(2013-05-14 17:40:28)

GREAT!

DIS MOVIE IS GOODJOHNNY DEPP IS SOOOO CUTE.RECOMEND FOR DEPP LUBBERS!!!~PEACE OUT~LP ROX!

(2013-05-14 07:01:16)

Colorful, but incoherent

ALLEGEDLY moved to complete his "trilogy" of El Mariachi movies by his friend, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez has thrown everything into the cauldron for this overspiced finale. As well as looting his own earlier films, he plunders material from John Woo's seminal hitman movie, The Killer, Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch and more spaghetti westerns than you can grate Parmesan over. The result, not surprisingly, is a vivid, colourful and utterly senseless mess.El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas), reduced to "El", is brought out of retirement by corrupt CIA agent Sands (Johnny Depp) in order to sabotage an assassination plot against the president of Mexico arranged by drug kingpin Barrillo (Willem Dafoe). El agrees, in order to avenge himself against Barrillo, who was responsible for the deaths of his wife (Selma Hayek) and their daughter. Caught up in the miscellany of twists, turns, betrayals and double-crosses are revolutionary agents, a former CIA officer (Ruben Blades) and hitpersons, including the pneumatic Ajedrez (Eva Mendes).All of this is redundant, though, as the narrative is subjugated by a welter of slowmotion bullet ballets as El and his Mariachi buddies shoot their way through a series of encounters with bad guys, badder guys and really, really bad guys. The pleasures here lie in nuggets of dialogue ("Are you a Mexican or a Mexican't?"), the shootouts, car crashes and explosions, the presence of Mickey Rourke as Barrillo's chihuahua-toting sidekick, and Depp.Johnny steals the movie in a performance that keeps faith with itself, while including a series of wicked impersonations of, among others, Marlon Brando and Chow Yun-Fat. He risks visual gags that only the most gifted silent comedians could have pulled off - especially in the latter stages when, blinded by the really bad guys, he stumbles like Oedipus through the carnage, bumping into window-ledges and shooting in all directions. He manages to keep the staggering violence at the level of just palatable farce, especially when armed hilariously with an additional prosthetic limb.Perhaps Rodriguez, as writer/ director/editor/composer, would have benefited from delegating some responsibility, particularly for the script. A succession of set pieces, however vivid and colourful - plus all the religious symbolism of the Catholic church and the Day of the Dead celebrations - will not alone make a coherent movie. And this is far from coherent.

Katta-3

(2013-04-28 04:33:22)

a laugh-out-loud experience for sick viewers like me

I didn't expect much of OUATIM, but ended up liking it very much. The fightscenes, camera work and music were all over the top and turned into a greatmix of action and dark comedy. Depp, as always, was fabulous, and most ofthe others turned in good performances as well, though any viewer should dowell to remember that this is an action flick, not an Oscarcontender.I've heard quite a few people, both here and in professional reviews,complain that the plot was confusing. If so many people think so, I can'texactly say that they're *wrong* - all I can say is that I never found iteven remotely so.General Marquez wants to kill the president and take his place. Cartelleader Barillo backs up the coup d'estat. CIA, through Agent Sands, want thepresident killed, but don't want General Marquez in his place. So Sandshires El Mariachi to kill Marquez and Jorge from FBI to kill Barillo and hishenchman. Since Sands is such a SOB, he uses their sense of vengeance to getthem to do what he wants. It's all pretty straight forward tome.Of course, things don't turn out the way they were supposed to, which couldbe a reason people get confused. When the aim of the hero is to kill the badguy/save the world/win the race and he ends up killing the bad guy/savingthe world/winning the race, it's pretty easy to understand. But whencharacters fail or change their goals - yeah, it gets a bit morecomplicated. But also harder to predict and ultimately a lot morefun.

PSV

(2013-04-27 18:21:55)

Owned by Johnny Depp...

"Once Upon a Time in Mexico" is possibly more helped by Johnny Depp than this summer's "Pirates of the Caribbean". I loved that film, but not just because of Depp's amazing Jack Sparrow performance...but because everyone else was good as well. Here is a different story. Depp steals even the scenes he ISN'T in...because you'll be remembering his past scenes during some of the more unneccessary scenes. That's the main problem here- there's too much story here. Rodreguez seems to be tying way to much up in this last film in the "El Mariachi" saga. If you're expecting a heavy turnout from Salma Hayak- like, say, ME- than you might be disappointed. She has about five on-screen minutes. And the only other female here, Eva Mendes, is such a minor character she seems non-existant (literally her role and performance in "2 Fast 2 Furious" had more bite). But everyone here does excellently, and there are some geniune visceral thrills to be had. Overall, it works- but could have been chopped down quite a bit.

(2013-04-26 11:42:40)

High-flying action!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, this movie is great! Theres lots of high flying action, shooting, and exploding, which I personally always enjoy. This movie is pretty violent and is not for the faint of heart. Antonio Banderas plays his part to perfection. The only dumb annoying thing was that the guys kept switching from Spanish to English (or vice-versa) in the same conversation. Bottom-line is, i f you're looking for a violent, action packed movie to rent, this is the one.

boondocksaint20

(2013-04-25 18:10:32)

Incredibly entertaining ending to the El Mariachi trilogy

Robert Rodriguez is definitely a talented film producer...having cut histeeth with his guerilla filmmaking style of assuming the role of director,writer, editor and cameraman, Rodriguez has dished out hits like Desperado,El Mariachi and From Dusk Til Dawn that have been box office hits with hisfamous shoe string budgets. It is no wonder why this third installment tothe El Mariachi series was inevitable.I caught this one on opening night, but waited a while to post a review,just to let the film digest for about a week. I won't elaborate much on theplot, for many others have already done so. What I will say is that theonly negative aspect of this film is a plot that is filled to the brim withconfusing elements, plot twists, double crosses...so on and so forth, thatat times you will be sitting there going...okay, NOW what the hell is goingon? Sure, there is an elaborate web of plot twists in there that I'm suredo make sense when pieced together, but what is the result is almost a messof scenes and characters thrown together. However, it is the scenes andcharacters that totally make up for the lack of glue to bond the plottogether...this is definitely one of those films that does not take itselfseriously and asks you to do the same, and if you can shut your brain offfor about 2 hours, you will be taken for one helluva ride.The characters are all larger than life and charmingly sadistic. The actingis top notch with Antonio Banderas reprising his role as El Mariachi, thealways superb Johnny Depp as the corrupt CIA agent Sands, Ruben Blades as arogue retired FBI agent out to seek vengenance, and of course, the oddlyentertaining Mickey Rourke as the drug czar's right hand man. Of course,every good B-movie Hispanic actor makes an appearance, especially DannyTrejo (you know him as the evil Mexican in movies like From Dusk Til Dawn,Con Air, Heat...and pretty much every movie made in the last 10 years) andCheech Marin from Cheech and Chong fame. The actors drive the picture, giveit life, mow down scores and scores of inept bad guys(and I will emphasizethe word INEPT...the 'bad guys' are some of the most ridiculously stupidvillains I have seen in a long time...but, thankfully they serve theirpurpose of being cannon fodder very well) and provide much needed coolnessand comic relief. You will be surprised at how Antonio Banderas almost playsecond fiddle to Johnny Depp's character, and the dozen or so other majorsupporting characters. But, it works beautifully.The action scenes are in a word, spectacular. When we are shaking our headsand scratching our forehead wondering what the hell is happening with theplot, Robert Rodriguez and Co. throw out scene after scene of delicious showstealing action...pure adrenaline, violence with no mercy, and excellentdirection/editing are what steal the show in this film. I forgave Mr.Rodriguez for the confusing plot when I left the theater because his filmhad entertained the hell out of me. Sure, for most movies, dare I say evenmost action flicks, a lack of plot or a really bad plot really makes for abad film, but this movie is the exception of exceptions. It takes theoozing coolness from Desperado and ups the ante ten fold. There are somescenes that will bring shivers to your body as you watch Antonio 'De Sexy'Banderas and Company perform acrobatic gunfights that would make even JohnWoo proud. Rodriguez's style is definitely unique, and has been mimickedoften...however, you can tell he made this one for the fans because as Isaid, the stakes are raised on every level with his marvelous directing andtalent for filming breath taking action.This is a movie that you will love or hate, I can guarantee you...it is onewith a lackluster plot, but an incredibly high entertainment value. If youcan overlook the complete stupidity of an entire Mexican Army and dozensupon dozens of inept mafia soldiers, then you are in for an excellent timeat the movies. If you think about it, though Desperado's plot was verysimple and direct, and was one of the coolest movies ever, the movie itselfreally was not great, overall...we watch movies like this as guiltypleasures, and when they deliver, we go home happy. I recommend this one toanyone who loves action, or Tarantino's Pulp Fiction type movies...anexcellent, stylish movie, overall, but just make sure you check your brainat the door. 8/10 stars.

Infofreak

(2013-04-24 11:06:06)

A poor script lets this one down. I was much more entertained by the extras and commentary on the DVD than the movie itself!

Man, I really wanted to like this movie! I think Robert Rodriguez is a swellguy, talented, funny, cool, and very inventive. I absolutely LOVE 'ElMariachi' and 'From Dusk Til Dawn'. I wasn't all that impressed with'Desperado', so the prospect of a sequel didn't exactly thrill me, but Ikept an open mind before watching this, and seeing the likes of Johnny Deppand especially Willem Dafoe and Mickey Rourke in the supporting cast got meinterested. But, I must be honest, the movie just doesn't work. Rodriguez isextremely enthusiastic about the High Definition digital video technology heused, but it seems like in the rush to get the movie made, something wasforgotten - a good script. The script is very poor. The characters arealmost cartoons, the dialogue isn't memorable, and for a movie with such afast pace I actually got bored by the two thirds mark. Sure there are a fewoutstanding action sequences, and I can't deny that it LOOKS great, but thatjust isn't enough for me I'm afraid. It looks like it was a lot of fun forRodriguez and his impressive cast (which includes Antonio Banderas, SalmaHayek, Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin, all from 'Desperado', as well as RubenBlades and Eva Mendes) to make but that isn't conveyed to the viewer. Infact I was much more entertained by the extras and commentary on the DVDthan the movie itself! I hope there isn't another movie in this series aseach one has been worse than the last. If you haven't seen 'El Mariachi',one of the greatest low budget movies of all time, do so immediately, but ifyou are thinking about watching 'Once Upon A Time In Mexico' I stronglysuggest you give it a miss. Try 'Roadracers' or even 'The Faculty' instead.They may not be masterpieces but they are MUCH better than this severelyflawed movie.

punkboy58000

(2013-04-24 05:35:41)

thank God for Robert Rodriguez

Once again Mr. Rodriguez has shown us all that you don't need to have thebig budget to make a great film. As a struggling screenwriter I enjoyedthestoryline of the film, and I really enjoyed the creative rebirths ofCheechMarin and various other killed of actors in Desperado. I just want to saythat Mr. Rodriguez is on of my inspirations and if he reads this he is oneof the reasons I want to direct the films I write.

(2013-04-17 02:08:58)

Snap out of it Banderas!!!

You know what a good definition of a crime is? A crime is when you have Salma Hayek in a movie and don't use her. A crime is when you have an action movie and there are long non-action sequences that aren't very interesting. A crime is when you have Antonio Banderas, who is so good doing a part like this, trying to do too many other things (okay, that's a crime that too many other movies committed, not this movie). Which movie am I talking about? Robert Rodriguez's Once Upon a Time in Mexico is the culprit. This is a stylish movie in the same vein as his earlier Desperado and El Mariachi, but it's not quite as good.One of the problems is the plot. It's convoluted even for an action flick. Desperado was easy. A drug kingpin who El Mariachi (Banderas) was after for personal reasons controls a town, and our hero has to fight him. Once Upon a Time in Mexico, however, is much more political, with the president of Mexico in line for assassination. A rogue CIA agent (Johnny Depp), instead of trying to stop it, is trying to profit from it by asking El Mariachi to kill the leader of the rebel army in charge of the assassination (Gerardo Vigil), who also happens to be the man who killed El Mariachi's wife (Salma Hayek). Confused? I still am, and I watched the thing. He also sets a retired FBI agent (Reuben Blades) after Barillo (Willem Defoe), who is the drug kingpin who had the agent's partner tortured and murdered. So, basically, everybody's supposed to die, and the CIA agent is supposed to get something out of all this? I actually thought I understood it a little bit until I tried to explain it.While the plot is very murky, the action set-pieces are great. Unrealistic, but they usually are in movies like this. That's part of the charm. Banderas falls of a church balcony, shooting upward and killing his assailant, then lands on his back and just rolls over and gets up. You don't watch these things for the realism, however. You watch them for the style. Rodriguez has style in spades, and the scenes are very enjoyable to watch. Head shots, leg shots, blood flying every where. Bodies jumping, in a graceful pirouette as the bullets spatter, it's all great. Especially good is the shootout in the church, especially when they all pause to let the little old woman who hasn't reacted to this at all get out of the line of fire.There's just not enough of them. Instead, Banderas broods. Then he broods again. I guess he has to brood a lot, because Rodriguez has to justify Hayek's salary. She only appears in flashbacks of the good times, and the time where she is killed (which is repeated a number of times). She's the only beauty in this tough film (there is one other woman, Eva Mendez, but while she's quite beautiful, she's tough as nails), so we need the occasional interlude. When Banderas isn't brooding, Depp is plotting. Occasionally, Defoe is plotting. Even more occasionally, Blades is plotting. Then we get back to Depp plotting. Do you get the idea that there's a lot of plotting going on? Everybody double-crosses at least one other person in this film.So much for the plot. How's the acting? Given the nature of the film, it's actually quite good. Banderas was born for this role, and it's a shame he doesn't do things like this more often. He might actually make a name for himself. He broods quite well (despite the fact that I think he's made to do too much of it, he's very good at it). Hayek doesn't do anything to really justify her being second billing in the movie, but that's hardly her fault. She's barely in it. Depp is a virtuoso as usual, too bad his character is completely incomprehensible. He acts insane at times (like his first scene which begins a running joke about his favourite dish down in Mexico). He's hardly undercover (he wears a "CIA Agent" t-shirt at one point) and he seems superfluous to the whole thing. It's only Depp's acting which makes his role even watchable. Nobody else is given much to do, though I have to single out Mickey Rourke as really annoying. His character is even worse. That may be because I just don't like watching Rourke, however. I also have to mention Cheech Marin. It seems like he's in every Robert Rodriguez movie (though I don't know about the Spy Kids franchise), and every time he meets a bad end. One's given a bit of hope in this one, but to no avail. He plays his part really well, and I started to feel sorry for him when I realized that there's no way he's going to survive. It's sort of like Steve Buscemi in a Coen Brothers movie: no chance. It's actually quite funny.If you've followed the El Mariachi series, then it's worth it to pick this one up. The action scenes are worth it if you're already a fan. Just be prepared to be puzzled by the plot. This certainly is not a good place to start your Rodriguez journey, however.David Roy

insano-1

(2013-04-16 23:15:44)

Maybe if somebody read the script before shooting....

SOME SPOILERSWhen the idea for `Once Upon a Time in Mexico' first hit director RobertRodriguez , it must have also been accompanied by the notion of making amovie with as much random garbage, useless subplots, and an over abundantamount of uninteresting, unnecessary characters possible.Rodriguez, king of the over budgeted `B' movie, brings back his charactersoriginally made famous in his 1992 indie classic `El Mariachi,' then mademore famous in the 1995 `Desperado' for this third, and hopefully lastchapter.The story is about.well, I still don't even know what the story is aboutandI sat through the entire movie, never straying once (either to use therestroom, smoke a cigarette, or pound on the glass of the ticket booth todemand my money back).The story (term used loosely) of `Once Upon a Time.' has so many centralcharacters, it's not difficult to differ who's conning who sleeping withwhorecruiting who, it's completely impossible. It finally gets to the pointthat when the big violent finale happens, nobody cares who dies, getstheireyes prodded out or gets their face surgically removed, they just want thehouse lights to come back on and the credits to finally role.While the film was shot beautifully on new, High Definition digitalcameras,it still has that feeling where I handed my thirteen year old cousin ahandy-cam, gave him a few bucks worth of fireworks and let him go at itwithno direction on where to go.`Once Upon a Time.' tries to evoke a strong sense of Mexican pride in theviewer, but with so much going on, the message gets lost in the mindlessgunplay and radio controlled explosive guitars. If it's movies like thisthat are supposed to reflect the Mexican film way of life, it's no wonderwhy so many immigrants are trying to cross their way intoAmerica.

agitpro

(2013-04-13 16:28:42)

It's a Pistalero Fairy Tale

Personally I thought this was perhaps the second most entertaining film I'veseen this year, surpassed by the other Depp vehicle "Pirates".In all I thought it was a wonderful homage to the previous vehicles in theseries and to the disasters that the Crow movies turned into (come on, justlook at Depp's character at the end...)The one element that really did it for me, that set the whole thing up, wasthat initial opening scene. Oddly enough I expect that's exactly what anopening scene is supposed to do. The idea that the stories he was tellingabout Mariachi, first name El, were exagerated and charicaturish made themovie that much more enjoyable. There wasn't a single character that wasn'tover-the-top or at least played to the hilt, from the somberly sensualMariachi, to the stoic and manly General, to the sweetly sadistic andparanoid CIA agent.I was entertained from one end of the film to another, mildly confused withsome of the cheap editing, but quite willing to pass that off as an homageto the first film.An $18 movie if there ever was one.I just think that El should stop hanging around women.

Louis B. Hobson

(2013-04-13 05:41:17)

A fun ride even if it is all style and no substance.

gavin6942

(2013-04-12 10:39:23)

Great Fun With Banderas and Depp

Hit-man "El Mariachi" (Antonio Banderas) becomes involved ininternational espionage involving a psychotic CIA agent (Johnny Depp)and a corrupt Mexican general.Roger Ebert wrote, "Like Leone's movie, the Rodriguez epic is moreinterested in the moment, in great shots, in surprises and ironicreversals and closeups of sweaty faces, than in a coherent story". Boy,he could not be more right. If we are going to talk style versussubstance, this film has style written all over it: some great visuals,intense scenes... but when it comes to actual substance, the story isnot as tight as it could (or should) be.The "star" factor is here, with Johnny Depp and Willem Dafoe throwninto the mix, and Depp is certainly quite entertaining... but thedynamic also changes when your focus is less on the Mexican charactersand more on this other guy, an outsider. The comedy was also increasedgreatly, too, and not always appropriately for the type of film ittries to be.Great fun for fans of "Desperado", but this is far from Rodriguez'sbest work.

(2013-04-11 14:59:16)

Shoot 'em up -- on high-def

Robert Rodriguez never tires of spreading the gospel of economical, common-sense filmmaking. Need an inferno on the cheap? Here's a guy who literally knows the meaning of bang for the buck. "Mexico" and some of his other movies on DVD offer "10 Minute Film Schools" for viewers who just want the big picture. For the film savvy, there are detail-packed commentaries and no-b.s. bonus features. People who dig deep into the extras don't just want to hear about the production, he figures, they also want to get out and make a movie for themselves. You get the feeling he'd be hurt if they didn't.Rodriguez spends devotes much of his commentary time on "Mexico" talking up high-definition tape filming, which he says allows directors to work "at the speed of thought." He has no interest in returning to the "crude technology" of celluloid. "The only reason you would shoot film is for nostalgic reasons." He reels off the advantages in a separate 13-minute speech called "Film Is Dead.""Once Upon a Time in Mexico" looks great on DVD, the images looking almost ... film-like. The Dolby Digital audio packs plenty of firepower, with percussive lows and frantic soundstages front and rear. "Mexico's" other extras are worth checking out, especially the deleted scenes (Rodriguez says he'll finish good sequences just for DVD -- who wants to watch work prints?). In the "10 Minute Cooking School," he cooks up the pork dish that so obsesses Depp's loopy CIA agent in the film.Part-time composer Rodriguez does a second commentary in which he isolates the film's score and sound effects, playing a few demos and telling listeners when to chapter-skip past the boring parts. His makeup effects pals at KNB FX break down some of the film's main gags in a 19-minute docu. A making-of featurette tells the history of the Mariachi films (this is actually the fourth film; the third just never happened).Columbia, unfortunately, begins the DVD with several ads for upcoming films that have to be watched or bypassed each time the disc is inserted.

James Beswick

(2013-04-11 09:55:37)

One of the worst movies ever made

No cohesion, no plot - no idea what on earth was going on. A completewasteof two hours for a movie with absolutely no redeeming features whatsoever.Quite a shock to see so much talent wasted. But then, what do you expectfrom the director that made Spy Kids. I'm staggered that anyone hasanythingto say that's positive about this film. Quite simply terrible.

tanchalum-2

(2013-04-11 04:48:57)

Has anyone ever made a good third movie in any trilogy?

I loved El Mariachi. I am an equal fan of Desperado. Both greatfilms by a master of film making. Both have stories that makesense and are filmed with reality AND fantasy. This is what makesit work. But Once upon a Time in Mexico is absolutly horrendous. Itfailed in every single way. I can't even critique it because it's allbad. None of it matters. I didn't care who lived or died most of thetime. What was the point of the story? Why kill the girl and thedaughter? Wouldn't he have more to fight for if they were alive?Why make Depp's character to be mostly unsimpithetic? Well, untilhe's blind. Every character sucked, with the exception of the formerFBI adjent who had reasons for his actions, and their deaths wereall anti climactic. Robert Rodrigez has lost it. I want my two hoursback. Has anyone ever made a good third movie in any trilogy?Ever? Seriously, how can you people like this movie? I can't turnmy mind off that much? Why, bother to have a story if you just needexplosions and shooting? I have friends who liked the Hulk, Attackof the Clones, Daredevil and other such god awful zero starmovies and I don't begrudge them for this abiltiy to like mindlessjunk but I still don't understand it.

kurciasbezdalas

(2013-04-06 10:20:03)

Pretty different from it's prequels

This movie really is different from El Mariachi and Desperado andbecause of that it may be disappointing for some people. First of allthis time El Mariachi isn't the main character of the film, this timethere are few main characters, one of them is Sands played by JohnnyDepp, who in my opinion steals the show from Antonio Banderas, who'scharacter didn't appeared so often in this film. Also not like inDesperado, this time there were less humour in this part, even CheechMarin was serious this time. On the other hand there were some goodaction sequences and not like in previous films there was a car chasescene, which was pretty good.

contact-89

(2013-04-05 10:59:00)

quite a mess...

Contains SPOILERS.I was going to the theater with a positive attitude and not knowing muchabout the film by having only seen the full trailer once. It was enough toconvince me. Damn, I was fooled...Mr. Rodriguez needs to get more than a script doctor because I've rarelyseen such a badly written scenario. It goes all over the place whilegettingnowhere all through the film. Sub-plots with characters that have nopurposes. Like many, Dafoe is one that you keep wondering what's his roleinthis and why the hell does he decides to get a change of face at one pointnear the 2/3 of the film. Johnny is fine but we never really get tounderstand again what's the reason the FBI is entangled in this situation,and even his character's text proves that his confusion is leading him innospecific direction. So he goes around hiring/convincing people to do thisand that while being a happy-go-lucky guy who gratuitously (unfortunatelynot in the fun way) kills innocent extras. And by the time you don'treallycare anymore, he pulls a Daredevil like it was the easiest/painless thinginthe world to become BLIND. Not to mention that the bad guys have goodoccasions to kill the heroes once and for all but would rather disabledthemor put them in escapable situations...Hey, don't get me wrong, I "like" moronic bad guy decisions like in theJames Bond movies, but in this one it's just to damn stupid to be taken onathat type of level.And if you ask me, alot of people will be disappointed by the misleadingposter that lets you believe Antonio and Salma are the central charactersofthe film. When Antonio is there, he barely has the charisma of Desperado,and you get maybe a line or two by Salma who is dead from the beginningandonly appears in flashbacks... That's not even a real spoiler because ifyoudon't get that the first time she appears on screen, then you're in for amajor deception. But I could care less because I wasn't expecting her tohold the film together.So basically, without enumerating the myriads of useless ploys andmurders,all I can say is that the film is about Johnny trying to pull some sort ofmoney stunt that blends all sorts of bad guys and good ones into savingtheMexican president from a coup d'état and convincing Antonio to now be arealhero for his government instead of the "legend" that he hadbecome.Note that I'm not aware of the current political situation in Mexico, so Idon't know on which angle to deal with this, but one thing for sure isthatRobert Rodriguez has made sure we are still confused why everyone isfighting everyone, even up to masked paraders on the occasion of the DayofDead festivities... A real big gunfight ensues that leaves absolutely nocadavers after the bloodbath.I'm just realizing now that there are so many more flaws, more than I'minterested in writing about...In the end, it's way far less entertaining than Desperado, not suspensefulfor a second, because all the actions scenes have no build-up whatsoever,and happen just because a regular spectator would feel it would be a goodtime to put some bloody eye candy on the screen. The directing is not wellchoreographed, it really feels like Robert was on auto-pilot.But I must say that I wasn't disappointed by one thing, the HD look isreally not bad at all, I think it looks pretty slick aside from very fewminor glitches. I'm certain that 97% of the population will never see thedifference. Well done on that side. But even though I like better actualcelluloid, I must say that I'm not one of the purist and am always open tonew technologies.---------Wait for it on TV....contact-89

Bernhard Pucher

(2013-04-03 21:08:26)

Once Upon a Time, when this series was good.

I am seriously disappointed! As a Fan of Robert Rodriguez and as a "ElMariachi" and "Desperado" enthusiast, my opinion of this movie is ultralow.Here's a list of things that were lame:1. Gunbattles: Horribly Choreographed and utterly boring. They seem tojusthappen and as opposed to the prequels (if you will) my disbelief could notbe suspended, and after the gunbattles ended i just sat there with a big"year right" on my face. Both "El Mariachi" and "Desperado" amazed me withits action, but somehow Rodriguez managed to make the thing that could'vemade the movie great, into the most boring aspect of thefilm.2. Story: Granted, the story of the previous two weren't the mostinnovativeeither, but this one tried too hard to have twists and turns, and it neverwent anywhere. It tried too hard to be something its not. Instead heshouldhave tried to work on a story that is simple, coherent and kind ofinteresting, instead of an incoherent mess, which had 4 storylines runparallel, and none of them were pleasantly followable. one giantdisaster3. Is this movie about Antonio or Johnny Depp? coz Johnny seemed to appearalot more in this one than Antonio, and honestly, the only thing that madethe movie worth watching was Johnny Depp. Everybody else was boring andhadnothing to offer.4. As opposed to the previous two, this one was insanely looooong, and hadnothing to offer for it. Sometimes, when a movie is this very long, itmightget to me, but some of those long movies have at least something to showforit, or atleast a reason why it was so long. This one offered nothing andI'mnot giving anything back.My only pro about this movie is its Cinematography, or shall I sayVideography. Best shot Video i've ever seen. Only rarely did I see that itwas video, but any other time, it looked very convincingly like film. OnlyStar Wars did better, but Lucas works with an insane budget, compared toRodriguez.Final Word:"El Mariachi" and "Desperado" were both cool and quite entertaining. Myexpectations were no more than that for "O.U.A.T.I.M." But it couldn'tevenfulfill that.I never judged RR for doing Spy Kids, but I will judge him on this one: Iamutterly disappointed! Especially after all the cool movies he has directedand produced.

mehrdadf

(2013-04-03 08:00:29)

this was the WORST! movie in 2003 !

last night I saw One Upon a Time in Mexico. the trailers of the moviepromised a good action movie and the critics were also so-so about it.well,I guess I can say that so far this was the WORST! movie in 2003 that Ihaveseen! First of all, there was no plot at all. it seems that for sellingtheticket the director (who was also the producer, composer , cinematographerand many other othings as well), has gathered a group of hot stars andaskedthem to do whatever they have learned from actions films! there was a lotofgore which was sometimes unbearable. I'll call it a waste of money andtime!(my score: 1/10)