Paul J. Nemecek I like films where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. In the best films, individual elements of the film are good, but the dynamic synergy between the pieces is so good that something magic happens and some good pieces of film coalesce into an outstanding work of art. This, alas, is not the case with Once Upon a Time in Mexico. There are some great scenes, some very good performances, and some individual elements (cinematography and editing) that are very good. But in the end the film is a predictable story with a muddled narrative and occasional flashes of brilliance sprinkled liberally around.One of those flashes of brilliance is Johnny Depp as a CIA agent who is charged with restoring order in Mexico. In an early scene in the film, agent Sands is explaining the importance of order as he eats dinner at a restaurant. He explains that he has been eating pork in restaurants all over Mexico and that the pork at this restaurant is so delicious and so good that he will have to kill the chef so that balance is restored to the order of things.This scene is reflective in some ways of many of the parts of the film. Johnny Depp has made a career of playing offbeat or quirky characters (Edward Scissorhands, Benny and Joon, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Chocolat, Blow, etc.). He steals the show here just as he did in Pirates of the Caribbean. I actually like the bizarre elements of this scene because it shows the folly of using disorder to restore order. Unfortunately, deep themes are relatively scarce here, and while the folly of violence is questioned here, it is celebrated without reservation throughout most of the film. To observant students of film this will come as no surprises. This film is actually the third in a trilogy that started with El Mariachi and Desperado. Antonio Banderas reprises his earlier role and does an excellent job. Roger Ebert compares these films to Sergio Leone's "spaghetti westerns" A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.As a celebration of kinetic energy or as homage to beautifully choreographed acts of violence, Once Upon a Time in Mexico is stunning. There are excellent supporting performances by Salma Hayek, Willem Defoe, and Mickey Rourke. But in the end we are left with a film that is shallow and hollow or-- in the words of a pretty decent playwright--"full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

paulijcalderon An action adventure blast featuring some really funny moments and characters. This is by no means a film meant to be taken seriously. Watching the trilogy in chronological order is very fun because you go from something so independent and low-budget to this over the top fast paced "Rodriguez"- flick (as the opening titles suggest). It never really slows down which works in this movies favor. It's quiet interesting to see the development of the Mariachi character who started out in such a simple way now becoming an icon and hero figure.The plot to this movie is ridiculous and the villain played by Willem Dafoe's plan is to take down Mexico's President. But, because of this film's tone you don't mind the ridiculousness. You can have fun with it and just enjoy the ride. It's my favorite of the Mexico-trilogy because of how entertaining it was. There are some very beautiful shots of the cities and landscapes and the music was well scored, and you can even tell by how the camera moves how fun the filmmakers had making this.Johnny Depp's character gets the best story arc and how his story turns out by the third act was unexpected. Salma Hayek wasn't in this one that much and her character was reduced to a few flashbacks, which is a shame since her character's absence makes the Mariachi an even more tragic figure who just always seems to lose the ones he cares for. Sometimes it seems like he can dodge bullets too easily though, there should have been some more danger put into the action. The heroes in this film win too easily. But, the best action scene by far is the motorcycle chase, that was great. The quick editing and the timing is in well place in that scene.There are some semi-serious moments which are nice, but the film would have needed some better balance in some moments. The tone changes quickly sometimes which could be jarring for some and take away from the enjoyment. It took a little moment at the beginning to get what the aim was. But, once you grasp what the film is going for, then it really works.So, the action as a little lacking this time around, but everything else just never slows down that it made the film flow by in a good way. If you are gonna watch this film then try not to take it too seriously and you should preferably put it on during a rainy day.

powermandan The last chapter of Robert Rodriguez's Mariachi trilogy has poor connections to the previous films, but has arguably the best storyline. This has everything that makes a movie enjoyable and ownable.In the most complex premise of the series, General Marquez has been hired by the Barillio Cartel drug family to assassinate the Mexican government. Crooked CIA Agent Sands (Depp) hires El Mariachi (Banderas) and retired FBI agent (Blades) to make sure Marquez and Barillio don't consume power. We get an insight with El's relationship to the bad guys: Carolina (Hayak) was Marquez's girl and she put a bullet through his heart, but he survived. He shoots her, her daughter and El, with El surviving. Two reasons why this doesn't work: first, our central character seek vengeance for the death of his loved one again, rehashing Desperado's storyline. The next reason this doesn't work is Marquez: where does he fit? In Desperado, Carolina is a young woman who works under drug lord Bucho and is one of his groupies. Did she know Marquez before Bucho? Carolina's death takes place several years after Desperado and the movie itself takes place a few years after that. Given the time frame and Carolina's relationship with Marquez and Bucho in both movies, it is hard to tell how it all fits. A similar problem was encountered in Desperado with El avenging Domino's death by trying to kill Bucho, who had nothing to do with her death. Anyway, throughout the movie characters are introduced and swerves happen all over the place in all subplots. There's too many to keep track of and they become confusing. I had to watch this movie a few times before fully understanding it. In a way, complexity like this is good. Many people criticized this for all the swerves and subplots, but I thought it was great. El isn't pushed down to a minor role like people say, other subplots just build later on in the film. Aside from the story, the acting by all is good. Johnny Depp steals the show, giving one of his best performances ever. He plays a charismatic CIA agent who plays by his own rules. He is totally awesome. I think they should have given him his own spin off. This was before he started playing the same dumb characters in Tim Burton movies. Depp is best known for a wide variety of odd characters, all of which are easy to play. As an actor myself, I can assure that the weirder and funnier and character is, the easier it is to play. When Depp plays Sands, he is a realistic foul-mouthed smart-alec. The more realistic a character is, the harder it is to play. Ironic.Another bit of criticism I'd give is the action. All three movies are best-known for having heavy violence, but this seems to take a back seat to Desperado. Desperado had phenomenal shootouts. This also has great action, but it lacked in the same raw and artistic action that Desperado had. it did not lose its edge, it just softened a bit. This rules!

Terrell Howell (KnightsofNi11) Robert Rodriguez brings out the big guns, literally, for the final installment of his El Mariachi trilogy, Once Upon a Time in Mexico. This last chapter gets El Mariachi, once again played by Antonio Banderas, involved in international espionage as a CIA agent tries to bring down a powerful drug cartel leader in Mexico who is working with a corrupt general. El Mariachi is hired as a hit-man by this psychotic agent and once again finds himself involved in lots of gunfire and explosions, narrowly avoiding death at every turn.Once Upon a Time in Mexico is Rodriguez's most explosive and action packed installment of the trilogy, but it is at the expense of a well rounded story with good dialogue. The plot is pretty straightforward and easy to follow most of the time, but it's very disjointed and all over the place. I think Rodriguez threw too many characters into this film and it made the core of the story spiral out of control. It's an example of too much ambition without enough structure. So many characters, so little time. Maybe if this had been an hour longer it could have worked out better, or maybe it would have been a miserably grueling three hour experience. I think there's something that could have been done to make this film really good, but whatever it was Rodriguez didn't realize it.All that being said, Once Upon a Time in Mexico is still an incredibly exciting and explosively entertaining film. It doesn't capture the same glamorous style as Desperado, but Rodriguez still touches it up with his unique flare. Plus, this film is so chock full of big stars that to see them all work together is a lot of fun. Johnny Depp as the lunatic CIA agent is awesome, especially when he goes gun slinging crazy towards the end of the film. Mickey Rourke and Willem Dafoe have small roles as villains, and they are both fiendishly fantastic. And then you have the great bit parts from people like Cheech Marin, Ruben Blades, and, one of my favorite character actors, Danny Trejo.With such an all star cast and a visionary behind the camera it's a shame that Once Upon a Time in Mexico is a little lackluster. But it's a fun experience despite being full of problems. If you have seen El Mariachi and Desperado then certainly don't miss out on the final film of the trilogy, even if it is the weakest.