The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada (DVD)

...heard fleeting things about the film and for the life of me I couldn't remember whether it was good or bad so I didn't know wha to expect really. I have to admit that I was more than pleasantly surprised.

The 2005 The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is in fact Jones' second directorial offering (the first being a tv movie called The Good Old Boys) who together with the film's writer Giuermo Arriaga who has also given us the likes ...
...border town and Mexico. The story is literally based around the title - Melquiades is a Mexican cowboy who entered the US illegally in search of work and we follow the events that lead up to death and the circumstances around why he has three burials.

It is actually quite hard to summarise this film without giving the plot away entirely so I will try and keep it is as general as possible
The film starts with the discovery of ... more

My husband put this on our DVD rental list and at first I was a bit dubious about it. I had only heard fleeting things about the film and for the life of me I couldn't remember whether it was good or bad so I didn't know wha to expect really. I have to admit that I was more than pleasantly surprised.

The 2005 The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is in fact Jones' second directorial offering (the first being a tv movie called The Good Old Boys) who together with the film's writer Giuermo Arriaga who has also given us the likes of 21 Grams have provided a wonderful modern western in a US border town and Mexico. The story is literally based around the title - Melquiades is a Mexican cowboy who entered the US illegally in search of work and we follow the events that lead up to death and the circumstances around why he has three burials.

It is actually quite hard to summarise this film without giving the plot away entirely so I will try and keep it is as general as possible
The film starts with the discovery of a dead body and through flashbacks we discover who the victim was, why he was killed and the relationships surrounding the victim and the town as a whole. In a mixture of Spanish (which is subtitled) and English we see a developing bond and friendship between Melquiades and Pete (Tommy Lee Jones). In real time we see how Pete is trying to uncover the identity of the victim's killer and once discovered seeks to exact revenge (it would appear) and carry out the wishes of his friend to be buried in his beloved village of Jimenez. At first I found the use of flashbacks a little disorientating as newly introduced characters were appearing in various situations and yet you weren't quite sure which timeline you were on to start with. I was quite pleased that we were watching this on DVD as quick trips to the kitchen for a bottle of corona (we like to get into the spirit of things) often meant that you missed a flashback so we could rewind so as not to miss something. Not that overall the film was hard to follow but on first appearances it felt like it could have been an overly complicated film to watch.

What is so good about this film is it is really complex on so many levels and yet completely understated and totally compelling. You are not entirely sure how the story will evolve to start with - is it an exploration of US/Mexican border policy or a murder mystery or a "look at this small town with all its big secrets" film. In a way it is all of these but they are very much on the periphery. Then you start to wonder if the film is about friendship and revenge but by the final third you realise that it is just about friendship, loyalty and redemption. What is also nice is that you get to see the themes of the movie not just from the perspective of the main characters but also from the other towns folk as well - the wife of the diner owner who has "time" for a few people and yet won't leave her husband, the border patrol guard's wife who leaves as soon as he "accompanies" Pete on the road trip being other prime examples.

Essentially the film is a mix of road trip movie and modern Western exploring the main themes but it is very clever in how it uses film making techniques to get the point across as well. You have the flashbacks to tell the initial story and slightly disorientate you. It gives the film a kind of interwoven and tight knit feel as you would expect from a small remote town. You have the way that the film is divided into sections with titles to give you some idea of where you are in the story both in terms of timeline and development. And then you have the use of incredible cinematography to show the wonderful landscapes of the Texan/Mexican border which opens out into this one journey to take Melquiades home on the one timeline until the end of the movie.

One of the things that really did surprise me was that as I was sat there watching the film I had no idea who had directed it. The film did have a raw feel to it but it was set in quite a harsh environment and any director worth their salt would exploit that. But once my husband told me it all seemed to make sense. Here you have Tommy Lee Jones, a man who is undeniably Texan, directing a film about Texas and Mexico and who is noted for his raw and yet laid back acting performances. This really shone through in the film. He captured the life of a small border town very realistically and together with the writing you felt that you had a town of fully developed characters - some stereotypical, others not - that was very believable.

One of the joys of this film is Chris Menges' (who was also in charge of the cinematography of The Killing Fields 1984 and The Mission 1986) cinematography. The landscape is used so beautifully to underline this film - you have wonderful panoramic shots showing the mix of hospitable and inhospitable areas, the rough harsh terrain of the border, the hot unforgiving sands of the deserts, the cooling nature of the water and rocks. Despite the ruggedness and the perils of the region its sense of beauty is also captured. Admittedly it would be hard to avoid shots like this on location but Menges seems to take it that one step further to really help emphasise the scenes. In conjunction with the cinematography there is also the score from Marco Beltrami, who uses a fusion of full orchestration and Spanish guitar to provide a wonderful backdrop to the film. It isn't a memorable original score (there are no themes to have you humming for days on end) but it nicely balanced and stays well in the background and like the film it moves from the border town to mexican countryside by being quite heavily stocked with country songs in the first half and mexican style music. The combination of the directing, cinematography and music give this film a raw edge and yet there is something quite haunting and captivating about it.

Of course clever directing, writing, cinematography and music are the backbone of a film but what really brings this film to life is the acting. Not only does Tommy Lee Jones bring all the elements of this film together but he contributes greatly by bringing the character of Pete to life. The characters are incredibly well written anyway but you feel that Jones really is adding to him. Pete has a rugged, quiet persona who is slightly obsessive, loyal and very determined. You start to feel that he is one of those characters who is on the outside the but is looking on through an open window - they are at the house but they want to be inside. Someone who has no real friends but when he gets one is fiercely defensive of them. The only other actor that I recognised in the film is Barry Pepper (I have seen him in a few things but most noticeable The Green Mile) although I would still call him well known. His character probably undergoes the biggest journey (literally) of all the characters in the film. He goes from being the over zealous border patrol officer, Mike Norton, to being the repentant man through his journey and although you never thought you would feel anything for him, by the end you could appreciate how far he had come. As engaging as Jones is, Pepper provides a wonderful understated performance which should not be overlooked. The other performances are also engaging despite being quite small in part.

I think what makes this film so appealing is that if you strip away the tools of the film making trade you still have a wonderfully simple story. But add everything back in and you have a simple story told in an interesting and quite raw way but which has a real underlying beauty and message. As a modern western this is one of the better and probably underestimated examples. Although set in modern times it still tips the hat to the old westerns with cattle scenes, the diner like the saloon with the very "friendly" hostess/waitress, lasso using, rattlers and there is even a bit of "saloon" piano playing! The film is full of endearing performances and scenarios with a nice amount of black comedy which some might find a little too much but it just shows how far a true friend will go to carry out their friend's wishes. Although the story is straightforward you are always kept on your toes because not quite everything is as it seems.

For me this is one of the best films I have seen all year. I'm not a western fan at all but because the film seems more than that it makes it incredibly watchable and you can't help but sit there after it has finished and say "that was really good". It's also just over the two hour mark so is a nice length and packed with story - there really isn't much fat on this film which makes a nice change. It's rated 15 and some of the scenes could prove to be a little offensive to some bearing in mind that although there are two living people on the road trip the guy to be buried is there also and makes the occasional appearance! But that said I would heartily recommend this film to fans and non fans of westerns alike. 

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