Rating: 
Summary: Third "Mariachi" film slightly suffers from "sequel curse"!
Review: "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" is the third in director Robert Rodriguez's "Mariachi" series which started with the indepedent hit, "El Mariachi" and reached crossover appeal with 1995's "Desperado". The swan song to Rodriguez's beloved trilogy set the same high standards I reserved for other 2003 sequels such as Bad Boys II., Terminator 3, and Freddy vs. Jason and sadly ended up leaving me with the same half-dissapointed feeling I left the other films with. Interestingly enough, it suffers from many of the same problems. The same way Michael Bay felt that throwing nearly the same cast in front of bigger, louder, and more elaborate action scenes would make for a worthy sequel in "Bad Boys II", Rodriguez follows suit with "Mexico". Robert also seems stuck in the "T3" predicament where he can't match the original's artistic story-telling or the sequel's creative action sequences and dramatic back story so he just hits us with a two-hour fireworks show. "Once Upon A Time" has Johnny Depp's crooked CIA agent tracking down Banderas' Mariachi for a assassination mission. He wants "El" to eliminate the leader of a rebel army after they take out the Mexican President. Also thrown in the mix are a retired F.B.I. agent looking for revenge, Eva Mendez's sexy but sadistic Mexican Federal officer, and a South-American drug czar (played by Willem Dafoe of all people). Also along for the ride are Mickey Rourke, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, Salma Hayek, and Enrique Iglesias, who are all jammed into an all-star cast. Problem is with all these characters, there isn't much screen time for everyone. Banderas gets a nice portion of the scenes but it isn't nearly enough screen-time as he had in "Desperado" and as a result, his character comes off somewhat underdevolped. The returning Salma Hayek gets little more than an "extended cameo". Mendez gets a heavy billing but she really only shows up for a handful of scenes. Depp's charismatic C.I.A. agent seems to be the only character who gets a good portion of the story dedicated to him. Depp does give an "A+" perfomance though so we can forgive it. Towards the third act, it becomes less about Depp (though he does show up a few more times to steal the show before all is said and done) and more about a "juggling act" between all the remaining underdeveloped characters. As I already mentioned, Robert has made the same mistake as Bay with the "Bad Boys" sequel. Both seem to have forgotten that "winning formula" that came with them the first (or in Robert's case, "second") time around. "Desperado" and "Bad Boys" respectively were both good-looking action films but the dynamic that really impressed me wasn't just the fact that they were "loud" and had a big body count. Both films took a low-budget attempt with entertaining characters, great musical scores, and an all-around good story and made a crowd-pleaser that really looked like a million bucks. Unfortunately, neither director gave their respective films the credit it deserved in other areas as they seem to believe that having a familiar cast and bigger explosions would make up for lack of depth in both the story and characters. I enjoyed "Once Upon A Time In Mexico". The same way that I enjoyed the other movies I mentioned (with the possible exception of T3) but with all came an inability to pass or even match the entertainment value I got with their predacessors. "Mexico" is honestly probably the best effort of them all. Robert's script shows a lot of brilliance, most noteably with the clever dialouge exhibited by Depp's character. The concluding scenes are certainly never boring but just a tad bit underwhelming for a final chapter in a trilogy. All in all, this movie is a fun and exciting conclusion to Rodriguez's "Mariachi" series. The DVD for "Mexico" has some real good special features. Rodriguez is very insightful in his audio commentary for the film and also goes into detail on several elements of film-making on a number of featurettes. The deleted scenes are an added treat though there really isn't anything that sticks out as being particulary amazing. Needless to say, if you liked the movie, you will be impressed by the DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: A Tangled Story
Review: 'Once Upon a Time in Mexico' continues the story of El Mariachi, played by Antonio Banderas. After the events of 'Desperado,' El Mariachi attempted to settle down with Carolina, played by Selma Hayek, but a ruthless Mexican general had other plans. Having lost the love his life, El Mariachi retires to a mission where guitars are made until the henchmen of rogue CIA agent Sands, played by Johnny Depp come calling...
This is one confusing tale. There are multiple parties pulling the strings. Agent Sands is encouraging a Mexican revolution, but he wants the leader in charge killed after the revolution is over. The head of a Mexican Drug cartel, played by Wilem Dafoe, is funding the revolution, and trying to make himself disappear in the process. The Mexican General is intent on sezing power in Mexico. It takes careful attention to figure out how exactly the parties all fit together.
Don't go looking for a lot of 'good guys' in this movie. There are probably only two genuinely good guys: El Mariachi and Jorge, a retired FBI agent. Whether they are actually good guys is debatable. Many of the characters evolve throughout the story, and a few even become likeable.
If you are watching the movie to see Selma Hayek, don't bother. Her role is minimal, and you find out that she is killed off before the events of the film even take place. She frequently given second billing in this movie even though she has less screen time than a dozen other actors. Still, she does have a memorable opening scene.
Overall, I tempted to give this movie 3.5 stars. However, I liked it more than three stars, and since 3.5 is not an option, I'll go with four. I'd recommend it to anyone that liked 'Desperado,' but some of those fans are bound to be disappointed. The movie is frequently confusing, often gory, and not for children.
Rating:
Summary: Johnny Depp and Antonio Banderas are better than ever
Review: after the hugely summer of 2003's Pirates Of The Caribbean, Johnny Depp (Secret Window, Finding Neverland) returns as a corrupt Agent named Sands who brings Antonio Banderas (Evita, The Body) gun toting El Mariachi out of hiding...soon Banderas is brought into a web of double and triple crosses involving something to do with overthrowning the president. Banderas spins, flings, soars, jumps, rolls and just does about every thing in this movie and Depp gives us another enjoyable and unforgettable character as he gets all the highlights in this movie. Depp doesnt do all the things Banderas does but he does lose his eyes towards the end. Also starring Willem Dafoe (upcoming XXX:State Of The Union, Shadow OF The Vampire), Eva Mendes (Hitch, Stuck on You), Mickey Rourke (Spun, Angel Heart), Danny Trejo (From Dusk Till Dawn, Anchorman), Cheech Marin (Tv's Nash Bridges, Christmas With The Kranks), Enrique Inglesias, Ruben Blades (Color Of Night, Devils Own) and Salma Hayek (Frida, Dogma). Hayek doesnt have a big part in this movie basically because she's just in flashbacks. Good action scenes makes this third installment of Robert Rodriquez's trilogy a grand ride even though its not as good as Desperado or El Mariachi...its still bloody good fun.
Rating:
Summary: Desperado was a masterpiece compared to this.
Review: Dumb sequel that does not have the fun and innocents of the original. Robert Rodriguez seems like he just though this up while he was going along and the movie feels rushed. Despite those problems, the actors do well with what they have and come up with a decent follow up that does not beat the first movie but is decent none the less. The violence is over the top here but the story lacks punch, and fun. The movie cruises alone to it's predicable and watered down end with out a bang and leads of course to another sequel. Kudos to Antonio Banderas, Johnny Depp and the rest of the cast for being good sports but other for that, there is nothing here that matches the leave of intensity that the first film had in spades.
Rating:
Summary: JOHHNY DEPP IS SWEET
Review: Of course i like this movie because my fav actor is in it Johnny Depp. The movie itself is interesting. Something i wouldn't watch if it didn't have Depp in it. I thought it was missing something but wasn't quite sure what .......other then that it was exciting and violent which those kind of movies get far this day in age.
Rating:
Summary: not perfect but damn cool
Review: Once upon a time in mexico is a very fun flick.there is not enough action,but the cast makes it worth while. the extras steal the show and make you wanna grab a camera an have some fun. i hope they make a part 4 .
Rating: 
Summary: One bloated, bloody mess.
Review: Robert Rodriguez's "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" is the last of the "El Mariachi" trilogy that introduced the director to the cinematic zeitgeist, and he has stuffed it full of characters, subplots and faux Mexican patriotism in a grab for prestige. Too bad half the film is missing. An ardent supporter of the "freedoms" of digital filmmaking, Rodriguez had the material - and, presumably, the digital canvas - to produce a violent, angry epic, Sam Peckinpah style, as long and hard-boiled as you like it, if a little short of the Sergio Leone masterpiece to which the movie's title refers. Instead, "Mexico," at less than two hours, equates to a series of glancing blows, and is generally an incoherent mess. Antonio Banderas, guitar player/hitman of the previous film, "Desperado," returns, essentially, to shoot guns for CIA agent Sands (Johnny Depp) who's looking to stir up trouble for the Mexican president. Sands plays twelve angles at once, pushing the buttons of the Mariachi, a foxy cop (Eva Mendes), a Mexican drug lord (Willem Dafoe), an ex-FBI agent (Ruben Blades) with a score to settle with the drug lord, and the drug lord's right-hand American creep (Mickey Rourke). And a general. And the president. And the president's advisor, a modern Brutus. And Enrique Iglesias. And on and on. Depp is unquestionably the movie's star, and Rodriguez seems to have written more into Agent Sands then the rest of the movie combined: Is it necessary for Depp to offer a speech, however cute, on the type of shredded pork he prefers to eat in Mexico, then shoot the chef for making it too well, when a military coup is one of the movie's backdrops? The half-cocked, androgynous approach that clicked in "Pirates of the Caribbean" falls flat here; to quote Sands Chuck Berris is a wee bit more believable spy. Banderas is a sweaty cipher, Dafoe is barely there. A bewildered Rourke can't seem believe he signed up to pet a little dog as his performance. Blades puts a little meat on his role, but even he is a plot soldier, getting a paycheck, pulling his gun when required. In his apparent nirvana over a digital workshop in his garage, Rodriguez is getting sloppy. His movie is littered with violent showdowns that haven't bothered to build up a pretext for their existence. They erupt, splatter, sputter. His rapid-fire editing obliterates the continuity of every gunfight. There are inspired ideas - Agent Sands meets a particularly grotesque-yet-heroic end - but the heart of "Desperado" has been traded out for delusions of grandeur. Rodriguez has managed a trilogy, all right: "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" is an unsatisfactory western, action and noir film. And now I mention Salma Hayek. It's important to understand Hayek headlined the advertising campaign for this movie, made the talk show/magazine rounds, had star billing above Depp, no less. In "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," blink and you'll miss her. Think I'm kidding? Cheech has more screen time, and his character dies. For that matter, so does Carolina, Hayek's persona - before the events in the movie even occur. Most movie marketing is cynical. Few ploys are this cheap.
Rating:
Summary: TERRIBLE!!!!
Review: The only reason I gave this movie 2 stars is because of Johnny Depp. As always he overshadows everyone else in the movie with his dark humor and personality, despite the All Star Cast (Banderas, Hayek, Ruben Blades,Enrique Iglesias,etc.).But this movie turned out to be just a confusing and senseless bloodbath. Buy it only if you are a J.Depp fan. If you are looking for a fast paced fun action movie get Kill Bill Vol.1 or check out 2004's remake of "Dawn of the Dead", both are much better.
Rating:
Summary: Robert Rodriguez's most violent film
Review: This film is violent, gory, and full of profanity. There is one scene where the CIA agent (Johnny Depp) gets his eyes pulled out and he we see him with no eyeballs and blood all over his face. It is not good, just fair. Desperado was better than this.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Action Film
Review: This movie just keeps on going and going and going... A great action film with a mythic hero, lots of action, some good acting and brialliant and colourful photography! Lots of fun!
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