The Mexican

The Mexican really has it all. It has the feel of an old Western, mixed with gangster flicks and a nice romantic comedy. It's really entertaining and pleasing.

Pitt plays a bumbling slacker gangster criminal dude who makes a mistake on a job, and is forced to undertake one last job. The gig is retrieving an ancient pistol. Little does he know he will have to go through great lengths to retrieve that pistol, and everyone around him may be feeding him lies to attain it as well.

Pitt plays his character so well. It's fun watching him throughout the movie. He is what the slackers should look upto, and it's his best role yet. I couldn't suggest a better time in the cinematic world.

Spend some time with this movie. You may regret it, but I liked it at least.

7 stars

The story about the pistol is far from interesting. The continuous flashbacks are very boring and make the movie move in an even slower tempo. Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts who play the lovers Jerry and Samantha have absolutely no chemistry together. Julia Roberts usually isn't believable as someone's love interest so I'd blame it on her. How she became part of the A-list is beyond me. She's not Oscar-material (Hollywood obviously disagrees) but I guess one could call her an okay actress. However in this movie Roberts' character Samantha is such a dislikeable person that I have trouble watching any scenes she's in. In all fairness I guess the writers' are more to blame for the character's flaws than Roberts. Throughout the movie Jerry and Samantha fight constantly. Now, I do think that a quarrelling couple can be sexy, passionate and interesting but that unfortunately does not include Jerry and Samantha. I just can't see them either have a past or a future together. Luckily enough Pitt and Roberts only have a few scenes together. However even though Roberts have better chemistry with James Gandolfini her character Samantha is so annoying and boring that I never stand watching their scenes together. Despite Gandolfini's wonderful acting. What I find entertaining (yes, there is actually some good moments) about this movie is Jerry's and his partner Ted's run in with the locals. Brad Pitt's Jerry is a charming fool and J.K. Simmons is perfectly cast as Ted. My favourite scene is the conversation between Jerry and the car thief (Rochard Coca) when Jerry has to shoot him in the foot. The funny moments are unfortunately few and far between and I'd rate this movie a 5 out of 10 or a weak 6.

Take "All About Steve" (cute dysfunctional romcom), toss in "3 Days in the Valley" (gritty crime drama), a little bit of "Silver Streak" (roadcom) and a hint of "Deathtrap" or possibly "Fargo" (dark comedy), then whip them all mercilessly with an eggbeater until it's unrecognizable, bake at 425 degrees for 2 hrs 3 mins, and there you have "The Mexican".

If you enjoyed all the films I mentioned above, you'll like this. It's polished, as any Hollywood flick with Brad Pitt & Julia Roberts would be, but it's quirky and odd enough to set itself apart from the others. The story is about a lovable loser (Brad Pitt) and his crazy therapy-inducing girlfriend (Julia Roberts) who end up trapped in a bloody battle to get a cursed gun known as "The Mexican". The plot has plenty of twists & turns to keep you entertained on the surface. But the real story is about unlikely relationships: not just Brad & Julia's bipolar romance but also unlikely friendships & loyalties that spring up between kidnappers & kidnappees, assassins & victims, American profiteers & Mexican defenders... like a good Clint Eastwood movie ("The Unforgiven", "Gran Turino"), the point is that it's easy to apply labels, but how often do you get a good look at what's underneath?

I mentioned that this is a dark comedy, and indeed there are about half a dozen killings. What makes it different from, say Pulp Fiction or Heathers, is that the film doesn't gloss over the deaths with comedic gags. That's where this film is unusual... It has a place for comedy, and it has a place for tragedy. It doesn't really mix the two. Thus you may find your emotions wrenched around a bit, and that may be disorienting to some viewers. But if you're ready for a wild ride (exactly what this movie claims to be), you'll love it. And it has a cool dog in it too.

Other good movies in the same genre include "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie), the hilarious "My Cousin Vinny" (Joe Pesci, Marisa Tomei) and the classic "Foul Play" (Chevy Chase & Goldie Hawn).

GOOD - Story was interesting the first time around.....loved the cinematography; nice Mexican scenery.... liked Brad Pitt's dialog and his character was fun to watch.....enjoyed the few side-bits with the dog and was surprised when Gene Hackman showed up late in the film.

BAD - Julia Roberts ruined this film, at least by the second viewing. She was either yelling at Pitt all the time or gushing over a hit-man who admitted he was gay, and both routines wore thin. She thought (being gay) that was just the greatest thing and really overdid it.

Overall, if you modified Roberts' character into someone less abrasive this might have been a "keeper."

I'm genuinely surprised at the number of people who disliked this movie. Perhaps because it was a bit disjointed, chaotic, uneven, unpredictable and even incoherent at times. And that's just why I loved it. It's life. Yes, it's the crazy, seedy, shady lives of these people (the main characters being Pitt's and Roberts' characters), but at least it's honest... and darned funny. I thought the self-deprecating jabs at how most Gringos view Mexico/Mexicans were priceless. Raul!! The grainy flashbacks had my sides splitting.

People, this is a classic melodrama told in today's yucky, dirty, gritty, ugly times. A beautiful (if you look closely) story that doesn't take it self seriously at all. This is anything but formula Hollywood hype. It is a genius inside-joke that sandbagged most of the people hoping to come out and see a Pitt/Roberts version of Sleeping in Seattle or some similar chick-flick dreck.

When is enough enough? Never.