Wonderful Movie

Waste of time

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Texas is a beautiful country with a stunning, flat landscape, characteristic people, and, unfortunately, pervasive racism. Although Texas was once a part of Mexico, the political climate of immigration has brought out an ugly side of Texas that lies in stark contrast to the beauty of the state itself. Mexicans are not welcome in Texas. It is with this premise that the "Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" begins. In the beginning of the film, an undocumented Mexican ranch worker named Melquiades Estrada from the town of Jiménez is unjustly murdered by a trigger-happy border agent in the dry heat of Texas. The scene is particularly haunting since the movie was inspired by the real-life killing in Texas of Esequiel Hernandez Jr. by a United States Marine. The man who kills Estrada is a border agent named Mike Norton who has a penchant for racism and a bad habit of casually raping his wife and brutalizing women. The lines between good and evil are clearly drawn at the beginning of the film. Unfortunately, the law doesn't always recognize this line. As a border agent with a recognized right to carry a firearm and be in the country, Estrada gets murdered and the Norton gets away. Well, almost, anyways. Pete Perkins ensures otherwise. The tough cowboy, who is played by Tommy Lee Jones, learns of Estrada's murder and the following cover up by law enforcement. Not content to let such an injustice go unanswered, in classic western style, Perkins drags Michael Norton and Estrada's corpse all the way from Texas to Jiménez in Mexico while being relentlessly pursued by border agents. On the journey, Perkins forces Norton to come to terms with his racism, his lack of empathy, and the raw injustice of his actions towards Estrada. The two end up developing a strange bond that elevate's Norton's character. Although the film contains stunning visual scenes of both rural Texas and rural Mexico, the real beauty of the film comes out in the ending. Although the "Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" has all the ingredients to be a classic tale of revenge in the form of a modern western, instead it takes the more difficult route of telling a tale of redemption. Norton, after being shown the error of his ways by Perkins, eventually comes around and is given a second chance. Nobody is too far gone for redemption. That is why the film has the potential to become an instant classic. It is a fitting legacy for the directorial debut of veteran actor Tommy Lee Jones.

I think Werner Herzog would admire The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. Among other things, it is a story of a man's obsession. As I watched, the names Quentin Tarantino, Sergio Leone, and the Coen bros. also came to mind in several places. Despite an ending that feels unfinished, and some mildly unbelievable story material, The Three Burials is an exceptional modern day western. Tommy Lee Jones is at the top of his game, and he is equally skilled behind the camera as he is in front of it.Texan cowboy Pete Perkins, becomes a fugitive from the law, when he attempts to fulfil a promise he made to his Mexican friend Melquiades. If he were to die, Pete was to take his body across the border to his hometown deep in the Mexican hills. One sunny day, two border guards find the kid's body lying in the desert with a bullet hole in his chest. Pete is distraught, but when finds out who is responsible for the death of his friend, he kidnaps that person, digs up Melquiades body from his 'American' grave, and he makes for Mexico, while the law comes after him.In Tarantino fashion, the movie is split into chapters, and a large section of the first half is out of sequential order. Oddly though, it feels so natural that is wasn't until the end of the first act in which I realized that two flashbacks had already gone by, (and believe me I was paying attention).The simple fact that The Three Burials is able to get my attention and then hold it for two hours, must count for something. The story is a slow mover, and when I look back on it, not a whole lot happens. One could almost look at the film as more character driven than plot driven, but it's pretty solid all the way through.The second half of the film is a gorgeous nature trip of cinematic proportions as we work our way through the desert to Mexico. If there is one moment I wont forget, there is a crane shot as Perkins starts descending on horseback down a mountain slope only a meter and a half wide. As the camera moves towards the precipice, you'd swear you were about to fall off. (or you would if you were watching on the big screen)Overall, The Three Burials of Melchiades Estrada, is a pretty impressive piece of filmaking. It may not be the most emotional of films, but it's engaging.

Here's the kind of movie that appears every once in a great while that actually makes you think, and more so, reflect on such intrinsic human traits as loyalty, friendship, integrity, and alienation. Coming out as recently as four years ago, it's a film I had never even heard of until it made the rounds on Encore Westerns recently, and even then, it's title didn't interest me enough to tune in at the time. However with the luxury of a few days free time on my hands, I managed to pick it up at my local library. To say that the movie is mesmerizing would be somewhat of an understatement. It's morbid and fascinating at the same time, a slow motion train wreck that begins with the Tarantino-esqe convention of a non-linear story line, then descends into a nightmare reality for it's principal players as the viewer simply can't imagine how it will all turn out.The movie was oddly reminiscent for me of two other films, one from four decades ago, and another quite recent. The picture's early treatment of alienation among it's characters, (Lou Ann and Mike, Rachel and Bob) was as powerful here as it was in 1971's "The Last Picture Show", both taking place in the stark heat and dust of the American Southwest. With a small town population one could virtually count on just a few hands, both films dwell on the notion that "It's always the same, always the same" - with the perverse realization that whatever you do doesn't remain a secret very long. So the indiscretions of a waitress are known to everyone, and stepping outside of the town's comfort zone is a concern for one and all.The other picture that comes to mind is another Tommy Lee Jones vehicle, the recent "No Country For Old Men". Both stories lend themselves to a randomness of events that at any moment threaten to spiral out of control. Gunshot wounds and rattlesnake bites are unseen and unintended consequences of moving in the wrong direction, while even well thought out plans never foresee potential obstacles along the way. With both pictures, you're left with the uncomfortable sense that the Tommy Lee Jones character remains joyless and without direction, even with closure. Both finales are as powerful as they come.It's been a few days now since I've watched 'Three Burials' and I'm still thinking about it. That's in no small measure to those ghastly and grotesque sequences when Pete (Tommy Lee) battles the ants and applies the antifreeze embalming. Is it weird to suppress an involuntary chuckle while at the same time you're going 'WTF'? But there's also the relationship Pete forges and forces with Mike (Barry Pepper) while on the trail to complete his mission. It's a surreal crossroads both men arrive at when Mike asks Pete if he's going to be OK, but no stranger than asking the same question of the man he killed.

i rented this movie for a good night in. and was it a good night in? NO THE MOVIE IS A DISASTOR!!! this film from start to finish is bland boring and there isn't a plot really its just about a fella who shot another fella and the fella who has the blame is dragged around for the whole film.this film is like a project gone wrong. when i first rented it i was expecting a great modern day western with good action or drama to it. instead i got a bad film. watching barney is more electrifying than this!!! the film is just awful!! i don't mean to be ignorant but how did they not see how bad this film actually is when they were making it. it is so so dull and dragged out!!! it could of been a lot a lot a lot better if they added a load of violence and chasing but even at that i don't think anything could of helped this film!