Irgendwann in Mexico

El Mariachi has long quit the gunslinger trade but is offered a chance to avenge the death of his wife and daughter by slightly unhinged CIA agent Sands. Sands is trying to control a coup by allowing it to happy but then having the victor killed as soon as he takes power. However the involvement of drug lord Barillo and various other groups soon complicate matters causing bullets to come from all sides.

After taking an unlikely trilogy to box office success, Rodriguez returns to the film series that basically brought him the success he has today – El Mariachi. While the first film in the series was a very cheap movie, the second and the third swelled with budget and star names. Here the action is constant and is very stylised. This is not to say that it is all edge of the seat stuff, but if spectacle and bangs is all you are after then this should do the job nicely. None of it moves slowly simply because it has more than enough going on to fill the time – but that's the problem to be honest.

The plot has so much going on but none of it actually fits together or makes a whole lot of sense. After a while any attempt to put things together in my head became a wasted effort – clearly the point here was that the style and gloss was meant to be everything. The other downside to this is that some characters are so poorly used that it's a wonder as to why they were even written in. Some cameos are fantastic and make the film. I refer to, of course, Depp, who, for the second time this summer, manages to make a film better by his sheer witty performance. He owes a lot to the writing of the character but he carries him off superbly and is darkly funny. However Rouke, Blades, Mendes, Dafoe all have little to do and, with some of them, are just clutter. Banderas does his usual stuff with style but his character doesn't have the depth that the flashbacks I think are meant to give him – again this is style over substance.

I still quite enjoyed the film but couldn't help but feel it was less the sum of it's parts. With a budget, big names and lots of action I was surprised that the cluttered, shambolic plot managed to take away from the `fun' as much as it did – but it did. Quite enjoyable but you need a LOT of style to win compensate for the total lack of substance.

Like "Desperado," the film offers nonstop action and a gargantuan body count. Robert Rodriguez knows how to please his audience, and the movie does work for the most part. As expected in a Rodriguez film, the action scenes are very well-choreographed and all possess a certain slickness and originality. Johnny Depp steals the show in his supporting role, and seems to be having the most fun. I actually looked at him as more of an action hero than Antonio Banderas. Then again, Banderas seems to be going through the motions. After all, he has played roles of this type many times before and is probably almost bored. I like how most of the movie is in subtitles. As I heard in the commentary, the reason for that was because most of the cast only spoke Spanish. But I'd rather see Mexican characters speaking in their native language, and having to read the subtitles, than them speaking in a second language that they obviously haven't mastered totally. Hollywood appears to have a fear of subtitles, and it's a stupid fear. Now onto what I didn't like about the movie...I'm not exaggerating when I say that it has nonstop violence. I'm not one of these people who gets bothered by excessive violence, but after a while all that action and killing can get a little dull. You just sit there waiting for the next body to fall to the ground. The story isn't non-existent, but I think if Rodriguez paid a little more attention to developing characters and story, his films might be even more interesting. But altogether, I was entertained. You don't view a film like this in the same way you view a Kubrick film. So what you see is what you get.

My score: 7 (out of 10)

ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO (2003) *** Antonio Banderas, Johnny Depp, Salma Hayek, Mickey Rourke, Ruben Blades, Eva Mendes, Willem Dafoe, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, Enrique Iglesias, Marco Leonardi, Gerardo Vigil, Pedro Armendariz Jr., Julio Oscar Mechoso, Tito Larriva. Wunderkind Robert Rodriguez' grand finale - Sergio Leone-style - of his South of the Border trilogy of El Mariachi, the lone assassin for hire cum renegade (Banderas once again) who is out for revenge (natch) for the murder of his beloved (the achingly gorgeous Hayek in flashbacks) while being ‘hired' by gonzo-crazed CIA man Depp (in Walken mode) involving a corrupt federale (the heavenly femme fatale Mendes), a retired FBI agent (Blades) and a nasty presidente-wanna-be madman (Dafoe in heavy bronzer) resulting in a digital bloodbath with flying corpses, gravity defying stunts (and women to boot!) and much tongue-thru-cheek take-no-prisoners guerilla filmmaking Rodriguez has made a trademark for (writing, ‘chopping' and directing) with more of the same to the nth degree. Bloody good carnage and suspension of disbelief should be checked at the door. And for the record: that is Rourke's own Chihuahua.

"Once Upon a Time in Mexico" shows off Robert Rodriguez's affinity for comic books to a fault, displaying enormous style, and liberally dousing the film in charismatic violence, but this comic book connection is so prominent that the film fails to make an impact in its own medium. Most of the characters have great conceptual appeal, but this possibility is never fully realized with the detailing that connects the audience to the characters. This lack is further nurtured by Antonio Banderas, who as usual coasts on his looks, serving as a fleshly puppet for dialog and action sequences.

Unrealistic, albeit imaginative action further serves to isolate the viewer from the story. The plot is actually quite worthy for a pure action film of this type, although it is sufficiently complex that some viewers would only be further annoyed.

Overall, this is not an terrible movie, but rather, is a movie that is sufficiently stylized that it would appeal most to a young audience (problematic with its R rating).

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

A follow up to the Desperado film was not something I was expecting.So it came as a shock to see this third instalment in the El Mariachi series being made.But a pleasant surprise it is.It is high on sweltering Mexican style,with impressive camera style and angles.There is a complex and engaging story to follow,complimented by some riveting action scenes and classy dialogue.On the performances front,Antonio Banderas continues to personify Mariachi,with Salma Hayek well cast as his love interest and good support from Johnny Depp,Mickey Rourke and William Dafoe,not to mention the bodacious Eva Mendes.A wholly worthwhile venture.***