| Overall Grade: |
B+ |
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| Story: |
B |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
A |
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| Visuals: |
A |
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The Myth is the Motive...
by Robin94122 (movies profile)
Sep 12, 2006
43
of
53 people found this review helpful
Those professional reviwers calling for a tighter storyline seem to have missed the point--this is intended as a legendary tale. I didn't have any difficulty keeping up with the plots twists. It's the kind of story you can imagine a grandfather telling, sitting on the porch in the evening and saying: "But THEN..."
I enjoyed the music, and I think it definitely added to the mythic quality of the story. The acting was outstanding, in both large and small parts. Reuben Blades, for example, as the FBI agent doesn't get enough credit for a difficult role done well.
Depp is fantastic, as he always is. For once, Depp isn't really an outsider--his character is one more part of a richly textured world. While Depp does get some of the best lines, it is the visuals of Hayek and Banderas (the church moment that appears in the trailer, for example) that best express the film.
As far as those who think Rodriguez needs to get more helpers, well--they're still missing the point. It is the legend of Rodriguez as well as that of El Mariachi that is being extended here.
Sure, this is a B movie, and I gave it a B+ grade. But it's just the right kind of B movie--luscious lighting, miraculous escapes, layers and layers of plot which really only serve to add style to the characters, another set of chains for the costume. 40 years from now they'll still be talking about this in film school precisely because Rodriguez does so much with so little. His "shot, chopped, and scored" credit is all part of the legend.
So get some popcorn, settle back, enjoy the show. 40 years from now it will be YOU sitting around telling some young people, "Once there was this guy named Rodriguez..." And the myth will travel on. |
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