‘Mexico’ is simple fun, ‘Matchstick’ a refreshing change

JOHN DEPKO

Rodriguez does it all in ‘Mexico’

I don’t know if any major film studio has ever allowed one single

man to write, direct, shoot, score and edit an entire

multimillion-dollar production before. But that’s just what has

happened here.

The producers of “Once Upon A Time in Mexico” allowed Richard

Rodriguez to take on all those duties in this big-budget attempt to

bring his cult figure characters into the Hollywood mainstream. The

end result on the screen reflects the best and worst possibilities of

this situation.

Antonio Banderas is outstanding as the legendary El Mariachi, the

Mexican musician turned hired killer who operates on the edge of

international intrigue. Rodriguez also gets bravura performances out

of Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe, Mickey Rourke and Eva Mendes in this

wild tale of action, adventure and revenge.

But it’s impossible to really care about any of the characters

they play. They are cartoon personas with no basis in reality.

Whether they live or die means nothing in the end, and there’s lots

of living and dying to be done in this movie.

The director brings a hip atmosphere, a great look and cool music

to this offbeat political tale. It’s filled with quirky excitement,

exotic sets and lots of explosions. But the rapid, choppy editing

creates a mixed bag of MTV-type images that are all pure commercial

style with no substance whatsoever.

Despite its grown-up pretensions, this films aims squarely at the

lowest common denominator. Its main feature is an endless series of

ridiculous gunfights that appear to come straight from male teenage

video-game fantasies.

In the end, while appreciating this movie’s strong points, the

best you have is the guilty pleasure and mindless fun of a watching a

well-produced piece of Hollywood action fluff.

* JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator

for the Orange County public defender’s office.

‘Matchstick Men’

burns brightly

Has crazy now become “cool?” Previews for “Matchstick Men” feature

Nicholas Cage with a myriad of tics and phobias -- is he vying for

another Oscar? I was leery of seeing a rehash of Jack Nicholson in

“As Good As It Gets.” To quote that movie, “sell crazy someplace else

-- we’re all stocked up here.”

However, I am happy to report that director Ridley Scott’s newest

film is an engrossing, if not completely original entertainment, with

a nifty twist at the end.

Roy (Cage) lives in a retro-style L.A. house and keeps himself

busy with obsessive-compulsive behaviors: chain smoking, opening and

closing doors three times in succession, keeping the carpet fibers in

perfect order, and keeping his pantry well stocked with cans of tuna

fish. He also suffers from agoraphobia, panic attacks, tics -- you

name it.

We are surprised to learn that in spite of himself, Roy is a

smooth-talking con artist (the movie’s title is another term for it)

who can keep it together long enough to finesse people out of their

money. His partner, Frank (Sam Rockwell), is Roy’s opposite -- messy,

glib, and a little sleazy.

When Roy runs out of his behavior-controlling medication, Frank

recommends Dr. Klein, a psychiatrist who eventually figures out Roy

is a crook. Roy confides some of his anxieties, one of which is an

unknown child by his first wife.

Before we know it, Roy meets his 14-year-old daughter, Angela

(Alison Lohman), who doesn’t seem at all fazed by his quirks. Roy

takes to the idea of fatherhood quickly and learns to give and

receive love. It seems to calm him enough so that he can admit he’s

not proud of his lifestyle, and he is distressed to learn Angela has

a knack for it just like her dad.

Meanwhile, he and Frank are busy setting up an elaborate money

laundering scheme to draw out a greedy new mark (Bruce McGill). We’ve

seen this played out before (indeed, co-writer Ted Griffin also wrote

the remake of “Ocean’s 11”), but it’s still fun.

Cage has always been best at portraying characters that are “out

of the box,” and he makes us care for Roy without getting too

sentimental or wild.

After years of playing it safe as the big action star, it’s good

to see him take artistic chances again (starting with last year’s

“Adaptation”). A contemporary comedy is also a refreshing change of

pace for director Ridley Scott (“Gladiator,” “Blade Runner”).

With its stunning visuals and great, 1960s era backdrop of lounge

music (does anybody remember Mantovani?), “Matchstick Men” is

definitely worth a look.

* SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant

for a financial services company.