‘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.
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