I highly recommend this action film. The plot is full of suspense, the actors are well cast, and the setting feels realistic.
Definetely watchable if not applaudable
I was quite suprised to find my self sitting down to take in this movie twice right after I had already watched it once.
In a place like Mexico, where one tends to think that the triple threat of death violence and corruption are more rampant than other parts of North America, this movie takes a more or less sublime approach in its portrayal of it.
The contrast on the psychological landscape is onmipresent. Whereas in parts the movie seems rather slow and dull, it is the constant threat of violence from one incident to the next that propels the movie in a reverse spiral that keeps the movie goer engaged.
Also in Hollywood, it is rare to find sibling pictures that involve the relationship of brother/sister and the main protagonist, in search of her brother, is admirable in her selfless and heroic effort to locate him.
A dazzling ending that is impossible to guess up until the final farame, shows the ingenuity of the writer and the story line and gives one pause for thought long after the final credits have rolled up.
Highly recommended.
Brave heroine in Mexican setting
This is not an "action-packed" movie, rather it has a more subdued suspense, and that's why I liked it. The main character, Mitch, a woman who is trying to recover from the death of her two children, finds herself in a life and death situation with a network of criminals while traveling with her brother in Mexico. When her brother suddenly disappears, she sets out to find him. Her ongoing grief and despair over her children is what actually give her an edge when she faces her would-be killers. For one thing, she really doesn't care if she dies, yet she really does want to find her brother who has gone missing in this underground world, because he is the only person she has left. Her combination of bravery, determination, and yet a willingness to die is just enough to confound her attackers, and I had a sense of respect for her character.
The Mexican man who helps Mitch find her way around is very likable, and gives a good contrast to the grimness of the other characters and tense situations. The setting in Mexican locales is interesting...and although they whiz by quicky, there are shots of a quaint village scene, a marketplace, winding streets, a long desert road, along with the harsher scenes of bar life, and the hovels made of tin and cardboard that serve as houses. Other than the movie ending rather abruptly, without a great sense of closure, I found it to be satisfying entertainment,
The up-and-down career of director John Milius had no finer moment than The Wind and the Lion, a dandy adventure tale. It's based on fact: An American (played by Candice Bergen) and her two children were kidnapped in 1904 Morocco by a Berber tribe, an international incident settled by President Theodore Roosevelt's "big stick" military muscle. The film's sweep and swagger are unabashedly old-fashioned, even as Milius occasionally pokes fun at the grand characters. Some of the peripheral material is sloppy, but as long as Milius keeps his sights locked on the two powerful protagonists, he's dead-on: Brian Keith makes a gutsy Roosevelt, and Sean Connery is in splendid form (with Scots accent in place--got a problem with that?) as the dashing Berber chieftain. Perhaps overshadowed... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Sean Connery - Candice Bergen Director(s): John Milius DVD Release Date: Released the 06 January 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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William Friedkin briefly revived his faltering career with this sleek, bleak thriller of a pair of secret service agents on the trail of a counterfeiter. William L. Peterson is the hotshot protégé of a career agent killed by the ruthless, almost feral counterfeiting genius Willem Dafoe (Platoon). Now Petersen, teamed with the smart but still green John Pankow (TV's Mad About You), is ready to twist arms, lean on criminals, steal, and even murder to exact his revenge. The harrowing chase through the streets of Los Angeles that climaxes on the freeway at rush hour, where Friedkin's brilliant twist sends them heading the wrong way, careening through a sea of cars coming straight at them, is still one of the most breathtaking car chases ever filmed. Friedkin's edgy... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): William L. Petersen - Willem Dafoe Director(s): William Friedkin DVD Release Date: Released the 02 December 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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In terms of alluring female nudity, Swimming Pool shows a lot, but it's what remains concealed that gives this erotic thriller a potent, voyeuristic charge. With his Hitchcockian handling of secrets and lies, prolific French director François Ozon reunites with his Under the Sand star, Charlotte Rampling, to tell a seductive tale of murder and complicity, beginning when British mystery novelist Sarah Morton (Rampling) seeks peace and relaxation at her publisher's French villa, only to find his brash, sexually liberated daughter Julie (Ludivine Sagnier) arriving shortly thereafter to disrupt her solitary reverie. What begins as mutual annoyance turns into something more sinister and duplicitous, alternating between Julie's predatory sex with men and Sarah's observant,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Charlotte Rampling - Ludivine Sagnier - Charles Dance Director(s): François Ozon DVD Release Date: Released the 23 August 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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An amusing crime-based comedy that runs the gauntlet of robbery, murder, blackmail, and a surprisingly amusing phonesex moment. The acting is wonderfully done, one the best roles I believe Abe Vigoda has been offered.
Gérard Depardieu, Harvey Keitel, and Renaud pull off their characters flawlessly, which is saying something because they're dark characters that are injecting some serious comedy.
Guns, guns, guns! And a few explosions as bodies fly through the air and crash into tables and fruit stands. Once Upon a Time in Mexico, like all Robert Rodriguez movies, is all about the kinetic kick of high-velocity action. Johnny Depp, blase and whimsical, plays a CIA agent who's drawn guitar-playing gun-slinger Antonio Banderas (long black hair flopping over his face like the ears of a Labrador puppy) into a ridiculously convoluted plot to overthrow the Mexican government. Along for the ride are a craggy-faced rogue's gallery including Willem Dafoe, Mickey Rourke, Danny Trejo, Ruben Blades, and (to balance things out) the smooth, tantalizing complexions of Eva Mendes and Salma Hayek. For sheer trashy fun, Once Upon a Time in Mexico is a step down from its predecessor,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Antonio Banderas - Salma Hayek - Johnny Depp - Willem Dafoe Director(s): Robert Rodriguez DVD Release Date: Released the 20 January 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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