Review: Once Upon a Time In Mexico

Rated R | 102 mins

Once Upon a Time in Mexico masters two arts—being cocky and being contrived. It’s a hysterical hoot, full of big explosions, nutty editing, and powerful weapons. It’s also insanely entertaining, and will definitely captivate most audience members. Sadly, watching the same old shtick for nearly one-hundred minutes is a relentless experience. When we finally reach the grand climax, what should be a fabulous finale to a worthy film, all that’s awaiting us is more guns, fighting, and cheesy poses made by Antonio Banderas. Whoopee!

Essentially, Once Upon a Time in Mexico is Robert Rodriguez’s latest Spy Kids movie; all that’s changed is the PG rating. It’s goofy, dumb, and all in good fun. But while the Spy Kids trilogy thrives on these very characteristics, Mexico is able to accomplish very little, because of them. Rodriguez is amazing—he directs, he edits, he writes, he produces, he composes—but his talent is best utilized, when he’s working with material that involves little kids with superpowers. His personal Apple computer is his film studio, and when watching this movie, it becomes very evident. Mexico is a rather mediocre motion picture.

There is one fabulous feature to be seen in Once Upon a Time in Mexico, however. Johnny Depp is great; his performance is hilariously funny, brilliantly witty, and ingeniously outrageous. The two projects that he’s worked on this year, this one and Pirates of the Caribbean, prove what a tremendous comedian he is. Every time Depp is onscreen, in Mexico, whopping amounts of laughter accompany him. Unfortunately, almost every other component of this entertaining, but jumbled film is either missing or out of place.

The material had potential, but the execution is flawed. It’ll be a fun rental when it comes out on video, however. Until then, I’d pass on it, for it certainly isn’t worth the ten bucks multiplexes’ charge for admission.