What The Critics Say

"Dazzling visuals, ambitious stunts and enough raw action to please demanding fans." Bill Muller ARIZONA REPUBLIC "How can you resist a movie that features Willem Dafoe sporting a tan, Mickey Rourke cradling a Chihuahua and Johnny Depp turning in another oddball tour de force?" Glenn Whipp LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS "A whiz-bang kick in the pants." Ann Hornaday WASHINGTON POST "It's hot, it's sexy, it's savage and funny." Bruce Kirkland, JAM! MOVIES "Once Upon a Time in Mexico is the film I've wanted to see from Robert Rodriguez since he made Desperado in 1995." UK GUARDIAN "Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek co-star in this continuation of the El Mariachi story... but it’s Johnny Depp who steals the show." David Foucher EDGE BOSTON "Despite the movie's dark humor, violence and the occasional nonvoluntary facial surgery that will drive away the queasy, Once Upon a Time in Mexico is the most crowd-pleasing film in the series." Peter Hartlaub SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"'Desperado' was Antonio Banderas' movie, but this one is all Johnny Depp's." Rebecca Murray ABOUT.COM "Mexico plays like a funhouse blend of a spaghetti western, a cheesy 1980s B actioner, a Hong Kong adventure, and a post-Tarantino stylefest. And it works." David Cornelius AMAZING COLOSSAL WEBSITE "This third chapter in Rodriguez's Mariachi trilogy is perhaps his best film yet--a lively, outrageously enjoyable action comedy with serious subtext." Rich Cline, SHADOWS ON THE WALL "A film that works on almost every level." Lewis Beale FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL "A whiz-bang kick in the pants." Ann Hornaday WASHINGTON POST "A rat-ta-tat rush, a high speed kaleidescope of flashy images, outrageous characters and gorgeous settings, all of which combine into Mariachi Maddness at it's very best. Not one for those who are easily shell shocked. It's wild, sexy, out of control but so engaging you don't dare look away for one fraction of a second in case you miss something." Richard Surfield THE MOVIE PAGES

At A Glance

"Depp steals the movie with a swagger and a smile in his second great part of the year." Shawn Bowers KANSAS CITY STAR

If you love films that are wacky, over the top, totally outrageous, bordering on brilliant lunacy, then "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" will provide boundless delights for you to savour and feast on. I must admit to being fueled with misgivings about this latest Rodriguez production. But let me admit, "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" was so much fun, so wickedly ballistic, I went back for a second dose of 'mariachi madness'. For most people though, the thought of a cast featuring Johnny Depp, Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Mickey Rourke, Cheech Marin, Rubén Blades, Eva Mendes and Willem Dafoe sounds like a dream come true. And it is! There are so many contrasts in the characters in this film which speeds along such a pace it almost keeps up with the endless barrage of bullets that fly everywhere in some of the most brilliantly choreographed action scenes you'll get to see. Of course there is so much more to this third film by Rodriguez, like the beautiful settings which are a distinct attraction in themselves. Behind it all there is a rich texture of colour and brilliant contrasts. How did director and man of so many jobs on this film make it all happen and why Mexico? According to Rodriguez, one of the main motivating factors in his decision to finally make Once "Upon a Time in Mexico" was the new Sony twenty four frames per second digital high-definition technology camera. After George Lucas demonstrated the process to him for the most recent Star Wars film, "I immediately got excited in the same way as I had when I first decided to make El Mariachi. I felt I could do something really different. The problem I had had initially was that "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" looked to be such a tough moviemaking experience, because of its epic scale. I just didn’t want to haul film cameras down to Mexico to shoot a movie of that size. It would become tedious and strip the movie of the energy and the visceral quality that made El Mariachi so exciting to do. I didn’t want the series to stray too far from those roots." But with high-definition cameras he was able to execute a tight, seven-week production schedule, which made it feel "even more visceral, exciting and potent." Taking down a small crew, as he had done on El Mariachi, Rodriguez took over most of the filmmaking responsibilities himself. In addition to writing, directing and producing, he was also director of photography, the production designer, the editor and the music composer. "The reason I do so many jobs is that I find that no matter how big the movie may be, it becomes more personal," the talented Rodriguez explained. "I don’t ever want to feel like I’m just telling people what to do. I want to lead by example. Everyone on the crew, in turn, does multiple jobs. If you’re the one operating the camera, writing the score and the script and working with the actors, that feeling of inclusion extends to everybody. The size of the crew shrinks, and the actors feed off that energy. The actors are more inspired in such a creative environment and when they’re inspired they have new ideas. The question most cinemagoers want answered is, why a third film? "The ‘El Mariachi’ legend has had an interesting and unique history and no one is more surprised at its evolution than Robert Rodriguez himself," and the truth is Rodriguez never envisaged making a third film. "The true story is that Quentin Tarantino showed up on the set of "Desperado" one day and said "This is your ‘Dollars’ trilogy." Rodriguez's reply was, "What are you talking about?" Tarantino was talking about those three famous spaghetti westerns that director Sergio Leone had made. They were "A Fistful of Dollars", "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, the Bad and The Ugly" or as cinephiles called them, the 'Man With No Name' trilogy. Tarantino explained to Rodriguez, "Mariachi is your 'Fistful of Dollars' and 'Desperado' will be your 'For a Few Dollars More'. But then you’ll have to make the epic. And you’ll have to call it Once Upon a Time in Mexico." Rodriguez recalls, "I said to Quentin, let’s just finish this movie and I’ll think about it. Years later Amy Pascal from Columbia Pictures called saying that "Desperado" had gained cult status among action fans, and that a sequel was in order. I remembered what Quentin had said, and told her, "Okay, I’ll do one but it can’t just be Desperado 2, it would have to be more epic and be called Once Upon a Time in Mexico. She agreed, and off we went." There's no doubting the brilliance of Rodriguez and the way he has incorporated so much of the past into this lively number. "Once Upon a Time in Mexico is more than just the third segment of the El Mariachi story," he explained. "It also contains flashback elements for the audience. It’s almost as if it is part four of the story, only part three doesn’t really exist. The flashbacks to the ‘phantom’ movie contain scenes with Antonio and Salma’s previously unseen adventures, which gives this movie a more epic feel." True, but there is more. Such as Enrique Iglesias playing El Mariachi's sidekick Lorenzo. This is a homage to singer, actor Ricky Nelson who appeared in the Howard Hawks' western "Rio Bravo". And then there's tough guy Mickey Rourke and his faithful companion a lovable little chihuahua. Then there's the main cast. Like Antonio Banderas who said, "I would go to hell and back for Robert if necessary. I’ve done sixty movies and the only sequels I have done have been for Robert. So far, we’ve done six films together and they’ve all been perfect experiences, because we are in symphony. There is a fluidity to the language we share similar to what I had with Pedro Almodovar." Salma Hayek. "Robert’s films are always exciting and funny," she said. "The adrenaline rush is always a factor because the films are never easy and always physically challenging. But I love the fact that Robert pushes me. Because he knows I won’t back off and that I have fun doing it." And the respect goes both ways. "Salma is saucy and tough and sexy and funny," says Rodriguez. "She truly represents what I wanted for the character of Carolina and what Latin cinema should be like. I had Salma sing the end title songbecause I was always a fan of her singing voice." And finally there's that scene stealer, Johnny Depp as Sands, the corrupt CIA Agent. This is another tour de force for Depp. Let me say, if you loved Depp in his Academy Award nominated role as Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of The Caribbean", this is a two for one bonus buy. It's worth seeing "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" just for Depp. "Here was a chance to play a guy who’s a little against the grain of what you’d expect to see in a CIA agent," he said. "He wasn’t someone who was clichéd or who I felt I had seen before. It was an interesting idea for Robert to create a man who’s in the CIA, but stationed somewhere he doesn’t want to be because no one likes him. Sands is a man who has no regard for human life. I’ve never played someone like that before, who’s not a good guy in any way."
Cast and Crew Bytes "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" was directed, written, produced, chopped and scored by Robert Rodriguez ["El Mariachi", "Roadracers", "The Faculty" and "Spykids I, II AND III"]. "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" stars Academy Award® winner Antonio Banderas ["Matador", "Assassins", "Evita" and "Frida"], Johnny Depp ["Platoon", "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", "Sleepy Hollow" and "Chocolat"], Salma Hayek ["Desperado", "Dogma", "Wild Wild West" and "Frida"], Mickey Rourke ["Wild Orchid", "Get Carter", "The Pledge" and "Spun"], Eva Mendes ["Exit Wounds", "Training Day", "2 Fast 2 Furious" and "Stuck On You" ], Cheech Marin ["Fatal Beauty", "Desperado", "Spy Kids" and "Luminarias"], Willem Dafoe ["Streets Of Fire", "Platoon", "Body of Evidence" and "Spiderman"], Rubén Blades ["The Last Flight, "The Super", "Predator II" and "Cradle Will Rock"] and Pedro Armendariz ["Before Night Falls", "Original Sin", "The Mask Of Zorro" and "The Mexican"] as El Presidente`.
The Story El Mariachi is about to come out of retirement. CIA agent Sands has a problem and seeing how nobody cares whether El Mariachi lives or not, that makes him the ideal person for the job. But just in case El Mariachi isn't interested, Sands has a big carrot to dangle in front of his nose. Revenge. The corrupt Sands wants El Mariachi to kill the man responsible for the death of Mariachi's wife and child, General Marquez. Seems simple enough, but what El Mariachi doesn't know is that this is more than just the assassination of an old enemy. Sands has his fingers in a number of pies including plans to kill the Mexican President in a coup during religious festivities to mark the "Day Of The Dead". The Verdict "Outrageous? Over the top? Totally unbelievable? Sure is, but what wonderful madness "Once Upon A Time in Mexico" is. Depp does it again, Banderas sizzles, the settings are stunning and Mariachi madness is everywhere. Viva Mehico for this is pure escapism at its best." The Cast

Antonio Banderas Salma Hayek Johnny Depp Mickey Rourke Eva Mendes Danny Trejo Enrique Iglesias Marco Leonardi Cheech Marin Rubén Blades Willem Dafoe Gerardo Vigil Pedro Armendariz Julio Oscar Mechoso Tito Larriva Miguel Couturier Tony Valdes José Luis Avendaño Rodolfo d'Alejandre Natalia Torres Steven Constancio Troy Robinson Ermahn Ospina Luz María Rojas Mario Simon Bernard Hacker Cecilia Tijerina

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El Mariachi Carolina Sands Billy Ajedrez Cucuy Lorenzo Fideo Belini Jorge FBI Barillo Marquez El Presidente Advisor Cab Driver Dr Guevera Chicle Boy Alvaro Omar Mariachi's Girl Right Hand Romero Qui-Que Pistolera Cook Blascoe Waitress

The Crew Directed/Written/Chopped & Scored by Robert Rodriguez Cinematography by Robert Rodriguez Casting by Mary Vernieu Production Design by Robert Rodriguez Art Direction by Melo Hinojosa Costume Design by Graciela Mazón Run Time 97 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Columbia Pictures - All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2004 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved