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Review

The Mexican

Director

Gore Verbinski

Year

2001

Rating

Reviewed by

José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris

Review date

Thursday, April 12, 2001

There are certain actors whose movies I always watch no matter what. Actors that appeal to me in different ways and for whom I’m always interested. Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Salma Hayek, Edward Norton are just a few of them. But also in that list are two names that decided to join forces for one movie: Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt. It had to be something special to have this kind of reunion. After seeing the movie I can understand what they saw in the project.

Jerry (Pitt) and Sam (Roberts) are quite a unique couple. He was just involved in an accident that left an important gangster in jail. Now he must do certain jobs for him. The latest? Go to Mexico and bring him a cursed pistol called “The Mexican”. She, on the other hand, only wants to live in Las Vegas and have a normal life away from what Jerry does. After a fight, they decide to go separate ways: he goes to Mexico, she goes to Las Vegas. In Mexico, Jerry faces a series of weird events that lead him through unexpected ways. In Vegas, Sam is kidnapped by a gay conman (James Gandolfini) who also wants that gun. In fact, it seems that a lot of people are interested in it, and that’s what puts this movie in motion.

Sometimes mixing different genres doesn’t work well. Sometimes it doesn’t work at all. One recent example where this kind of blend didn’t work for me was in Sleepy Hollow (1999), a movie that mixed horror with comedy. In The Mexican we come to witness various shifts in tone, but they are very well done by director Gore Verbinsky. We never feel put-away from the story or the characters. It is all the path that they follow and what they must face. At its core, I’d pretty much say that it is a romantic comedy complemented by some action. The comedy is a little blacker and edgier than usual, which is what I’d say works the best in the movie. Jerry’s interaction with some Mexican people or the relationship between Sam and Leroy are the best moments.

This movie is quite original in its conception and does have a clever script. If at moments it doesn’t work that well you shouldn’t worry, because it doesn’t bury the movie deep enough. I rooted for this characters and was intrigued with the way unexpected situations never stopped coming. Besides, I love this kind of humor, and that made it for me.

Brad Pitt is a sensational actor. Here he surprises us again with a completely different performance from what we have seen him do in the past. He is required to play a normal guy who keeps messing things up but who has a lapstick-y kind of personality. Julia Roberts also delivers something different, as the irresistible but also unnerving Sam. James Gandolfini, in an against-type role, is excellent as well. And look out for a small appearance by the always reliable Gene Hackman near the end of the movie.

Bringing a unique style to the movie that can be seen in the different swifts of the movie (those flashbacks are great) director Gore Verbinsky looks like someone to look at. He just needs to refine his work a little bit and he could become something special. The score by Alan Silvestri is also a pivotal part of the movie. Even thou it sounded to me a bit more Spanish than Mexican, I was surprised by the way it actually worked. All in all, a different, exciting experience.

“You have managed to Forrest Gump your way through this”

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