Legendary Acors Team Up in OUATIM
"Are you a Mexi-Can or a Mexi-Can't?" Soon you should be hearing those words around town. They'll take their place along other immortal movie catch phrases such as "I'll be back" and "Make my day."
Do-it-all-himself filmmaker Robert Rodriguez made the original "Spy Kids," he said, so sons Rocket, Racer and Rebel could watch one of his movies. With "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," he's up to his old R-rated tricks, but this time he's more mature, stylish and inventive.
Yes, it's incredibly violent and often confusing with a cold, empty heart, but in this latest burrito western, Rodriguez is at the top of his wildly bravura game.
In fact, in its fantasy action and surreal mythic spirit, Rodriguez, who shot, edited and scored "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," nearly out-Sergio Leones Sergio Leone.
Third in what Quentin Tarantino calls the Texan's "Dollars trilogy"
- a reference to Italian director Leone's three "Man With No Name"
Westerns - his latest
picks up the saga of guitar-slinging hero El Mariachi. The difference is that
this time the elegant, brooding El (Antonio Banderas) takes a back seat to a
CIA wacko named Sands, played with soft-voiced malice and a winning madness
by habanero-hot Johnny Depp. It's a character that calls out for a sequel, though
what to do with him after the tragic Greek climax would challenge even this
filmmaker's febrile imagination.
Lured back to public life to avert a coup d'état, El Mariachi returns with two trusted sidekicks (Enrique Iglesias and Marco Leonardo) for one reason - revenge. Casting the singing son of Julio Iglesias in his dashing film debut is another Rodriguez homage, this one to Ricky Nelson in Howard Hawk's western "Rio Bravo."
Backing up Depp are Rodriguez regulars Cheech Marin and Danny Trejo, killed off in past films and brought back in Leone's tradition of recycling actors as new characters.
Rodriguez favorite, Salma Hayek, returns too briefly as El's sensuous and deadly wife. Cuban-American Eva Mendes plays a tough special agent. Willem Dafoe, who doesn't speak Spanish or play piano in real life, does both as a cartel kingpin. And Mickey Rourke, with a Chihuahua tucked under his arm, stands out as a Yankee henchman.
The flashy editing, gymnastic lens and mixed-genre score - Latin, rock and
classical Spanish guitar - propel the gun-happy splat-action fast-forward pace.
That's Hayek singing the end title "Siente Mi Amor," which was written
by Jose Tamez and Rodriguez.