Three burials and one shooting (The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (DVD))

Name: sunmeilan

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Product:	The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (DVD)
Date:	28/10/07 (97 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautifully filmed, powerful message

Disadvantages: Drags a little, sometimes confusing

Ranch hand Pete Perkins is not a happy man. His best friend and fellow ranch hand, the Melquiades Estrada of the title, has been shot dead by a trigger happy border patrol officer, Mike Norton. Now he wants revenge, but Norton's boss would rather brush the whole thing under the carpet. Perkins therefore decides to take things into his own hands and force Perkins to make amends by taking Estrada's body back to his Mexican hometown to bury him. Will Perkins be able to bypass the law in order to get what he wants? And will Norton come to realise the wrong that he has committed?

I don't think I would ever have watched this film if I hadn't read a couple of reviews recommending it - I just don't like anything that smacks of Westerns and that is exactly what this film is - a modern day Western. However, it is more than 'just' a Western - it is a story that deals with societal disparities, the trust between human beings and revenge. On top of that, it is also beautifully filmed. All in all, although it is not without its flaws, I am more than glad I had the opportunity to watch this film.

Tommy Lee Jones both directs the film and plays the key role of Pete Perkins. I really like Tommy Lee Jones, but don't actually know why. Time and time again I have watched a film because he is in it, yet his performances, although competent, are rarely awe-inspiring. I don't know why this should be, because I feel as if he has the potential to do a lot more. As Perkins, he is a surly man whose soft centre is only shown by his regard for Estrada and his bit on the side, Rachel. His performance is perfectly realistic and competent, but nor did it blow me out of the water.

Barry Pepper as Mike Norton gives a very solid performance as a selfish man used to getting what he wants when he wants from his woman and not above using his fists and gun against Mexican women when he gets the chance. He comes across as being a bit of a coward who cannot take what he gives out and this is exactly what we are supposed to think. His performance is very controlled though - it would have been easy to exaggerate his unpleasant side, but he does keep this reigned in, much to the benefit of the film.

I would have liked to see more of Julio Cedillo who plays Estrada and who is unfortunately dead for much of the film. The times that he is on screen, he has a great presence and I felt as if he could have offered much more given the chance. His relationship with Pete Perkins is strong - I did think they might have a sexual relationship at one point, but apparently not. January Jones and Melissa Leo are both worth mentioning as Norton's wife, Lou Ann, and Rachel. Jones role is little more than eye candy, but she provides it with aplomb and I got the impression she had a lot more to give. I would have liked Rachel's role to be better developed because Leo gives a great performance as the female version of a local lothario - as it is, we are just shown snippets of her life and I was left wanting to know more.

Perhaps Tommy Lee Jones' talent lies with directing. I certainly thought he did a really good job of the visuals - the scenery was really stunning, particularly when Perkins is leading Norton across Mexico. The pacing was a little off at the beginning of the film - I really felt that it was too slow and the constant jumping in time made it very difficult to follow and for the first half an hour, I hadn't really got a clue what was going on. Once the story was set though, it all made sense and following the film was downhill from then on.

The film is about a white officer shooting a Mexican man and then trying to cover up his crime. All sorts of parallels could be drawn to do with the wrongs that ethnic minorities are forced to accept in this world - the most obvious being the war in Iraq. This is dealt with to a certain extent - we see the Mexican woman who Norton abused get her revenge on him towards the end of the film and it is hard not to cheer - but nor was it dwelt on too much. Ultimately, this is a film about people and their feelings and the colour of their skin almost becomes irrelevant and that is personally how I prefer my films.

It wasn't the most exciting film I have ever seen; by Western (as in cowboy) standards, it was positively dull. I liked it though. It had a powerful message - that what goes around comes around - accompanied by some good acting and excellent cinematography. I can't ask for much more. Recommended.

The DVD is available from play.com for £5.99.

Classification: 15

Running time: 120 minutes

Summary: A new take on the Western and a good one at that