Rodriguez scores with 'Mexico'

In Mexico, there are shootouts in the street every day. As a matter of fact everyone, even old women, carries a gun at all times. Musicians pull guns out of their guitar cases and kill everyone in sight. At least that's how it is in Robert Rodriguez's "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," the third film in his "El Mariachi" saga. While "Mexico" is not exactly a sequel, it centers around the story of El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) and Carolina (Salma Hayek) that began with the films "El Mariachi" and "Desperado." The film cannot really be called a sequel because it has so many new characters. "Mexico" tells the story of corrupt CIA agent Sands (Johnny Depp) and his plan to overthrow the Mexican government by playing every character against the others. The only problem is sometimes it's hard to remember who's getting screwed and by whom in the intricate plot. But to the film's credit, everything becomes clear in the end. El Mariachi and his partners are the only ones who get what they want, appropriately. Combining comedy, action, and fantasy in a movie about a power struggle in Mexico could have been very risky. Rodriguez and his superb cast pull it off successfully, though. No one could have been better for Depp's role. Sands is an utterly disgusting, despicable excuse for a man, but Depp uses dry humor to make his character funny and likeable. He gets all the silly lines like "Are you a Mexi-can or a Mexi-can't?" and "Can you hear me now?" Sands seeks out El Mariachi to kill Barrillo (Willem Dafoe), a drug lord with plans to overthrow the Mexican president. El Mariachi has become an infamous gunman and has a price on his head, and he takes the job when he realizes that with the president dead he will not have to hide anymore. El Mariachi's revenge against the murderer of his wife and daughter also comes into play. Rodriguez cleverly combines the main plot with El Mariachi's flashbacks to the events leading up to the death of his family. This will please fans of the first two movies who will get a look at a part of Caroline and El Mariachi's story they have never seen. Even for movie goers who have never heard of "Desperado," "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" is a must-see film. This is a triumph for Rodriguez and should not be missed. The film opens Friday. Grade: A