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Once Upon a Time in Mexico
User Score
6.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 47 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 47
  3. Negative: 11 out of 47

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  1. PatC.
    Aug 7, 2006
    4
    Offers a fatalistic view of the inevitability of political intrigue. And that's the good part. While aspiring to present something memorable, this movie doesn't overcome what even the most casual observer would find to be a bloodbath.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. BlueM.
    Oct 11, 2006
    1
    The most irritating movie I have ever had the misfortune to watch. Would have been better if there was a story instead of blindly jumping from scene to scene. All the BS gunfight scenes make me angry just thinking about them.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. CerridwenB.
    Dec 18, 2003
    8
    Normally movies such as this with a negligible?anything don?t get a very good review from me. It?s not well done and the story is rather generic. Only the character Sands makes it worth the money I spent to legally see it. Johnny Depp did such an outstanding job in this movie that he almost completely makes up for the lack of anything else good in it. I?d pay just to see him again in this film, and it?s not for his looks.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. MasonJ.
    Sep 29, 2004
    10
    If you want a thoughtful and deep movie watch City of God. I bought this movie because sometimes you just need a mindless movie -- Once upon a time in mexico is fun, mindless, and contains an amazing performance by Depp. If nothing else, Depp's tee-shirts make this movie worthy of a 10.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. KevinF.
    Aug 25, 2004
    1
    Assumes hipness without even a successful implementation. Very dull.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. KarenK.
    Sep 10, 2003
    7
    Tons of Action! Antonio Banderas is HOT!!!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. JusticeT.
    Sep 12, 2003
    7
    While I do not understand all of the comments calling this "a mess", most everyone who does rates this film highly. A contradiction? Nope. Its is the energy, the stunning photography and dark humour that keeps the audience enthralled. Amongst the actors, Banderas broods, Hayek heats, Defoe defys but it is Depp who owns this movie. His performance here is one of the best of his career and it only compliments what he accomplished earlier in "Pirates of The Caribbean". Who would have thought that Depp could finally appeal to the masses? From his obsession with pork to his final moments in the film, he embodies the full spirit of the film. He even co-wrote one of the songs performed on the soundtrack. First, Nick Nolte in "The Hulk", then Seth Green in "Party Monster" and now Johnny Depp in "Once Upon A Time In Mexico". Is this the year of the supporting actor stealing the show or what?… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. JohnY.
    Sep 13, 2003
    5
    Visually exciting, yes, but the plot is all over the place... it becomes just a bunch of senseless action pieces that add up to nothing. We've seen this all before.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. ChadS.
    Sep 13, 2003
    7
    "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" should've been a buddy movie, in which Depp, who grows up wanting to be a mariachi, joines forces with Banderas, his boyhood hero. By keeping both actors in most of the scenes together, we might've had a more coherent entertainment. It's not fair to Antonio Banderas that we're twiddling our thumbs until Rodriguez cuts away to "The Johnny Depp Show". The shoot-outs are stylish, and Banderas, or maybe it's his hair, has a presence strong enough, and mythic enough, to justify this seemingly unnecessary sequel. But Depp, once again, upstages everybody and everything. In a western, we want to be clear about the black and white hats. Keeping track of the two, and sorting out their alliances was annoying. … Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. RyanK.
    Sep 18, 2003
    6
    It was hot and i loved it.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  11. JohnR.
    Sep 14, 2003
    1
    I really hated this movie. Suspension of disbelief was impossible in this wretched mess. The violence was too awful and senseless to classify as over-the-top funny.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  12. PhilD.
    Sep 12, 2003
    9
    I can understand those who didn't like this movie (after all, it is messy) but I really liked this movie because it is so different from all others films and it is visually amazing (it leaves the useless cuts behind and only shows the non-stop action). Excellent film, for those would like to see a different film (you'll sure love the movie if you've seen other Rodriguez movies, and no Spy Kids doesn't count).… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  13. J.M.
    Sep 15, 2003
    3
    Did anyone else watch this movie? The plot was all over the place to the point where it made no sense. To say Salma Hayek did anything in this movie is a farce. She got the second credit in the movie, AND SHE ISN'T BARELY IN IT! I've seen Robert Rodriguez do a lot better movies than this, Desperado and From Dusk 'Til Dawn were much better. Guess that's what Spy Kids will do to you.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  14. AG
    Sep 27, 2003
    7
    If you're going into this expecting a tense, mindblowing action movie, leave. It's not that, it's a modern day spaghetti western where billions of people shoot at the hero at he never gets hurt, much like "Desperado". If you liked "Desperado", chances are you'll like this. It's got a fun performance from Johnny Depp and the rest of the actoirs do quite well themselves. The violence is over-the-top but what do you expect? The movie is Rated R for a reason. It's basically a fun, mindless Friday night movie.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  15. TomB.
    Sep 15, 2003
    6
    What I want to know is when was it that America decided that Johnny Depp was anything more then an OK actor? I like the guy but the notion that he makes any film worth seeing, nuch less worth suffering through, is absurd. His character in this flick is hokey as hell and totally unnecessary; The little quirky (or should I say "cutesy"?)personalty traits his charcter repeats each time he�39;s in a scene get old pretty fast. This film is missing the originality or the creativity of the previous two films and I'm beginning to wonder if Robert Rodriguez simply isn't hungry anymore. Perhaps he's made one too many "Spy Kids" movies? Look at it like this; "El Mariachi" was a clever comic book and "Desperado" was a really cool comic book. "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" is simply another comic book. A goofy one which wasn't drawn very well at that. … Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  16. BG.
    Sep 20, 2003
    0
    This movie was absurd, ridiculous perverse and disgraceful. I can see how some liked the camera angles, the color and the energy. They were unique and interesting. However, the graphic violence was excessive and ruined the film for me . How can Rodriguez think we want to see the aftermath of someone's eyes being gouged out or their knees being shot off and burned? The bloody eye sockets and congealed blood ....for a good half hour was completely unnecessary. What could that possibly add to the film? You would be screaming in pain after your eyes were gouged out, not making wry comments and coersing little Mexican boys who don't speak English to guide you by the hand and help you shoot bad guys in the middle of a coup/popular revolution. Absurd! This movie is visual masturbation. … Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  17. BobT.
    Sep 22, 2003
    3
    A pretty dismal movie. The violence is gratutitous and senseless. The plot is virtually non-existent. The characters, other than Johnny Depp, are overly-stylized cardboard cutouts. If the story and characters stink, who care about the cuts and editing.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  18. CourtK.
    Oct 22, 2003
    10
    The best action film I have seen!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  19. AnderlyN.
    Sep 30, 2003
    8
    Previous comments on how unrealistic and rediculous this movie is perpetuate an arguement that is, in it's essence, a fallacy. The fallacy is the fact that reviewers failed to consider the name when reviewing. The movie is not called "This Happened in Mexico," but rather "Once Upon a Time in Mexico". The fact that it is told in fairy tale fasion gives the director room to hyperbolize... and he does to a great extent. Watch it as a story; that's what it's meant for. … Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  20. [Anonymous]
    Sep 23, 2003
    4
    *sigh*...I wanted to like it I really did! I had faith and kept going along with all of its ludicrous scenes and confusing plot as best I could... but in retrospect, it is, indeed...garbage. Im glad I went to see it to find out if everyone was telling the truth saying it wasnt that great or not and now that I have Ive been convinced. Depp wasn't THAT great and the movie wasn't THAT bad. Where Desperado was fun and funny in its unbelievable one man army sense OUTM is repetitive and lame. Almost xXx caliber... which is quite rough. Where the bazooka/machinegun toting Mariachis in Desperado were silly but cool in this the flamethrower/remotecontrolbomb(!) Mariachis are just lame. The plot was complex and somewhat interesting but too many twists to really appreciate. Salma Hayek's presence doesn't even warrant being credited in the film, she's in it for about 10 split seconds.. Ah Ive forgotten to mention the upclose nasal shots of Antonio strumming away for about 5 straight minutes, do we really need that? Just remember this when (or if) you see it, when he's playing the guitar it seems like his nose is always the focal point of the camera... Another bothersome thing was in Desperado the violence was ... not as obscene seeming it was more clever and amusing but thats not the case in this one (exception: the matador...poor fool hahahahaha) the violence seemed more gorey and unneccesary for some reason.. Overall the movie wasn't very great, lots of cheese to it...too many characters too many twists too ludicrous of action to really appreciate.. Youll go along with it during the experience but afterward youll most likely regret having spent your 7.50 on this.. … Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  21. NoelT.
    Sep 23, 2003
    5
    Kinda strange thought that there was 2 movies playing at the same time. One is the Johhny Depp movie and the other is the Antonio Banderas movie. They cross paths early in the first 30 mins but then never again see each other or talk to each other. To say that Salma Heyek played a major role in the movie would be a lie. You could time her on screen with a sports stopwatch. Need less plot more dark humor. Sounds like they filmed the movie on the 1st draft of the script. … Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  22. ViS.
    Nov 18, 2003
    10
    Depp saves it by far! he makes the movie great, with out him it wouldn't.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  23. DanB.
    Sep 30, 2003
    4
    This movie basically sucks. You want to like it. But it jumps around almost incoherently between cut-n'paste plotlines and dialogues and in the end it's just kinda boring. There's a peppering of cleverness, and Johnny Depp is kinda funny... but... well it sucks anyway. Go rent For A Few Dollars More instead.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  24. ZachP.
    Oct 5, 2003
    7
    This movie was very cheesy. It had as much violence as any two summer blockbusters. The story has never, will never could never and should never happen, and I had a fantastic time watching it. Will Rodriguez win any awards for this? Hell no. But that's not the point. If you watch the opening credits, you'll see "SHOT, CHOPPED & SCORED by Robert Rodriguez", and hopefully, if you caught that, you knew this wasn't going to be anything that anyone said it almost was or wanted to be. It was what it wanted to be. It was a cheesefest, it was bloody, it made no sense if you sat down and tried, it gave Johnny Depp a chance to steal the show without having to put up with Disney's conservative values, and it was a chance for Rodriguez and Banderas to team up and have some goddamn fun. My problem: Salma Hayek gets billing over Depp, Mickey Rourke, Willem Dafoe, and the girl who spills coffee on Depp's arm, who had to have been onscreen at least as long as Hayek was. My other problem: Eva Mendes is in every live action movie this year and aside form her profile shot, I can't figure out why. Here it's no different. remember when the houselights go out to turn off your thinnking cap along with your cell phone, and you'll thank me two hours and a bucket of popcorn later.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  25. Matt
    Jan 30, 2004
    10
    Priceless.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  26. Katie
    Jan 20, 2004
    10
    Great movie--johnny depp:D
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  27. AmandaH.
    Jan 26, 2004
    10
    Well i enjoyed this movie highly. the only reason i am posting is to clear up the bull that everyone is saying, the reason it appears to have two plots is because it does, and the cut and paste style is a technique. note quentin tarantino, robert rodriguez and he work closely, good friends, similar style.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  28. SteveG.
    Jan 21, 2004
    3
    Very poor despite a few promising Depp moments. The plot is confused, sprinkled with unlikely scenes and the characters all equally unpleasant or simply murderous. The outcome is a dry, dusty and pointless movie which may appeal to those who like seeing people killing others for fun.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  29. J.Sheffield
    Mar 7, 2004
    8
    The movie was a bit hard to catch on mostly because of the cut-and-paste plotlines, but I'll say Rodriguez (ALMOST) made it work. Personally it seemed a bit fuzzy towards the end, but it ended only for us, their story continues. But hey that's my opinion.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  30. MelissaM.
    Mar 9, 2004
    0
    You have got to be kidding me! This is one of the worst movies I've seen in years! Poor storyline, crappy, unbelievable effects (I mean, who silences a revolver?!), flame thrower in a guitar case?! Anyone who liked this movie is just as stupid as the movie, including the critics who must have been drunk, or paid off, to rate this movie as high as they did.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  31. VincentY.
    Mar 10, 2004
    9
    This was a bit rough round the edges but that could be Rodriguez thinking outside the box. Banderas is as good as ever as his moody Mariachi legend and Depp really shines. His oddball charm and style sparkles in every scene. The plot however, constantly threatens to trip the movie up but thats not what the movies made for. The stylish action and dark humour wel makes this a film to watch.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
56 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 34 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 34
  3. Negative: 5 out of 34
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    75
    In its wildly overwrought, burrito-Western way, is about as close to a home movie as you're likely to see in a megaplex.
    Read full review
  2. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    75
    You don't want to miss Depp in this movie -- he knocks it out of the park.
    Read full review
  3. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    40
    An overstuffed would-be epic.
    Read full review
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