ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO

US, 2003, 100 minutes, Colour.
Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe, Reuben Blades, Danny Trejo, Enrique Iglesias, Eva Mendez, Pedro Amendariz, Mickey Rourke, Cheech Marin.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez.

Once Upon a Time in Mexico is the third in a Rodriguez trilogy starting with El Mariachi, which was made on less than a shoestring, to Desperado which was influenced by Quentin Tarantino. This film is clearly influenced by Tarantino (with tongue-in-cheek dialogue) and he receives a special thanks at the end. Rodriguez himself, with his Mexican background, enjoys telling farfetched tales, myths and legends of macho action in Mexico. He now has the backing of the Weinstein brothers, a big budget, stars and plenty of extras to be killed off at whim.

The film starts with a discussion of legends and in a jokey manner. Johnny Depp is a CIA operative in Mexico who wants to engineer a change in an attempted assassination plot for the president. Antonio Banderas, who appeared in Desperado, is the Mariachi, just known as El. Enrique Iglesias plays one of his associates. The villain is Willem Dafoe as a drug lord. Reuben Blades has a very good role as the former FBI agent. Mickey Rourke appears as an eccentric gangster. Eva Mendez (Too Fast Too Furious, Training Day) appears as a turncoat policewoman.

There is plenty of action, complicated plot, highly exaggerated interpretations of legends and derring-do.

1. The work of Robert Rodriguez, his seeing this film as a Robert Rodriguez flick? His comedies, his action films? His place in American cinema? The influence of Tarantino?

2. The tongue-in-cheek style, the use of western conventions, the legends of Mexico, exaggeration, the macho image, the extended violence, the singular heroism, the high body count? Special effects for these violent sequences?

3. The bright photography, the editing and pace, the musical score, the range of songs? (And many of the cast and the director contributing to writing songs?)

4. Verbal humour, the satiric aspects of the film, the visual jokes, winks and nudges?

5. The prologue, Sands and his discussion with the one-eyed barkeeper, the CIA and their meddling in Mexico, looking for the hired gun, the heightened stories of El Mariachi and his derring-do? Sands and his eating the pork, his killing the cook - and his moral from that story about everything having to be in balance and nothing standing out?

6. Antonio Banderas as El, the visualising of the legends, his girlfriend, their being chained together, the spectacular escape down the building, General Marquez and his pursuit, their marrying, breaking the chain? The lyrical memories of mother and daughter walking, the general shooting them? El Mariachi being shot? His grief? Living for revenge? The town and its specially making guitars, the guitars with machine guns inside? El and his musical skills, shooting skills? His going to find his two friends, hearing them in the club and strip joint, taking them with him for the mission?

7. Barillo as the drug lord, the Americans and their hostility? Billy Chambers and his poodle as an assistant, getting close, but never confided in? The drugs, Barillo playing the piano? General Marquez and the plan, the plastic surgery? His being seen in town by Sands and Ramirez? The operation, the gun fighting, the twist? Barillo surviving but failing in his coup? The confrontation with Mariachi? Ramirez confronting him - and the irony that Billy Chambers had a recorder on his dog all the time and so everything was well documented?

8. Sands and his hiring of the men, their leader, the abduction of El, keeping guard on him, hostile, ultimately betraying him to Barillo? And the final shoot-out between them?

9. Sands and his plan, El's place, the detail, the test, the confessional sequence and the attack in the church? The prison?

10. Sands and his interview with Ramirez, the discussion, Barillo at the next table? Sands' motivations? His having people shadow Ramirez? Ramirez feeling he was going into a trap, the encounter with Billy Chambers, persuading him to put the recording on the dog? His final confrontation of Barillo? His surviving?

11. The police, the plans to guard the president, the young woman and her being ignored, the irony of her being Barillo's daughter, the betrayal, the relationship with Sands, the torture, putting out his eyes? Her confronting him in the street and his shooting her?

12. The president, combating the drug lords, the plans? His vice-president and the double deals, the betrayal? The Day of the Dead, the confrontation of the president, El coming to the rescue, letting the president escape, the death of the vice-president and his henchman?

13. El and his companions, the attack in the palace, El getting his revenge on the general?

14. Sands, his being taken, his eyes put out? His previous encounter with the boy, the boy's return, getting the better of the man shadowing him? Guiding him in the shoot-out? The irony of his survival? His remarks about the collaboration of agencies like the CIA and FBI?

15. The happy ending, the story of a hero - a contemporary legend?