tieman64

(2013-05-09 01:36:34)

Well, Pete, them ants are eating your friend

"The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" stars Tommy Lee Jones as PetePerkins, a rancher stricken by grief when Mel, a close friend andMexican employee, is killed by a trigger happy border patrol guard.Enraged by the local police force's indifference toward Mel's death,Perkins sets out to fulfil a promise by taking Mel's corpse home toMexico. He takes Mel's murderer – a deranged border patrolman played byBarry Pepper – with him.The film was written by Guillermo Arriaga ("Amores Perros", "21Grams"), a writer with a fondness for non-chronological plot-lines. Asa result "Burial" is initially off-putting, until its various narrativestrands begin to gel and Arriaga's plot becomes cohesive.Like John Sayles' superior, but equally reductive "Lone Star", the filmis a racial tract dressed up in cowboy garb. It's an allegory aboutaffluent bullies who exploit their poor neighbours whilst covering upthe misdirected violence of their own hotheaded proletariat. The filmworks best, though, not as a message movie, but as an evocation ofsmall town West Texas. This is a dead, forgotten world, whereemasculated men bully both women and immigrants just to feel alive. Thefilm's title refers to the repeated burials and excavations of Mel'scorpse. There are many ways to bury a man, the film says, but only oneis right."Burial's" cast is mostly fine, expect Pepper, whose character iswritten as a raging, caricatural hot head. Not only is his narrativearc clichéd – he moves from resentment to forgiveness, and soredemption, after witnessing the hard lives of Mexicans first hand –but his character demonizes and personalises what are ideological,political and structural problems. Lazy, aggressive, violent, sexualperverts patrol the Mexican borders, the film wants you to believe.Look how they bully poor, nice, kind-hearted Mexicans! Which is not to say that the violence of such men does not spring fromfeelings of emasculation, but that the issue is infinitely morecomplicated. For example, just 44 percent of the border is actuallypatrolled, and what is patrolled is mostly a charade, as there is anunspoken understanding that the US economy is heavily reliant on cheaplabour provided by immigrant workers. As much as 1/6th the populationof Mexico lives and works in the United States, most of it underconditions of illegality, with little protection from the exploitationof low-wage employers. This, of course, is all engineered to keep thecost of goods low (Wal-Mart routinely makes almost 300 billion inannual sales, 11 million of which goes toward paying reprimands forhiring illegal immigrants) and to prevent the problems and violence ofthe borders travelling inland and engulfing the white lower and middleclasses. A somewhat unconscious decision is thus made: better tickedoff, poor Mexicans over the border, than ticked off whites at home. Theborder is less a cartographic demarcation than an instrument of socialand class relations.If Pepper is a caricature who distracts away from the core of realissues, Jones fares better. His grief is palatable, though because hisrelationship with Mel isn't fully explored, his sorrow isn't asaffecting as it should be. Interestingly, the film reduces Jones andMel's friendship to bouts of shared sex with hookers. In an emasculatedtown, where everyone plays games of dominance/submissiveness, thehetero-couple's companionship boils down to a willingness to copulatein tandem. To get around the contradiction of these "good" men hiringhookers, the prostitutes are portrayed as "hookers with hearts ofgold", their male clients totally submissive to the women's needs andwishes.Mixing noir tropes with that of Westerns and Southern Gothicliterature, "Burials" belongs firmly to the "Mexican-American borderneo noir", or "Tex-noir" hybrid genre. Some of the sub-genre's betterfilm include "Extreme Prejudice", "Bring Me The Head of AlfredoGarcia", "No Country For Old Men", "Flesh and Bone", "Lone Star","Lonely are the Brave", and "The Border".7.9/10 - Worth one viewing.

chasingproductions

(2013-05-08 15:19:28)

a perfect movie, none the less

This is by fat the best performance of Tommy Lee Jones career. This manhas done so many great things, but here he at his his best. I've triedmany times to one sentence this film, I cant.Is it about friendship? Loyalty to another man? Respect? or is it justone man's attempt to do one good thing by honoring another man wishes?so many moralities, it hard to chose what this movie teaches you andyou do end the movie thinking you've learned something, but you're notsure what, at least I wasn't. Great performances from everyone around,also direction, and cinema photography, they capture everythingbeautifully. There is something very deep going on here. Check it out.

Kyle Herbert

(2013-04-29 16:16:31)

Not what you'd expect; it's better!

Upon hearing of 'Melquiades Estrada' I was eager to see if it could topthe likes of 'Butch Cassidy' and 'Unforgiven' as a western (as this iswhat I was expecting; a 2D stereotypical western that was entertainingnonetheless), but when I watched it I was in awe. It was a western,yes, but it was so much more as well; the characters are developed tosuch an extent the audience doesn't know where their empathy lies; theyare torn between Tommy-Lee Jones' revenge for the accidental death ofhis friend and whether or not Barry Pepper's character deserves thispunishment, not because of the accidental murder, but because of how hetreats his wife.For his directorial debut Jones shows an excellence to match mostestablished film makers, in the same way as Gary Oldman did when hemade 'Nil By Mouth'. He has left the audience eagerly awaiting more ofhis work. He combines a stunning visual style much like Ang Lee's witha raw honesty that is more reminiscent of De Palma's work.The narrative is simple because of it's content, but complex because ofhow the characters react to it. This film is truly a treat for any filmfan; there is something for everybody and the plot twist at the end isutterly harrowing.

YesYesNo

(2013-04-29 08:35:22)

Unfortunate misfire

The Three Burials of Melquides Estrada brings first-time director TommyLee Jones into the conscientious but ambiguous domain of ClintEastwood, casting shades of Unforgiven in an engaging drama of fear andviolence in a West Texas border town.While this film features strong and passionate performances, wellwritten characters, and a thoughtful awareness of border issues, itssecond half dispenses with its best virtues and leaves one with thesour taste of dramatic contrivance. For the lengthy journey through theChihuahuan Desert, Jones's protagonist abducts the guilty border agent,played by Barry Pepper, exposing him to a series of humiliations andsadistic treatments that are regrettably tinged with a sense ofhumorous vindication. The viewer is asked to forget that the agent is avisibly shaken, paranoid and regretful human being, and accept Jones asthe tough but merciful enforcer of moral righteousness. Consequently,both characters become less human and less believable. The film's finalexchange, in which Pepper begs for forgiveness under a barrage ofgunfire before solicitously asking after the welfare of a departingJones, reaches the peak of condescension by manipulating the viewerinto accepting the legitimacy of the screenwriter's misbegotten fantasyof justice.While Eastwood's Unforgiven, by all accounts the superior film, iscontent to leave the viewer with nagging uncertainties about theprotagonist's moral choices, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estradafinishes too cleanly and decisively for its own good. This is moreunfortunate because the earlier parts demonstrate a sensitivity to theconditions of the characters that is uncommon in cinema today.

(2013-04-19 21:15:37)

Sooooo great

OMG this movie was *soooo* awesome because like everything in it is so true and stuff!!! Like in the parts where you could see those mean border patrol guys and like they were so cruel! It's just like when on like CNN or whatever when my dad who's soooooo weird like flips the channel when I'm *trying* to watch MTV but then I see how awful the mean border patrol is! And OMG it was sooooo sad too because the Latino or Hispanic or something, whatever he's called ... I mean I *know* from on TV and stuff you're not supposed to call them Mexicans. I mean ok well Melquiades really was from Mexico but yea umm anyway ... This movie was just SO real, how the poor illegal Mexican guy was just here to support his family and his family was so cute too!! He had a picture we got see in the movie. But I bet the mean border patrol guys woulda like arrested him for possession of a picture of a Latino family or something because they're so cruel all the time and stuff! Melquiades was sooooo nice too!! But I couldn't even get over how the border patrol guys treated him so awful. I cried and cried it was so sad. But anyway ..... even tho I loveddddd the movie I could only make it 1 star because they made the border patrol guys wear green costumes and omg green looks sooooo bad compared to my eyes. I was soooo mad at that part. They also talked about stuff like the Lord and God and stuff and I mean, I thought that was illegal! That kinda made me mad too.

mrtimlarabee

(2013-04-19 15:57:05)

A kind of bizarre Pekinpah like poem

With Estrada's dead body in tow, cattle rancher Pete Perkins, played byTommy Lee Jones, takes a border patrol man named Mike Norton to whereEstrada lived and asks Norton look at Estrada's plate, drink out of hiscup, and where his clothes. Pete wants Mike to see what an injusticehe's done. It's a violent kind of poetry that's felt throughout thefilm.Tommy Lee Jones directs and stars in this film. The film begins simplyenough, with the view of Estrada's body, dead from a gunshot wound. Weare introduced to rookier border patrol officer Mike Norton, played byBarry Pepper, and his young wife. They arrive in Texas from Cincinatti.Norton obviously lacks experience at his trade and shows violent andcowardly tendencies doing his job.There is a non linear quality to the film. It flashes back and forth,tracing the friendship between Pete and Estrada, an illegal Mexicanimmigrant. This part of the film can seem a little slow, thoughimportant. When we see Estrada's death and learn of his killer, thejourney begins where Pete sets out to give his friend a proper burial.This is also where the film moves from standard drama to a surreal,Pekinpah like journey. Think "Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia,"where Bennie talked to the head and gave it a shower. "Garcia" was aviolent road film, but some scenes remind me of that film. "ThreeBurials" is more poetic.In the end, we have a film that deals with friendship, justice, and asense of loneliness felt by more than one character in the film. Wealso get a classic semi tense road picture, between Texas and Mexico.While the journey's no match for Jones' turn in "No Country for OldMen," this film blends emotional drama with a dark somewhat violentwestern.

Brent Trafton

(2013-04-12 20:10:55)

Character Driven Neo Western

"The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada," is a story of a man who istrying to honor the wishes of a dead friend and get revenge on the manwho killed him. Other than that, there is very little story.This is a film where character development is the foundation. The firsthalf of the film is mostly about the characters living in a smallborder town in Texas. The second half is a road movie, where Pete(Tommy Lee Jones) takes the killer of Melquiadas back to Mexico to burythe man he killed and teach him to respect him. Pete originally triesto bring the man to justice but when the authorities dismiss thekilling of a "wetback" not being worth their while, Pete goes nuts andkidnaps the killer, so he can bury him in his homeland.If you decide to see this film, do not expect a lot of action or cleverdialog. This is a film about the characters and how the events in thefilm change them.The film was written by Guillermo Arriga, who also wrote "21 Grams" Itfollows the same format in the first half where some of the events areportrayed out of sequence. Tommy Lee Jones does a great acting job anda good directing job, although I can't help but wonder that AlejandroInarritu might have done even better.If you like thoughtful, well acted, and well photographed films, youshould give "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" a look.

auberus

(2013-04-12 11:33:21)

Nobody is beyond redemption...

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is for me the film that saved2005. Written by Guillermo Arriaga, also writer of "Amores Perros" and"21 grams" and the first movie of Tommy Lee Jones as a director (butalso lead actor), "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" tells thestory of Ranch hand Pete Perkins (Tommy Lee Jones) who wants to fulfillthe promise he made to his recently deceased Mexican friend by buryinghim in his hometown in Mexico. The power of this modern western andinitiatic journey resides in the complexity of the characters, theirdepth and their controversial behavior. None of the protagonists areone dimensional; none of them are right or wrong but all of them doright and wrong things. They are not always rational, and most of thetime they feel lost. In one word they all appear profoundly human.Build over a chase dynamic fueled with contrasts and paradoxes, thefilm opposes Wild West landscape and Modern carton built houses, 4WDtracking hunt and horse back journey, fake TV soaps and true friendshipbut maybe most of all Freedom and Prison. Indeed most if not allcharacters are trapped in their apathetic lives from which they can'tor don't want to escape forcing us to ask ourselves how close is ourlives to the spectacle projected in front of our eyes. MelquiadesEstrada embodies this possibility of Escape and now that he has beenburied 3 times he transcends this Freedom making redemption possiblenot only through death but also through rebirth, suggesting that nobodyis beyond it.

(2013-04-09 14:40:45)

Great little movie

Good story, good acting. Nice small part by Levon Helm of Band fame. Definitely recommend.

Tim Johnson

(2013-04-09 07:45:00)

A remarkable directorial debut by Tommy Lee Jones.

I once read in these IMDb comments that the true strength of a film waswas its "stickness". That is, do you remember a film and its detailseven after the passage of days that turn into weeks and Three Burialshas that quality for me; it has been neatly a week since I saw thisabsorbing movie-longer than I like to take before writing IMDb commentsand I find that the movie is still with me as rich and absorbing as itwas last week. For a guy with a sieve-mind as I have, that is a highcompliment for any film.The first thing that I remember about Three Burials is theextraordinary starkness of the film: starkness of landscape, starknessof emotion, starkness of Jones's portrayal. The south Texas landscapeshould be given space in the credits on a par with the actors because,through Jones' shot selection, it plays an integral role in the film.Moving further out on the analytical limb, I would say that thelandscape is the metaphor for the starkness of the lives endured by thehuman inhabitants of the region. Working class environments asportrayed in this film and in similar films present an extraordinarilybleak vision of rural America. I've just revisited that 70's classicThe Last Picture Show and Texas does not come away from that film anybetter than this one.To me, the plot drove this film-it was the canvas upon which the actorsplayed out their roles and they played out these roles superbly. Jone'sPerkins and Pepper's Norton carried the central story as you will see.I am unfamiliar with Barry Pepper's work but his strength in this filmmarks him as an actor I will watch for in the future.Be sure to watch carefully for a remarkable piece about mid-way throughthe movie by Levon Helm; for old guys like me, he was better known forbeing the drummer and sometimes vocalist for the legendary group knownas The Band. His is a remarkably sensitive small role but is probablyworth the admission price alone.You owe it to yourself to see this memorable film.

IAN-Cinemaniac

(2013-04-07 20:19:25)

Sad and sometimes quirky journey about friendship, loss and regret

I just had the pleasure of seeing this wholly original modern-dayAmerican western. Just when you think you have this film's plot pigeonholed it takes you in a different direction. THREE BURIALS OFMELQUIADES ESTRADA is in part a revenge story, but it's also much morethan that. There are no one dimensional characters. As much as you wantto hate Barry Pepper's numbed border patrol officer, you can't help butfeel sorry for him. And Tommy Lee Jones' Pete will break your heart. Heand Pepper have never been better and Jones' direction is natural andsubtle. My only problem with the film was sometimes it got a little tooquirky for its own good. But for the most part I believed every momentand really cared for these lost characters. It's one of those filmsthat really leaves you thinking about a lot of stuff, from mortalityand loss to the very real problems of racism and inhumanity. It's neverpreachy or self aware and isn't out to impress, it's just telling astory. I highly recommend this movie. It's by far one of the best filmsI've seen recently.

meeza

(2013-04-07 09:22:42)

Tommy Boy digs deep here!

If you are graving I mean craving for a quirky western-type film abouta delusional ranch-hand who seeks revenge on a border patrol officerwho killed the ranchman's best friend then you should dig into theindie film "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada". I swear to deaththat this will be the only film ever made about a delusional ranch-handwho seeks revenge on a border patrol officer who killed the ranchman'sbest friend. The film is the brainwork of Tommy Lee Jones. I guessJones was "jonesing" to create an unconventional film, which is what"The Three Burials of (do I really have to finish typing the entiretitle?)" encompasses much of. Jones not only directs it but also starsas ranch-hand Pete Perkins. Pistol Pete discovers that his best friend,Mexican immigrant Melquiades Estrada, is killed by a dodgy borderpatrol officer named Mike Norton played by Barry Pepper. Perkins'mission is to seize Norton and and force him to give Melquiades aproper burial in Estrada's Mexican village. The film does displayflashbacks of Perkins & Estrada's friendship. However, for the mostpart we see Estrada as a "Chip" of the dead block. Yes! Just like EricEstrada's career, Melquiades is mostly shown in the film "good asdead". Sorry Ponch! Do not cinematically arrest me! OK, enough! WriterGuillermo Arriaga, best known as Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu'sright-hand write man, once again contributes a razor-sharp, brainyscreenplay. Jones was incisive with his freshman directorial effort,and was scarcely charismatic with his not-so-freshman acting effort.However, it was Pepper's peppery and emotional thespian work that Imost digged about "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada". The youngacting supporting acting guns of January Jones as Norton's wife andJulio Cedillo as Mel himself did not misfire. Moreover, the olderacting supporting guns of Melissa Leo as an adulteress waitress andDwight Yoakam as the town sheriff also hit the right thespian targets.Also, "Tijuana" know that the cinematography of this semi-western filmhad all the right shots. "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada"might be long in title but short in staleness. Can you dig it??? ****Good

(2013-04-06 08:57:27)

Three Burials "...a hell of a vision!"

The Three Burials... is a real Cowboy love story, not Hollywood's Brokeback version of the bond between two Cowboys. At the same time, it is a film that makes you think, just a little bit, about life on our southern border and how disaffected and estranged we have become with our neighbors to the south. We owe so much to these people and their culture, yet at every turn we reward them with our contempt and disdain. It is now politically expedient to talk of building walls and fences or increasing the size of the bureaucracy to keep them out. It really is a tragedy that we ignore history and repeat the mistakes of the past. This film does a great job of revealing the stark contrast between life on either side of an invisible line. Meanwhile, this film finds a way to be humorous amid the grim subject matter. In addition, the film's visuals and landscapes are as compelling as it's main characters. This is a great start for Tommy Lee Jones as a Director. This film and The Matador are two of the best movies released recently. They are nothing alike, but both are original, intelligent, and worth a trip to the local cinema. Thanks for your good work Mr. Jones and crew!!!

Jake

(2013-04-06 03:17:06)

The Slowest Movie I have ever seen

I thought that this movie was absolutely dull. It felt like time hadslowed to snails pace. And what was with that pointless sex scene. Imean, she was making dinner then all the sudden BAM! That's justunsanitary. The acting and directing were fine but the story was justboring. I FEEL ASLEEP HALFWAY! Of course I gave it second chance butguess what....It was still boring as hell. I would rather watch all thetoxic avengers movies in a row than see this again. Tommy Lee Jonessurely had different material he could have directed right? It was justblah blah blah blah. I asked everyone else ho saw if they liked andthey did so I don't know if I'm crazy or if it's everyone else in theworld who liked this.

jonpuck

(2013-03-31 14:05:45)

Crossing the border between men

Tommy Lee Jones' directorial debut rolls out the expected cast ofredneck sheriffs, cheatin' wives and noble Mexican poor but thankfullynobody quite plays according to stereotype. This tells the story ofPete Perkins (played by Jones), a rancher who honours his promise toMelquiades, his illegal immigrant friend, to return his body across theborder into Mexico to give him a proper burial in his 'hometown'. Intow, and very much under duress, is Mike (a stunning performance byBarry Pepper) the hapless border patrolman who accidentally shot him.Almost from the outset things start to go clumsily wrong and they justdon't stop. An early scene has Pete pouring beer over poor Melquiades'head and briefly setting him alight like a zombie Bombe Alaska, inorder to prevent ants from eating him. Later in the movie Pete hits onthe idea of pumping Melquiades with anti-freeze to preserve him. I wasbeginning to wonder if it wasn't all going to degenerate into a sort of"Weekend at Bernies" with cowboy hats. I shouldn't have worried,though. Jones and writer Guillermo Arriaga have created a small gem ofa movie with a heart as big as the grand Texas country so beautifullyfilmed throughout. Everyone comes out of this sadder and wiser,including the audience.Many people have made much of the political aspects of this film, butit feels to me to be more about personal choices. Sad, funny and grim"The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" is ultimately about empathy.Mike's closing words, just before the credits roll, show that he hasfinally come to see things from another man's point of view.

(2013-03-30 21:52:07)

haunting film

****1/2Tommy Lee Jones` "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" is a rare and extraordinarily interesting modern western centering around illegal immigration at the Texas/Mexico border. The complicated plot begins with the discovery of a corpse half-buried in the Texas desert. The shooting victim is one Melquiades Estrada, a young illegal immigrant with a wife and family back in Mexico. His buddy, Pete Perkins (played by Jones himself), a gringo with a natural affinity for Mexican immigrants, discovers that the killer is a violent, hotheaded young border patrol agent named Mike Norton (Barry Pepper), who, it turns out, shot Estrada more out of fear and confusion than any sense of malice. Realizing that the authorities have no intention of bringing Estrada's killer to justice, Pete takes matters into his own hands by kidnapping Norton and dragging him to Mexico on horseback so that together they can fulfill Estrada's expressed wish to be buried there in his native soil.Guillermo Arriaga has written a screenplay that is gritty, subtle and not at all interested in following a pre-arranged formula. He allows the story to go off in unexpected directions and we are more than happy to follow right along with it. So seamless is Arriaga in moving back and forth in time that it takes a full half hour before we realize that much of what we have been watching has actually been in the form of flashbacks. Yet, rather than making us confused, this approach only piques our interest further and makes us want to see how it will all turn out. Arriaga has also created characters with subtle shadings. For instance, even though Perkins is acting out of righteous anger in defense of the friend he loved, some of his actions reveal an underlying element of sadism in his personality. In much the same way, Norton is not portrayed as a one-dimensional villain, but rather as a deeply troubled man with the potential for redemption if someone could just find some way to tap the goodness that is lurking at his core. Even though most of the scenes center around these two men, the film is filled with a whole host of memorable, finely drawn secondary characters who contribute both to the plot and to the desert community milieu of the film.As a director, Jones, working with cinematographer Chris Menges, makes the setting an integral part of the drama, showing how both the beauty and the harshness of the environment ultimately affect human behavior. And Jones has elicited riveting performances not just from himself and Pepper, but from Dwight Yoakum, Melissa Leo and January Jones in various supporting roles. It's true that the film comes equipped with an obvious political slant; Jones and Arriaga portray the Mexicans in a far more sympathetic light than they do the border patrol officers or the American law enforcement officials. It would be a shame, however, for a viewer to let that one aspect deprive him of reveling in the fine filmmaking and first-rate storytelling that is at the heart of "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada."

janos451

(2013-03-28 01:59:31)

Shades of 'Unforgiven'!

Ay, carramba! A diablo of a marketing challenge: a bilingual movie,with an impossible-to-remember title, a story of white trash, Mexicanwetbacks (that's the film's language), cruel Border Patrol "cowboys,"and Tommy Lee Jones as the director and the uniquely memorable leadcharacter... and a film that's one of the year's best."The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" opens with a somewhatconfusing sequence of flashbacks, and for the first half hour, you wishyou were watching something more "orderly," but you'll be hookedanyway. For the next hour and a half, however, there is a crescendo ofimages and situations hitting the viewer over the head, amazing andmoving.Taking the corpse of a friend - and his very much alive killer - backto Mexico for a "proper burial" and to mete out justice, Jones' voyageis a quirky, epic adventure, based on the brilliant writing ofGuillermo Arriaga (of "21 Grams"), and filmed to perfection by ChrisMenges (of "The Killing Fields" and "The Mission").Besides Jones (who won the 2005 Cannes Festival best actor award forthis), "3 Burials" features fabulous performances by Barry Pepper ("25Hours"), Julio Cedillo, and a large group of remarkable supportingactors on both sides of the border.Jones says something in the production notes that could sound arrogantor affected... except that it's true: "Some visual influences have beenthe kabuki theater, the art of Donald Judd and Dan Flavin, and thefilms of Akira Kurasawa, Sam Peckinpah, and Jean-Luc Godard." Amen.

(2013-03-27 23:12:09)

Riding righting wrongs

This is a modern western drama well worth watching for its spirited take on friendship in the face of racism with an ethics lesson focused on atonement and redemption.A border patrol guard with a penchant for violence accidentally shoots a Mexican working in America near the border but leaves him to die. The Mexican's friend played by Tommy Lee Jones slowly fixes to have the border patrol guard kidnapped and forces him to bring the body across to Mexico for burial. Along the way they come across many characters and situations that slowly aid in delivering the patrol guard from his prejudice.There is so much depth in character and detail to this story that anyone with a love of movies should watch it. This is a fantastic first director's effort from Jones also and shows that there is still plenty of room for original stories on the silver screen. Its art house appeal is also significant.

MLDinTN

(2013-03-25 08:03:28)

not what i expected

I thought this would be some type of murder mystery, but it wasn't. Themovie tells you who killed Estrada half way through. The movie movesslowly with not a lot of action. That was the main problem with it. Thestory had a good premise, but wasn't entertaining enough. The latterpart of the movie is mainly set in the dessert with not a lot to lookat. Jones and Pepper were good in their roles. But, it was rather grossto think about someone hauling around a dead body in the dessert. Idon't care if they did put antifreeze in the body. The stench would behorrible. It just doesn't seem like someone who wasn't crazy would dothat.FINAL VERDICT: OK, but slow. If you don't care if a movie has a slowplot or are a fan of Tommy Lee Jones, then you may want to check thisout.

PersianPlaya408

(2013-03-24 14:44:29)

Flawless indeed... amazing film

Tommy Lee Jones' film about a rancher (Jones) who keeps his promise tohis friend and co-worker Melquiades Estrada who wanted to be buried inhis homeland in Mexico. The film is slow at times, but gets it pointacross well, and I believe those instances in the film where not muchis going on actually help it in order to put things in perspective forus viewers. The cinematography is artistically beautiful, while thescore, screenplay from Guillermo Arriaga (who also appears in the film)and the performancer are first-rate. Amazing how films like this govirtually overlooked in the press and eyes of mainstream Americancinema-goers. This film deserves to get all the nomination and awardhype that less worthy stuff like Brokeback mountain or even Walk theline have received. This is a true masterpiece from Tommy Lee Jones,who proves hes just as credible in directing as in acting. 10/10