Back home

Once Upon a Time in Mexico

2325 votes

Producing House

A corrupt CIA agent Sands hires hitman El Mariachi to assassinate a Mexican general hired by a drug kingpin attempting a coup d'état of the President of Mexico.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 2003-09-11

Runtime: 102 mins

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Spoken language: English, Español

Genres: Action, Crime, Thriller

Original title: Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Production Companies: Columbia Pictures, Dimension Films, Troublemaker Studios

Production Countries: United States of America

Reviews

F

FilipeManuelNeto
**Tons of stylish action, a big budget, a script reduced to the minimum and a huge list of actors with nothing to do.** It was only when I saw this film that I realized that it is the last film in a trilogy that begins with “Mariachi”. However, I saw it after having seen “Desperado” and that allowed me to have a better understanding of the story: the gunman and his girlfriend are chased by a drug dealer until the day his men manages to kill the girl. Devastated, the Mariachi retires to live out his days in bitterness. After a while, he is called by a CIA agent, who gives him the opportunity to take revenge while preventing the total success of a military coup that will assassinate the Mexican president. Sound confusing? Maybe because it is! The script is very light, without beauty, care for details or stylistic refinement, and the text ends up being dominated by what I defined, sarcastically, as “latinxploitation” when I wrote for “Desperado”: a bunch of cheap stereotypes about Latinos and Mexicans. And I continue to have the feeling that these films are not healthful to clear up these preconceived ideas that dance in the heads of white, Anglo-Saxon, English-speaking America. If we saw director Robert Rodríguez dazzled by action scenes in “Desperado”, here he lost his mind: there are enough bullets for another invasion of Iraq. For those who live far away, Mexico may seem like a highly corrupt country and the difficulties that the authorities face in the fight against well-armed, cruel cartels with strong allies abroad are very well known. The film, however, takes two steps further and transforms Mexico into a land without law or ruler, where the order comes from those with bigger weapons and their hands deep in cocaine. Perhaps for this reason, the film did not have much support from the Mexican authorities and ended up not even showing the Mexican flag which, in the film's presidential palace, is replaced by something else with stars. I am still unable to fully understand this flag exchange. Speaking of action, was I the only one who smelled a faint whiff of Tarantino in this film's action scenes? Of course, with all this, the film develops and evolves very quickly, and we don't have any dead or boring moments. From an entertainment point of view, the film works very well, considering that we are an audience that seeks action and doesn't mind turning off our brains and accepting what is given to us. The underlying problem is that, if the script is already weak, things get worse if it speeds up like this. After a point, it no longer matters who is trying to do what. They're all shooting. For what reason? Maybe they don't even know! Despite the poverty of the material given to him and the poor construction of his character, António Banderas continues to deserve our attention, even if, in this film, it is unquestionably Depp who stands out when we talk about the cast. There aren't many actors capable of shining in an underwritten character, but he does it and steals the spotlight whenever he appears, sending Banderas to the corner and turning Salma Hayek into an extra. Eva Mendes is sexy, but she has no material to work with, and Willem Dafoe is very weak. There are a lot of renowned actors and even a singer – Enrique Iglesias – in the cast list, which shows more desire to be in this project than the ability to add something good to the final product.
2023-09-12

Recommendations

Gladiator
4.1

Gladiator

2000-05-04

After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of

Léon: The Professional
4.1

Léon: The Professional

1994-09-14

Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner". But when his next-doo

Scarface
4.1

Scarface

1983-12-09

After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana s

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
4.2

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

2002-12-18

Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
4.2

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

2003-12-17

As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forc

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
3.7

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

2000-07-06

Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physical

48 Hrs.
3.3

48 Hrs.

1982-12-07

A hard-nosed cop reluctantly teams up with a wise-cracking criminal temporarily paroled to him, in o

Pushed to the Limit
2.3

Pushed to the Limit

1992-04-02

Magnificent Mimi is a woman with a destiny and a bright future ahead of her. She is the world's grea

My Spy The Eternal City
3.3

My Spy The Eternal City

2024-07-18

JJ, a veteran CIA agent, reunites with his protégé Sophie, in order to prevent a catastrophic nuclea

Husband Killers
3.3

Husband Killers

2017-10-21

Chanel Chiu is a deadly assassin who lives by a simple code – a promise must never be broken. She le

The Fatal Encounter
3.6

The Fatal Encounter

2014-04-30

Late 18th-century Joseon dynasty. The King is beleaguered and surrounded by traitors of the ruling e

The Black Doll
2.6

The Black Doll

1938-01-31

Nicholas Rood, dishonest mine owner, finds a Black Doll on his desk and knows that vengeance is abou

WWE Payback 2014
3.8

WWE Payback 2014

2014-06-01

Payback (2014) took place on June 1, 2014 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. It was the se

Red King, White Knight
3

Red King, White Knight

1989-11-25

The CIA hears of a KGB scheme to assassinate the Soviet General Secretary and enlists Stoner, an age

Far From Paradise
0.5

Far From Paradise

2020-11-07

Kim is a hitman who commits a serious mistake and is about to be executed by the criminal organizati

7 Angels
0

7 Angels

On 15 July 2016, a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces, organized as the Peace at Home Council,

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
3.7

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

1989-10-13

The wife of an abusive criminal finds solace in the arms of a kind regular guest in her husband's re

Vantage Point
3.2

Vantage Point

2008-02-01

During an historic counter-terrorism summit in Spain, the President of the United States is struck d

Revengence Superlady
3.1

Revengence Superlady

1986-10-30

A woman seeks vengeance against the man who killed her entire family.

The Devil's Rejects
3.4

The Devil's Rejects

2005-07-22

The murderous, backwoods Firefly family take to the road to escape the vengeful Sheriff Wydell, who