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By
WAYNE KLEIN
Life, death and the pursuit
of killing seems to be at the heart of Robert
Rodriguez's aptly titled "Once Upon a Time in
Mexico." Clearly inspired by Sergio Leone's magnum
opus, Rodriguez's latest film is short on story
but long on action and violence. Although it isn't
quite as good as the previous two films in this
trilogy, "Mexico" has a number of stylized action
sequences that make it worthwhile for action movie
buffs.
El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) is drawn out of
retirement by kooky CIA agent Sands (Johnny Depp)
to prevent the fall of the Mexican government. El
Mariachi trails the man behind this plan (Willem
Dafoe) across the dusty Mexican landscape. Guns
blaze, tempers flare and people die in the
process. The lines blur between the good guys and
the bad guys, but only El Mariachi with his good
looks, long stylish hair and quick hands seems up
to the task of keeping things together.
Although the film almost seems like an empty
exercise in action and stylized design, it is
redeemed by a number of strong performances from
Banderas, Depp Dafoe and Rueben Blades. The well
designed action sequences are at the heart of the
film and the rest of the drama, although well
performed, almost seems incidental. It reminds me
of the films made immediately after the original
"Star Wars" series where the optical effects
became the point of the film. In the wake of
popular action films like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon" and "Bad Boys" Rodriguez's signature style
has become all about the action, with nice acting
bits thrown in as an after thought.
Shot using high definition video digital cameras,
"Mexico" looks very good on DVD. The transfer is
almost as sharp as that done for the two most
recent "Star Wars" movies, which were both shot on
digital video and then transferred to film.
Although it can't compare to some of the Superbit
Special Editions Columbia Tristar has been
releasing lately (here's a hint, wait awhile,
since I have the feeling this is going to be
released in the same format down the road),
"Mexico" looks better than just about anything
released out there at the moment. The usual analog
flaws are obviously not evident on a digital
medium and the 5.1 Surround format is used
extremely well, creating an environment that fits
in with the visual look and texture of the film.
Almost as much care went into the mastering of the
soundtrack as went into the visual transfer.
"Mexico" excels in the extras department: The
director's 10-Minute Film School featurette
continues where the "Spy Kids 2" left off. It's
one of the most entertaining featurettes on the
disc, along with the 10-Minute Cook School (which
is, in reality, a little bit over 6 minutes) where
we learn to cook the disc associated with Johnny
Depp's character in the film. I have to admit that
I found the extras more entertaining than the film
itself -- and shorter. Clearly the director
relishes the opportunity to put together special
edition releases of his films. There's something
to be said for crafting entertaining DVD
supplements that rival the quality of the original
film. It seems to be turning into an art form all
its own.
However, Rodriguez's hyperkinetic commentary
turned out to be the best part of the movie for
me. He reveals a lot of tidbits about the making
of the film, the inspiration behind it and the
pros and cons of working outside the Hollywood
factory. Just a thought -- how about a commentary
track about the direction/film by everybody but
the director! Since Rodriguez seems to like to
turn Hollywood conventions inside out, it might be
something for him to pursue on future editions of
his films. He clearly has considerable affection
for his stable of regular performers. |
