Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Maybe if the production hadn't been so lazy and the movie had come out in the nineties, the reception would have been much warmer. This way, people's tastes have changed quite a bit and the jokes that used to work weren't as good anymore. Still, it's worth returning to this ride occasionally because the pace is still good, and the cast is extremely attractive even today. (08/18/2023)

This is like Rodriguez filmed a much longer picture, but used just half of it and also arranged it in an order that has no head or tail to it. As a result, scenes that were evidently supposed to be a tribute to or “quote" from Leone turn come across like they are making fun of him and are incredibly embarrassing. Better to watch Desperado for the umpteenth time, rather than this. (08/06/2004)

Once Upon a Time in Mexico is even cooler and more stylish than Desperado, but with a needlessly overwrought and hectic story in which there is no time for the most important thing, which is thorough development of the characters who are the foundation of the film. The whole time is spent with someone arguing with someone else in secret or shooting at somebody. Robert Rodriguez tried to cram three hours of material into eighty minutes and the result is a rushed and at times unintentionally torpid mishmash that’s more suitable for fans of Spy Kids than Desperado fans. (10/29/2003)

For me, as a Desperado fan, quite a shock. Immediately after watching, I thought it was noticeably weaker than the previous installment, but still good, but now it is clear to me that Rodriguez took on too much. Banderas shoots just as accurately and stylishly, Salma is beautiful to the point of pain, but the rest is bad. Depp tries incredibly hard and seemingly fits into the party with his cool attitude, but his character is desperately unnecessary, just like everything else. Shootouts, one-liners, and desperate looks on a guitar background could have followed a straightforward path of revenge. This is a concoction trying to imitate Leone's partially politically oriented scripts in both its title and plot, but it fails practically in every direction. The action was wasted in this case. (04/27/2007)

The sequel does not reach the quality of Desperado. The action is even more daring and the plot is even more convoluted, not to mention the large number of characters that will just confuse the viewers. The clutter of sets and costumes can be tolerated, but Rodriguez's effort to be very cool started to annoy me. Eva Mendes and Salma Hayek are a pleasure to watch. Johnny Depp and Antonio Banderas are also okay. The rest is just average and routine work. (01/01/2004)