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 ... Read review
There's plenty of guns and a few explosions as bodies fly through the air and crash into ... more
tables and fruit stands.Once Upon a Time in Mexico, like all Robert Rodriguez movies, is all about the kinetic kick of high-velocity action. Johnny Depp, blasé and...
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For 35 years this extraordinary collection of photographs remained hidden from the world. ... more
Taken around 1971/2 by young photographer Robert Haines they record life in the Welsh valleys in the village of Heolgerrig and nearby Merthyr Tydfil. Heolgerrig was a very close-knit community with Welsh as the first language. It was a mining community where most of the men worked underground and life seemed to revolve around the pub and the chapel.Merthyr Tydfil once the 'Iron Capital' of the world had a justifiable reputation as 'tough' with characters such as hard man Melvin Webber who died after being blasted by a shotgun and 'Mad' Malcolm for whom no chemical substance was too strong. The early Seventies were a time of flux and looking at these powerful photographs now many of the extraordinary characters featured seem to have drifted in from a previous century. Haines photographed the local people with enthusiasm and energy. Some he knew well others were complete strangers. Some spent their days in the pub others worked underground where living conditions were often very poor. The photographs speak to us today of a world very different to our own.
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Romeo Must Die star Jet Li heads up an all-star cast, including physical virtuoso Yuen ... more
Biao (Dragons Forever) and 'China rose' Rosamund Kwan (Armour Of God), in this epic big-budget action adventure, heralded by fans and critics alike as one of the finest martial arts movies ever made. Filled with vibrant emotion, poignant historical context and showcasing some of the most incredible fight sequences ever devised for film, 'Once Upon A Time In China' recounts the adventures of legendary martial arts master, Wong Fei Hung, as he battles ruthless imperialist forces determined to subjugate his country with a terrifying new weapon - the gun!
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2008 - Action/Adventure - Director: Christopher Nolan - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Advantages: Visually attractive, surprisingly funny Disadvantages: Way too much going on
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 ... ...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 about the character El Mariachi; the first two were called El Mariachi and Desperado. I had vaguely heard about this film before I watched it, but had no idea the others even existed - probably because I would have been living overseas when they came out. However, it really isn't ... more
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 about the character El Mariachi; the first two were called El Mariachi and Desperado. I had vaguely heard about this film before I watched it, but had no idea the others even existed - probably because I would have been living overseas when they came out. However, it really isn't necessary to have watched the first two films. No doubt there would be a greater connection with El Mariachi had I seen them, but this works well as a stand-alone film in its own right. What really encouraged me to watch it was the wealth of famous names: we have Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes, Cheech Marin and Enrique Iglesias to name but some of them.
The star for me was Johnny Depp as Agent Sands. I think it is probable that other people felt the same way, because there was some controversy about El Mariachi being sidelined in a film that was supposed to be part of a series about him. However, from the point of view of entertainment, the casting of Depp is inspired. Sands is a very strange man, particularly for a CIA Agent. He initially comes across as being very calm and collected, but it is soon clear that underneath the cool exterior is a very aggressive man who will stop at nothing to ensure he gets his own way. Depp portrays all this skillfully, and comically, without turning the role into a farce - the comedy is very dark and subtle and I thoroughly enjoyed his performance. Whenever he was on screen, he owned it. He oddly has a fake third arm, which I found very strange and not all that necessary to the story; nevertheless, it added to the quirkiness of his performance.
He many have been slightly overshadowed by Johnny Depp, but Antonio Banderas is still good as El Mariachi. He is very dark and brooding, and really doesn't bring a lot of humour into the film, but he is convincing as a man that has obviously suffered greatly. If you're a fan of Banderas for his looks, you may be slightly disappointed here - good looks is not part of El Mariachi's priorities, and most of the time he looks dirty, tired and scruffy. For me, however, that was all part of the role, and I thought he carried it off splendidly. Salma Hayek appears as El Mariachi's wife (before she dies), and although her role is brief, she does do it well, looking absolutely stunning into the bargain, even when she is about to kill someone.
Mickey Rourke and Eva Mendes have a couple of strange roles as secondary characters. Rourke plays an ex-Agent, who seems to have got involved in some dodgy dealings, and constantly carries around a tiny dog. This is not Rourke looking at his best, but he is convincing in the role, if not entirely necessary. Mendes plays some kind of agent, and I was never entirely sure what role she played, except that she had a relationship with Sands. She is perfectly good at what she does, but doesn't really appear enough to merit any more praise than that. I have to mention Enrique Iglesias who plays a friend of El Mariachi's - his acting skills are adequate for the role, but he does provide some much needed eye candy for the girls - he really is a beautiful man.
There are a number of other actors involved in the film, really too many to mention. That ultimately is one of the problems of the film - there are just too many faces to remember in a relatively short time, and I found myself getting confused about everyone's roles. Added to this is the action, which is relentless from start to finish. All in all, there is just so much going on that I found I had to really concentrate to follow the story - this is not one of those films that you can look away from for a few seconds and still expect to understand what is going on. I found it took a good half hour before I had worked out who even the main characters were and what they were doing.
Visually, there is no doubt in my mind that director Robert Rodriguez has played a blinder here. Almost the entire film is made up of shades of red and yellow and it really is very attractive to watch. Much of this is because of the buildings and the colour of the earth, so it seems very natural, but I think that there must have been a great deal of attention to detail to ensure the final results. The only time the red and yellow theme really stops is when the action moves to a hospital, when everything becomes shades of green and blue, apart from the odd splashes of blood. There are also some superb stunts that involve either fighting, climbing walls or chases; it isn't just the quality of the stunts, which is excellent, it is also the angle that they are filmed from, making it very pleasing to the eye.
There is a rating of 15 on the film, and I think this is probably correct. There is a massive amount of violence, from guns in particular, and hordes of people die; however, most of the killing is not all that graphic and so shouldn't distress the weak-stomached all that much. There is one scene where we see a man with much of the skin on his face removed, showing just muscles and tendons - this isn't very pleasant, but it is brief, and had more of a 'oh that's disgusting' reaction from me rather than anything more serious. Still, parents will probably want to vet it before letting younger children watch, particularly as Johnny Depp seemingly has his eyes gorged out at one point.
There are a few special features. Firstly, the ubiquitous director's commentary, which I skipped - I always find them so dull. Then there are three featurettes. The first shows some of the tricks that Rodriguez used to make the film, narrated by Rodriguez himself. This is only ten minutes, so was just right as far as I'm concerned; it was also very interesting. The second is a glimpse inside Troublemaker Studios, again introduced by Rodriguez, and he talks about editing, special effects and the audio side of things. It was a bit too technical for me, but I'm sure some will find it interesting. Finally, Rodriguez shows the viewer how to make a slow-roasted pork that Sands loves so much in the film. It is perhaps unnecessary, but I must admit I warmed to Rodriguez as a result, so it's a great PR thing.
I was actually very surprised by this film. I was expecting something with hard-core violence, intertwined with politics. To an extent, this is true, but I wasn't expecting the comedy or the beauty of the cinematography. At times, I really laughed out loud, more so than I have at recent so-called comedies. All in all, this was an extremely entertaining film; had it been slightly simplified with regard to the number of characters and the story threads, it would have merited five stars in my book. As it is, recommended with four stars.
Advantages: A masterclass in storytelling, filming, fighting and acting! Disadvantages: The last in the triology ( damn, damn and double damn )
...has come as a director. Once upon a Time... is a true work of genius, it has stuck to the formula that worked so well for El Mariachi and Desperado and the result is Awsome. Once again our tale is in Mexico, following the death of Bucho in Desperado, the Mariachi ( Antonio Banderas - Zoro, Desperado, spy kids ) and Carolina ( Salma Hayek - Dogma, Desperado ) begin a new life together in a quiet town. However a mexican general named Marquez is deeply ... ...has his own agenda, and once again we are thrust into a story of stories which climax into one of the most moving and action packed endings ever.
Cast : Antonio Banderas is once again superb, but in this film you see his darker side. Following the death of Carolina and his daughter, Banderas shows no remorse as the classic anti hero hell bent on revenge. Johnny Depp is the main attraction and steals the spotlight from everyone. Playing the dry, ...
hmd3 05.03.2005 (06.03.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Once Upon A Time In Mexico (DVD)
Advantages: Lots of graphic violence and spectacular stunts. (If you like that sort of thing) Disadvantages: No storyline worth talking about!
~ ~ I’ve been looking forward to this movie ever since watching the second in the series of three movies by Director Robert Rodriguez, “Desperado”, on Sky Movies a couple of years back.
~ ~ I’d never even heard of “El Mariachi”, the Mexican gunslinger and part time avenging angel up until then. But I thoroughly enjoyed the brooding and sultry way that Antonio Banderas played the part, and the gun-slinging action ... ...Name” spaghetti westerns made famous (infamous?) by Clint Eastwood.
This prompted me to watch the first movie, “El Mariachi”, which was equally as violent, and equally as good. (Which was somewhat surprising when you consider it was made on a budget that wouldn’t pay the wages of the tea-lady on a Hollywood blockbuster!)
~ ~ So what about this latest offering, “Once Upon A Time In Mexico”, that has been anticipated ...
the_mad_cabbie 11.10.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Once Upon A Time In Mexico (DVD)
Advantages: The last action packed half hour Disadvantages: The story is a little complicated for an action movie
...Or it may be that once being voted the most powerful Hispanic in Hollywood and being in the Premiere Magazine "Power 100" list has gone to his head. Whatever the reason, the story part of the film is unfulfilling.
What is done well, as in other Rodriguez films is what you're watching. Forget the mess of the story and feast your eyes. That's mostly what you're watching an action film for, anyway. You know the story may well suck, but you want to ... ...half of the film in particular has in abundance. While the first half concentrates on setting up the story, the last 30-45 minutes are one long gun battle, broken into several different battles. It's a long time coming, but is certainly worth the wait, and rescues the film from being the confusing mess it had become. Instead, what you have is a confusing mess with style! Particularly worth watching out for are the "guitar cases" that aren't, and ...
Soho_Black 05.10.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Once Upon A Time In Mexico (DVD)
Advantages: Johnny Depp, Johnny Depp, and ooh! Did I mention Johnny Depp? Disadvantages: The plot is cumbersome and brings the whole movie down
You’ve gotta love Johnny Depp (that’s an order by the way, not a suggestion). He bursts onto the scene in 1990 with Edward Scissorhands, makes a string of other edgy, excellent movies, always playing something a little bit different, marking him out as someone other than the usual pretty-boy actors who can only play the romantic hero (Tom Cruise, anyone?). Then he took some time off for a while after making the somewhat…how should I put this…crappy ... ...List (sorry, Johnny, you hate that) with the ultra-amazing Pirates of the Caribbean, the success of which was totally down to the cheekboned one. Now he’s carrying on the success with Robert Rodriguez’s “spaghetti” Western – but can it match the hype?
The story, at best, is a little complicated. It starts with Depp’s utterly, amazingly sexy oh-so-cool CIA agent Sands talking to one-eyed Belini about a guy he’s looking for – the legendary El Mariachi ...
franproc 14.10.2003 (15.10.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Once Upon A Time In Mexico (DVD)
Advantages: Johnny Depp Disadvantages: everything else
Once upon a time is a phrase that conjures up images of magic and mayhem. There's certainly plenty of mayhem in Once Upon a Time in Mexico, but not much of anything else.
Drugs lord Barillo (Willem Dafoe) is masterminding a plot to assassinate the Mexican president, mostly as a distraction from his planned clean getaway. He is aided in this by the corrupt and lunatic CIA agent Sands (played superbly by Johnny Depp). The idea is that he will use ... ...he's afraid that Marquez will assume power, the last thing anyone wants. Sands hires the Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) to take Marquez out after the assassination, knowing that the Mariachi and Marquez have old scores to settle. The scene is set for a succession of shoot-outs and double-crossings which result in a few surprises and quite a few deaths. Other characters with a role to play are a retired FBI agent (Ruben Blades) who has a score to settle ...
rappinhood 20.08.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Once Upon A Time In Mexico (DVD)
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Advantages: Three Great Films One Great Boxset Disadvantages: Pictures on actual DVD discs are same as if bought separatly
El Mariachi
While this is a budget film, one of director Robert Rodriguez's first, this is still a great movie. The whole film is in spanish with English subtitles and many more languages. This film is great for people interested in becoming a director with the director's commentary and 10 minute film school all as special features.
Desperado - Collector's Edition
This DVD is great for as the title may indicate collectors. This DVD is also packed with lots of special features such as Director commentary and "10 more minutes - Anatomy of a shootout".
OnceUpon A TimeInMexico
While this film isn't as good as the above two it is also a great DVD for special features with Dierctor's commentar again and 8 deleted scenes and 4 Featurettes.
All in all a very good boxset and brilliant value for money for 3 DVDs as i bought ...
Sands, a corrupt CIA agent, uncovers a plan to assassinate the President of Mexico. He decides to hire a gunman to kill the assassins before they can carry out the plan...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT; CINRAM LOGISTICS, UCA; CINRAM LOGISTICS (SWINDON)
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English 5.1 - Russian, Stereo English Italian Spanish
DVD Description
With ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO, filmmaker Robert Rodriguez follows the further adventures of El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas), the guitar-and-gunslinging hero who has been leading a quiet life, but longs to get revenge for the murder of his love (Salma Hayek). When quirky CIA agent Sands (Johnny Depp) roots out El Mariachi for a special assignment, he comes out with all pistols blazing. Soon, a retired FBI agent (Ruben Blades), a drug kingpin (Willem Dafoe), a criminal on the run (Mickey Rourke), and a double-dealing fed (Eva Mendes) are all in on the action, which involves a plot to kill the Mexican president and shift the balance of power in Mexico. Handling the writing, direction, cinematography, and just about everything else, Rodriguez has crafted a tribute to the spaghetti Western films of Sergio Leone by placing his outlaw hero from DESPERADO and EL MARIACHI in an epic setting populated by numerous characters. Although it can be challenging to keep track of the unfolding subplots, the scenes involving Depp's badly dressed secret agent are the most intriguing and entertaining. Meanwhile Banderas eases back into the lead as the vengeful Mariachi, and Hayek and Blades make the most of their small but significant roles.
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