 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
- Review Date: January 19, 2004
- R
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- 2003
Common Sense Media says
Like an R-rated, violent Roadrunner cartoon.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie has constant extremely graphic and intense violence. It's so over-the-top it is hard to take seriously but still may be upsetting to some viewers. There are many character deaths, including a mother and her child. One character has his eyes gauged out and one has his knees shot out. There are scenes showing very grisly plastic surgery. Characters use extremely strong language. There's drinking and smoking and references to a drug cartel.
What's the story?
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO is the third in director Robert Rodriguez's series that began with the $7000 El Mariachi and continued with the quasi-remake/sequel Desperado. If I had to explain the story, it would be something like this: Everyone shoots everyone else outdoors. Everyone shoots everyone else indoors. Lots more people shoot other people. But boy oh boy, they sure do it with a lot of style. This is the kind of movie where a rogue CIA agent played by Johnny Depp asks someone, "Are you a Mexi-CAN or a Mexi-CAN'T?," kills a chef because he made a pork dish too well and therefore threw off the balance of the universe. This is the kind of movie where a sensationally beautiful woman reveals her magnificent thigh when she reaches back to grab a handful of knives from her garter and then flings them to take down a bunch of bad guys who are aiming their guns at her husband. A $10,000 payoff is presented in a Clash of the Titans lunchbox. Blood splatters on the camera lens. A guitar case contains an arsenal. And lots and lots and lots of stuff gets blown up.
Is it any good?
I guess if there really was a story or characters in this movie, the violence might be too disturbing. But Robert Rodriguez, who not only wrote and directed this movie but also "shot, chopped, and scored" it, too, doesn't so much omit story and character as transcend them. This is a kinetic and voluptuous pulp fantasia, a mythic nightmare pastiche of stylish slaughter, featuring twisted iconic figures destroying each other and just about everything else in sight with a lot of flair. Rodriguez is indisputably a masterful film-maker. He fills the screen with lots to look at and no one is better at creating propulsive energy through striking images, brilliantly edited.
Depp, Banderas, and Hayek are all sensational. Pop star Enrique Iglesias makes a very respectable acting debut and Eva Mendes is very fine as an FBI agent who wants more. This film is worth watching just as an education in how to shoot and edit. Someday, perhaps, Rodriguez will become more of a story-teller. In the meantime, the film is very entertaining for anyone who does not object to the carnage, and a must-see for fans of hard-core action.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about this film's portrayal of violence compared to a more realistic approach in movies like Saving Private Ryan.
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AGE
Shocked and Appalled
I appreciate this site and what it stands for, however I am once again baffled by MovieMom. This film has ZERO redeeming value. Although highly stylized, the violence is appalling, de-sensitizing and completely gratuitous. There is no point, plot or story here whatsoever. I was highly offended. This is nihilism and devoid of any entertainment value. God help any teenagers or middle schoolers who were allowed to view this cesspool of amorality.
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AGE
watch tnt version
if you watch the version on tnt they take out f words. yay. i tried watching the dvd and was somewhat offended. i'm currently ordering an edited version b/c this movie is really a must see. the action is amazing. pure genius. no sex in any of the versions.
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AGE
Starting from the title, I fell in love with this flick.
Over-the-top and stylized violence, language, and characters, this is one giant, bloody, epically fun film.
Not appropriate for the kiddies, seriously. The subject matter (part of the main plotline revolves around revenge and a drug cartel), extreme and often intense violence, language, and one sociopath of a CIA agent make it so.
I'd advise that you know your kid before letting them watch this one, but other than that, it's one hell of a movie if you're up for it.
So, can you dig it?
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| Studio: | Columbia Tristar |
| Director: | Robert Rodriguez |
| Cast: | Antonio Banderas, Johnny Depp, Salma Hayek |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 96 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | September 4, 2003 |
| DVD release date: | January 19, 2004 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | extremely graphic violence and really rough language not to mention drugs and alcohol |
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