"The Mexican" opens with a whale of a battle between Samantha (Julia
Roberts) and Jerry (Brad Pitt). After promising to stop working as a
gofer for criminal big shots, Jerry is about to leave for the proverbial
"one last job." He stands on the sidewalk pleading his case while
Samantha pelts him from their second story apartment with his own
balled-up clothing. That the couple has attended numerous counseling
sessions becomes obvious when Samantha, outraged by one of Jerry's
statements, shifts into therapy speak, shouting "Did you just
blame-shift? Are you blame-shifting?!"
When Samantha and Jerry part company, you know they will be reunited by
the end of the film. Happily, that's about the only thing that is
certain in this wonderfully quirky
comedy-drama-adventure-romance-thriller-western-road movie. The
convoluted storyline is overwritten and occasionally confusing, but "The
Mexican" more than makes up for its problem areas, thanks to strong
contrasts in atmosphere, bold use of music, terrific dialogue and an
extraordinary ensemble cast.
After their confrontation, Samantha and Jerry head off in different
directions. Given the choice of cooperation or death, reluctant bagman
Jerry flies to Mexico to retrieve a gorgeous hand-made pistol called the
Mexican for a mob boss. Meanwhile, Samantha starts a long drive to Las
Vegas to begin a new career.
But nothing goes as planned. In a picturesque village, Jerry gets the
gun with relative ease, but has a hell of a time keeping hold of it. The
Mexican is cursed (we see three versions of the pivotal moment when the
pistol became a legend) and so, it seems, is Jerry. After several
disastrous attempts to complete the mission, his best friend and
colleague, Ted (J.K. Simmons) arrives to help. Ah, but who is he really
working for?
Things are just as bad on the domestic front. To ensure that the Mexican
reaches its intended destination, a notorious hit man named Leroy (James
Gandolfini) takes Samantha hostage. If Jerry accomplishes his task,
Samantha will go free, but if he fails...
The film hops back and forth between the respective adventures of
Samantha and Jerry, with the neon lights of Las Vegas offering a sharp
contrast to the weathered village of Real de Catorce, located in the
northern central highlands of Mexico. Director Gore Verbinski ("Mouse
Hunt") gets the most out of both locations. To his credit, he navigates
the color wheel of Las Vegas without ever doing the standard montage of
twinkling casino signs. The scenes in Real de Catorce are even more
visually rich. Located 8,000 feet up in the mountains, the city is
accessible only via a 15.5-mile cobblestone road that goes to the 1.5
mile Ogarrio Tunnel, a one-lane former mine shaft that leads into the
city. The town is a perfect movie locale - while it would likely be
insufferably hot and dusty in real life, it has an otherworldly allure
on-screen.
The contrasts between the journeys of Samantha and Jerry are just as
distinct. For Jerry, miscommunication is the operative word, as he deals
with the language barrier while trying to determine who is telling him
the truth and who is lying. Brad Pitt does wonderful work defining his
character, a well-intentioned goof who is dense, but not stupid. He uses
his whole body, drawing slapstick laughs with his flailing limbs without
ever going over the top. After a series of fine turns in grim roles,
what a delight it is to see Pitt using his great skills for comedic
effect. J.K. Simmons - best known as uber-villain Vern Shillinger in the
HBO prison drama, "Oz" - deftly plays off the anxiety of Pitt's
character by keeping Ted casual, from his low-key demeanor to his
just-off-the-tourist-rack clothing.
For Samantha, communication is everything. The hostage-captor dynamic
changes as she and Leroy bond, discussing relationship issues in a
manner that would make Oprah proud. Julia Roberts delivers a strong
performance as a person that expresses every emotion she feels, for
better or worse. James Gandolfini, who achieved leading man status as
the patriarch in the smash HBO series, "The Sopranos," tempers his
menacing frame with silky sensitivity as Leroy, a mobster who fears he
will never find true love. The evolution of the two characters is
credible and the exchanges between Samantha and Leroy are both funny and
sweet.
While the supporting cast is quite colorful, Pitt, Roberts, Gandolfini
and Simmons own "The Mexican." The often violent storyline, which nods
to both Quentin Tarantino and Sam Peckinpah, tries a little too hard
and, in the latter minutes of the film, frays at the edges, but it
doesn't matter. The four actors and their well-defined characters are so
likable that plot becomes irrelevant. Watching them interact is pleasure
enough. Placing them in a clever story accented with great looking
surroundings and bang-up music simply adds icing to the cake.
Copyright © 2001 Edward Johnson-Ott
