Distributor:
Columbia Entertainment Certificate: M15+
Director: Roberto
Rodriguez
Cast:Antonio
Banderas, Johnny Depp, Salma Hayek, Ruben Blades, Willem Dafoe, Eva
Mendes, Mickey Rourke Extras: Yes
Roberto Rodriguez’s finale to his El Mariachi shoot em up
trilogy is even more offbeat
than the first two movies (El
Mariachi and Desperado) and this
time with the added bonus of a
classic Johnny Depp performance
as a rogue CIA agent. Antonio
Banderas’s unnamed Mariachi
finds himself trying to prevent
a political coup in Mexico in
which Willem Dafoe’s drug
baron Barillo plans to install a
puppet dictator who just happens
to be the man responsible for
killing El Mariachi’s wife
(the gorgeous Salma Hayek) and
child; Depp plays Agent Sands
who wants to use Banderas to get
his hands on the stacks of gold
in the presidential palace.
Sound complicated? Yes it is,
Once Upon A Time has a very
convoluted plotline although
this doesn’t really matter as
you can let the performances and
effects wash over you.
Depp proves he is a real star of quality, here leaving you
feeling sympathetic towards his agent Sands despite his being a
murderous only out for his best interests kind-a-guy. Banderas’s role
isn’t as prominent this time out teamed as he is with a pair of
sidekicks (one of whom includes singer Enrique Iglesias) an Hayek only
appears in flashback or fantasy sequences. Once Upon A Time in Mexico is enormous fun,
very funny with some great effects, balletic death scenes and guitar
cases doubling as flame throwers. The cast, which also includes turns by
the likes of Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes, Cheech Marin and Rodriguez
standby Danny Trejo, are clearly enjoying themselves enormously too.
Very fast paced you can’t fail to enjoy Once Upon a Time
in Mexico regardless of whether you have seen the first two or not.
It’s Depp’s movie though.
EXTRAS: Commentary from an always playful Rodriguez
one of the best voices around these days, 3 featurettes; 10 minute flick
school showing how some of the effects were put together (this is a
fantastic little feature), Inside Troublemaker Studios (a look at
Rodriguez’s film company and 10 minute cooking school) there are also
a stack of deleted scenes, cast bios and a couple of trailers.
