Once Upon a Time in Mexico (DVD)

I bought this DVD not really knowing what it was about or what to expect. (To be honest, I was only interested in Johnny Depp!) But as soon as I watched it I thought it was amazing! I actually watched it everyday without fail for weeks. It's about the hero "El Mariachi" (Banderas) who is persuaded to take revenge on the man who killed his family, by corrupt CIA agent Sands (Depp). It might not have a great plot, but it's just a great film. Johnny Depp's character, Sands, is so entertaining and has some great lines. The characters work well together too. The soundtrack is also excellent, it goes really well with the film and ...  Read the complete review

I've always loved Rodriguez's work, up to and including the gloriously nutty and under-rated 'Spy Kids' trilogy. However, to be honest, I was secretly longing for that brilliant chapter to close after the director appeared on The Big Breakfast to promote one of the films and hinted that a third Mariachi film might be on the cards, and I've been waiting patiently ever since. So, the trilogy that began ten years previously with the shoestring 'El Mariachi' finally draws to a close. As with the Terminator series there has been a sense that each installment has been more of a remake than a sequel, updated each time to make the most of whatever money or neat ...  Read the complete review

Once upon a time in Mexico is is a sort of sequel to Robert Rodriguez' film Desperado which itself was a re-make or expanded version of his breakout film, El Mariachi. The El Mariachi legend, of course, had already had an interesting and unique history and I think Rodriguez himself was even surprised at its evolution and popularity. The first film was shot for a mere 7,000 dollars and catapulted the young filmmaker to prominence, earning him the coveted Audience Award for Best Dramatic film at the Sundance Film Festival. The second film, Desperado, began as a bigger budget remake of the first movie but grew into a sequel of sorts, incorporating ...  Read the complete review

El Mariachi is hired by a CIA Agent, Sheldon Sands, to kill General Marquez, who is planning to overthrow the President of Mexico at the request of a drug baron. El Mariachi needs little encouragement; Marquez is responsible for the death of El Mariachi's wife and child. Sands, who is a closet psychopath, further complicates matters by hiring someone to kill the drug baron who wants the President dead, and having his fingers in all sorts of other pies. Will El Mariachi manage to carry out his assignment to Sands' satisfaction? Or will he discover that Sands' involvement is not as straightforward as he first thought? This is the third in a trilogy of films ...  Read the complete review

A Robert Rodriguez DVD can sometimes be more of an education than entertainment, as he’s a filmmaker who is always willing to share the secrets of his craft with an audience. I suspect that this is because he enjoys what he does and, having come straight from film school to the top of the game thanks to “El Mariachi”, has always relied more on his instincts and self-taught skills rather than the way things have always been done. Having gained this knowledge, he’s keen to share it, perhaps feeling his way to be better than the traditional way. The third in Rodriguez’s “Mariachi” trilogy, “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” is a more lavish affair than his two ...  Read the complete review