Once Upon A Time In Mexico

[azziria]

Finally got to see Once Upon A Time In Mexico last night (it only opened here in the UK last weekend, and what with DH's op etc this was the first chance I'd had to see it).


I really enjoyed this movie, it's just so tongue-in-cheek.

• It isn't without its faults. My main criticism would be that it wanders about rather a lot - I freely admit to not knowing what the hell was going on for a lot of the movie (although this in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the film). I think that maybe Rodriguez just got too close to the movie, given that he wrote, directed and scored it - one of the first things I learned when I started working as a writer is that it is very hard indeed to edit your own work, to be truly objective about it. So maybe OUATIM would have benefited a little from an outside eye.
  
  
• The imagery throughout the film is great - I especially liked the Day of the Dead parade with the masks foreshadowing what's about to happen to Sands.
  
  
• Banderas's Mariachi is a much quieter, grimmer, and more enigmatic and iconic figure than in Desperado. I like Banderas in this role.
  
  
• And what can I say about Johnny Depp as Agent Sands? The critics are right - he totally steals the show. Sands is a brilliant creation - almost every line of his is quotable, his outfits are a stroke of genius, and he manages to make you both pity and admire him (sounds odd, given that he's a sneaky lowdown rat bastard, but there it is). Definitely one of my favourite Depp creations.