Once Upon a Time in Mexico is the third film in the Mariachi trilogy of El Mariachi and Desparado. This is one of those movies where you need to see the first two parts in order to understand the third. I didn't realize it was part of a trilogy until after watching the movie so I was confused with the plot. There are a lot of characters and each one seems to have some sort of beef with the other.
Basically, El Mariachi (Banderas) is a mythical guitar playing hero. Due to the loss of his girlfriend/ lover he isolates himself from the rest of the world. He comes out of this isolation when Sands (Johnny Depp), a corrupt CIA agent, asks him for help in sabotaging a plot by the evil drug lord Barillo. Barillo (Dafoe) wants to assassinate El Presidente, the president of Mexico, to obtain power. General Marquez assists Barillo in his evil plan. El Mariachi agrees to help Sands since he has his own personal reason for getting revenge with General Marquez.
Cucuy is a small character with an important role. Throughout the movie he keeps an eye on El Mariachi for Sands. Jorge Ramirez, a retired FBI agent, also wants to get revenge but this time with Barillo and Barillo's doctor, Guevara. Ramirez's partner was tortured and killed by Guevara many years before. Sands convinces Ramirez to come out of retirement an help him kill Barillo and Dr. Guevara. There are a few more characters with Mexican surnames but I wasn't exactly sure what their importance was. If you're into gunshots and bloodshed, then this is definitely a movie you don't want to miss. Trying to keep all of the characters straight might be a bit of a challenge though. |
