Rich on characters, but poor on plot.
Comment
09/19/03
Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
68
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:158
Fresh:108
Rotten:50
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Violent, pulpy, loopy fun, with Depp stealing the show.
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: The saga of the mythic guitar-slinging hero, El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas), continues in Robert Rodriguez’s bravura action epic Once Upon a Time in Mexico. The new adventure is set against a... [More]
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Johnny Depp, Salma Hayek, Ruben Blades
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Reviews for Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Mexico has the best plotting of the Mariachi series . . . but be warned, this is still a second-tier picture that relies more on wit and technical virtuosity than inspiration.
09/19/03
The picture is sort of like a piñata: There are many wonderful details and players in it, but there are just as many bits that are, well, cheap.
09/19/03
Robert Rodriguez has wisely given each movie its own distinct flair...I like how endlessly inventive he gets with the idea.
09/18/03
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09/18/03
Top CriticA movie with that many freaks and creeps should be a lot more exciting than this one actually is.
09/18/03
A gloriously overproduced B movie -- loud, fast, gorgeously shot, brimming with bright pop-art colors. It's also deliberately and defiantly absurd -- not in the least because it's ultimately a Spy Kids movie for adults.
09/18/03
The first thought as the credits roll will be how you’d love to see Johnny Depp and that kid in another movie. Rodriguez may do nothing but all pulp, all the time, but he delivers it with unquestionable zest and skill here.
09/17/03
Where plot and plain common sense fails, Rodriguez delivers flat out cool.
09/16/03
Are you among my “PG-13 people?” I have a wonderful group of friends, in fact, some of my closest friends, who just plain shouldn’t go to R-rated movies. The potential for violence is too great in these films. Because these nice, gentle folks have my deep
09/16/03
A mess of a movie that nevertheless entertains because each individual piece stands high enough on its own merits that it's not necessary to look hard at the nonsensical linking material.
09/16/03
Once Upon a Time In Mexico tries to be a big budget action event and just delivers a lot of explosions and gunplay with very little substance.
09/16/03
How this movie successfully strikes a balance between the moods of its predecessors, the tragic El Mariachi and the silly Desperado, is notable.
09/15/03
Rodriguez... makes it easy for Depp, giving his inadvertent star a cluttered mess amidst which to be totally centered and in control.
09/15/03
... this proves as the opposite of Cabin Fever, you can spill a lot of blood in a gratuitous, but very entertaining way.
09/15/03
Lush and ripe with extravagance but the story is a complicated mess.
09/15/03
When Johnny Depp said America was 'like a dumb puppy that has big teeth that can bite and hurt you,' he may have been remembering his approach to his role here as a playfully dangerous CIA agent...
09/15/03
Entertaining with a capital 'El.'
09/15/03
With sound and fury, Robert Rodriguez is purely, simply having fun making movies. Leave logic at the door ...
09/14/03
With sound and fury, Robert Rodriguez is purely, simply having fun making movies. Leave logic at the door ...
09/14/03
Latest News for Once Upon a Time in Mexico
May 08, 2007:
Banderas Denies "Sin City 2" Gig
Just because he's worked with Robert Rodriguez a half-dozen times already, that doesn't mean Antonio Banderas is a lock to appear in "Sin City 2" -- despite what... More...
April 06, 2006:
Critical Consensus: Take Or Leave This "Lead,: An Odd "Number," "Benchwarmers"
This week at the movies, we explore the joys of dance ("Take the Lead"), mistaken identity ("Lucky Number Slevin"), our national pastime ("The... More...
September 18, 2002:
Film fans know Robert Rodriguez as the man who made the inexpensive indie hit, 'El Mariachi' -- In 2003 he brings badass guitar cases back into fashion with 'Once Upon a Time in Mexico,' the third installment of the Mariachi legend. 
More...
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