periods that I was asked to suspend disbelief, that I was actually thinking of leaving the theater.

OK, no, that's not true. The inconsistencies... you know, I can live with those. When Johnny Depp, at the end, has the fake arm with him, even though it was nowhere to be seen... ok. I can forgive that.

When Banderas and Hayek wake up to find they're chained together... even though the person who chained them could have easily just killed them there... ok. I don't understand that, but ok.

When the old man hands Banderas a guitar that he built, with a double barrel sawed off shotgun in it... oh boy. OK, OK, yes, I can accept that too.

That Eva Mendes, Barillo's daughter, works for the Mexican DEA, and that Depp's CIA character doesn't know who she is, not to mention that the Mexican DEA doesn't know who she is... jesus, come on.

That, at the end, Banderas shoots General Marquez in the knees, vaporizing them to the bone... well, at that point I pretty much gave up. Cool effect, but... sheesh!

Some things are just to be meant as fun, I get it. I do. I think the humor that was in Desperado was much more intelligent, and he wasn't asking the audience to just forget about reality, just get the joke. Here, there were some moments that were just too ridiculous to believe.

I think that the action scenes in Mexico were a little too elaborate, and were shot poorly. I enjoyed Desperado's action scenes much more than this film. I found that some of the camera movements and editing were just to make it flashy because they had missed key shots. That was too bad.

I'm not exactly sure why he killed off Hayek and their daughter. The story of this tortured soul... I thought that he would have been able to come up with something a little more original, than re-using the death of the one he loved. That was a shame, too.

Banderas is good in this role, but I think the writing in this film hindered his character. Hayek, since she died, was wasted. Her onscreen time was not nearly enough to warrant any real interest in her character, especially since you knew what happened to her from the beginning.

The saving grace of this film were Johnny Depp, Enrique Iglesias, Marco Leonardi and Rubén Blades. Their characters were very well written. All of them fresh and original (in regards to this trilogy), it was almost as if Rodriguez wanted to create a larger world where El Mariachi wasn't the star... but he had to contend to the fact that he was the star. Depp's character could have been just as large as Banderas's character. He had more charm, more personality... and even though you couldn't tell if he was a good guy or bad guy, you still wanted him to come out on top.

Blades was great. I was glad to see him in this film. I thought his character (besides Depp's) had to most potential.

Dafoe was completely wasted, for all the time he spent on screen, and spoke. If you're going to have great talent, then use them to their fullest, not as a recognizable face... that just doesn't make much sense to me. You've already got Depp, Banderas and Hayek (though I think that she's marketed as being a main character, not a supporting character, which she is)... I don't think that Dafoe is going to put that many people in the seats... especially if you don't use Dafoe!

Overall, I was disappointed with this picture. I think Rodriguez is working too hard. This story wasn't half as tight as it should have been. I think there is a certain type of vanity that comes with writer/directors. Their control over the project. Rodriguez has an enormous amount of control, having been all of these things on this shoot: Director / Writer / Producer / Cinematographer / Composer / Production Designer / Editor... but there has to be a point when they not only have to step back from their creations (at the script stage), but they have to ask an outsiders opinion (and not some part of the crew that's going to kiss their ass) about the script.