Once Upon A Time In Mexico (2003) Synopsis:
Haunted and scarred by tragedy, El Mariachi has retreated into a life of isolation. He is forced out of hiding when Sands, a corrupt CIA agent, recruits the reclusive hero to sabotage an assassination plot against the president of Mexico, which has been conceived by the evil cartel kingpin, Barillo. But El Mariachi also has his own reasons for returning--blood revenge. The desperado returns with his two capable cohorts Lorenzo and Fideo. And the legend of El Mariachi reaches new heights of adventure.
Once Upon A Time In Mexico (2003) Movie Review:
Sometimes sequels make a lot of noise without delivering all the goods expected and that is what happens with the third chapter in the El Mariachi series called Once Upon a Time In Mexico.
With a convoluted plot about a CIA agent named Sands (Johnny Depp) trying to execute a plan to change the president of Mexico, it includes a corrupt general, a retired FBI agent, a drug lord and El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas).
Between Sands trying to manipulate the key characters for his own sinister purpose and Mariachi seeking his revenge, a lot of shooting takes place and the bullets start flying almost immediately.
It seems every few minutes another massive gunfight erupts with plenty of bloodshed and bullet-ridden bodies to fill a stadium by the time this movie is over.
As in Desperado that came before this film, Mariachi and his pals have weapons hidden in their guitar cases and they sure know how to use them. They are so accurate with their weaponry that every time they shoot another bad guy falls. Even drunk or shooting backwards they dont miss.
The complete opposite is true of their enemies who cant seem to hurt let alone kill Mariachi and his two associates at point blank range with automatic weapons firing non-stop.
Director Robert Rodriguez tries to copy Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns of the 1960s such as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly but falls way short of capturing their unique style and impact.
Although there are lots of dramatic poses, action and camera play, the film quickly falls into repeating itself to the point of blandness instead of realizing its potential to be spectacular.
There is not enough variety in the gun fighting scenes to keep you motivated or interested and the redundancy gets tiresome quickly.
Once Upon A Time In Mexico mixes some fun moments of humor, over the top action, shallow underdeveloped characters, cheesy dialogue and a weak storyline that is mildly amusing.
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Once Upon A Time In Mexico (2003) review written by: Gil Benzeevi
11th October, 2008 
