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Once Upon a Time in Mexico |
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Friday, 18 July 2003 |
  This would be a great movie....if originality, continuity and story didn't matter.
Director Robert Rodriguez made a splash with his no budget action flick El Mariachi and since then, almost half his career has consisted of doing the same basic movie over, and over, and being buddies with Quentin Tarantino. It's apparent Rodriguez has talent, but it also has never been more apparent that he is becoming more of a kid in a candy store than a real film maker. The "Inside Troublemaker Studios" featurette on this disc is solid evidence of that. Rodriguez struts around his home editing and production facility, pointing out all the cool toys he has and telling himself digital video looks better, in all ways, than film. Whatever he's under the influence of when he convinces himself that, he should share with the rest of us. Digital video has been used effectively in such recent films as 28 Days Later, Pieces of April and Russian Ark but in the hands of Rodriguez, it is merely a toy. Not to mention that this movie he produced with these toys is an almost completely incoherent mess.
Johnny Depp sitting around looking cool.
Johnny Depp shooting the cook.
Antonio Banderas looking tough and cool.
Antonio Banderas shooting up a bar.
Big explosion
Salma Hayek looking seriously hot
Bad guys shooting up a hotel.
Big explosion.
Johnny Depp walking around looking cool
Johnny Depp taking off his fake arm.
Mickey Rourke hiding his dog from Willem Dafoe
Something else getting shot up
Big explosion
A guy in a big hat saying "Story?!? We don't have no story! We don't need no story!"
Wash, Rinse, Repeat. For 101 coma inducing minutes.
Director Robert Rodriguez clearly has talent as a director and I know El Mariachi is a big reason he is here in the first place, but I think it's well past time he let the old guitar slinging gun man die an honorable death. It's also time to let someone else write a movie for him. Maybe to let someone else score it as well.
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes, Danny Trejo, William Defoe, Enrique Iglesias, Cheech Marin.
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Studio: Sony
Rated: R
Running Time: 98 minutes
Release: 2003
Reviewer: John Rice |
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