R E V I E W S
Mexican, The (2001)
Starring: Brad
Pitt, Julia Roberts Studio: DreamWorks SKG Review Posted: 3.4.01 Rating: 6/10
By Stephen.
"Pitt denied top billing, movie so-so -- yeah like that makes a difference, huh"
I don't really know how to start off this review. Maybe I should start off by telling you that I didn't pay to see The Mexican. It is so because I snuck in, something which is not so hard (in smaller cities/towns anyway). Regardless, after watching The Mexican, I felt sort of different. Not so much because of its stars or story, but because of some morals it shared/presented.
The story is actually pretty easy for the first hour. During the second hour, myths and twists make it more complex. Jerry Welbach (Brad Pitt) goes to Mexico to retrieve an ancient gun for his boss. Once there, he loses his ride and the gun to thieves, is thrown into jail, and learns of the history that surrounds the cursed, yet ancient Mexican pistol that everybody is after. Samantha (Julia Roberts), Jerry's (ex) girlfriend, is kidnapped on her way to Las Vegas. Revealing who kidnaps her would ultimately spoil the interesting, yet ephemeral twist during the last 30 minutes.
Gore Verbinksi, who created some kind of havoc in Mouse Hunt, directs two of Hollywood's most sough-after stars in this movie. But who knew that he would direct them in separate scenes. Almost nobody. I think the way the story goes, there is no way for them to be spending too much time together, because there has to be some kind of balance between them (the stars and the characters). So, for ten minutes the audience sees Jerry, the next ten on Samantha and her kidnapper, back to Jerry, and so on. This process of cutting back and forth between the characters and their respective story lines doesn't really work. During all of Jerry's misadventures, the audience doesn't want to be interrupted and watch ten minutes of Samantha talking to the kidnapper. All of this throws out the involvement one is accustomed to. It spins out of control. The audience, or it's just me, prefers one story over the other.
No doubt, The Mexican is a quirky, strange and off-beat story/movie. Something about it was cool. Something about it wasn't. And it definitely suffered from the length and how the pace affected it. I think cutting at least 15-25 minutes would've shown an improvement for the sake of pacing. The overall story could've been presented quicker. Nevertheless, the story wasn't too bad. Not that it was original, but somehow felt fresh and different.
Direction was basic, although, one scene was shot rather well. It involved Samantha and her kidnapper in a conversation in a public restroom. The acting was considerably good, all-right, fun. At times, Brad Pitt's character was convivial and sometimes too gloomy and overweening. His behavior seemed to shift too often, likeable and not-so likeable. Now, Samantha was actually kind of annoying at times; perfect for Julia Roberts in a generic and mordant role. She screamed and complained too much. Then, at times, she was also intimate and fun. So, the characters really weren't too consistent.
I don't have too much to say about this movie simply because I don't feel like it. It just has to be experienced first-hand to form own opinions, like and dislike different aspects, and whatnot. I don't even know why my rating is what it is. It actually was a 7, but I changed it to a 6, which I am more comfortable with now.
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