The western genre has had a revitalisation lately with films such as The Proposition. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is a good addition to this genre, but what makes this film distinctive is that it is set in the modern day, and deals with the U.S.'s tentative relationship with Mexico.
The protagonists of the film are Pete, a Texas cattlemen mourning the murder of his Mexican friend, and Mike the Border Guard who accidently killed him. Once Pete works out that Mike was responsible for his friends death, he abducts him, and they begin a journey through the mountainous border country to fulfill a promise and bury Melquiades Estrada in his home town in Mexico.
This is a film which sits squarely in the domain of the western, playing on the usual themes of isolation, friendship, restrained violence and redemption. As always the harsh and beautiful landscape is a important character, shaping and influencing the characters as they move through it. Tommy Lee Jones, who directs as well as playing the character of Pete, displays his empathy for the cause of the Mexicans and weaves a thread through the film which suggests that their lives are not disimilar to those of people living north of the border.
7 out of 10
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment