Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)

Director:

Robert Rodriguez

Writer (WGA):

Robert Rodriguez (written by)

Release Date:

12 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The Time Has Come.

Plot:

Hitman "El Mariachi" becomes involved in international espionage involving a psychotic CIA agent and a corrupt Mexican general.

Plot Keywords:

Mariachi | Drug Lord | CIA Agent | General | Coup

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Antonio Banderas	...	El Mariachi
Salma Hayek	...	Carolina
Johnny Depp	...	Sands
Mickey Rourke	...	Billy
Eva Mendes	...	Ajedrez
Danny Trejo	...	Cucuy
Enrique Iglesias	...	Lorenzo
Marco Leonardi	...	Fideo
Cheech Marin	...	Belini
Rubén Blades	...	Jorge FBI
Willem Dafoe	...	Barillo
Gerardo Vigil	...	Marquez
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.	...	El Presidente (as Pedro Armendariz)
Julio Oscar Mechoso	...	Advisor
Tito Larriva	...	Cab Driver

Also Known As:

El Mariachi 3 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, and for language.

Runtime:

102 min | Italy:101 min (Venice Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Italy:T | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Norway:18 (original rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Poland:18 | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (#38421)

Filming Locations:

Guanajuato, Mexico

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

According to writer/director Robert Rodriguez, the idea to do a third movie in his El mariachi (1992) series came from his friend Quentin Tarantino who, knowing Roriguez to be a fan of Sergio Leone, also suggested the title. Tarantino is given special thanks in the closing credits. - Actually Robert Rodriguez intended on making a trilogy from the get go. You can read that for fact in his book "Rebel Without A Crew".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sands first meets the bubblegum-selling boy, the shots of the boy have been flipped - the writing on the pack is backwards.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Agent Sands: I never heard of him.
Belini: Who?
Agent Sands: The man you recommended.
Belini: The guitar fighter?

Movie Connections:

References Dip huet seung hung (1989)

Soundtrack:

La Chongeada

You need to see this two or three times...

...not because it is a piece of cinematography at it's best but simply because you will need to see it two or three times to actually understand the basic plot of the movie (even though I enjoyed watching it immensely).

The main thing that will draw people to watch this movie will be the fact that it has Johnny Depp, Antonio Banderas, Willem Dafoe, Salma Hayek, Eva Mendes, Enrique Iglesias...and many more famous names in it. Although I must admit that some of them should have been given bigger parts or else have been left out altogether.

I did enjoy watching this movie but it doesn't make sense the first time around...there is so much going on that the audience often feels as if trying to figure everything out will cause their brains to overheat. up are still a definite factor, however, As Johnny Depp lends his style and talents to the character of corrupt C.I.A agent, Sheldon Jeffrey Sands(he even came up with the 'sheldon Jeffrey' part of the name) even though the part was originally written for Quentin Tarantino. And praise is much deserved of Enrique Iglesias who plays the opinionated but still very loyal Lorenzoand also Eva Mendes who plays Agent Ajedrez with edge and darkness.

This film is very much one for people who are fans of explosions and action but not for those who like well-written plots. I did enjoy this movie and I think Robert Rodriguez has impeccable style even if he doesn't present it well in some instances.