The Mexican film review

certificate_15

THE MEXICAN

Having a film called The Mexican starring two distinctly American actors could be a trifle misleading until you discover that the film's title actually refers to a gun. Not just any gun mind you, but one that is cursed and carries with it a tragic and notorious past.

The pursuit of The Mexican is the basis for this comic caper. Directed by Gore Verbinski, best known for helming Mousehunt, The Mexican would on the surface appear quite a departure. However, on closer inspection, you realise that both feature bumbling, incompetent characters and a plot line that stretches credulity. The main difference is that while such elements were integral to Mousehunt, in The Mexican they are simply flaws.

The film's origins shed some light on its more apparent shortcomings. Conceived as a low budget affair, it ended up attracting two of Hollywood's biggest box office stars. So, having set out with modest aspirations, The Mexican found itself the object of far greater expectations, ones that it fails to satisfy.

Brad Pitt plays Jerry, a hapless slacker with a history of screwing up. He is given one last chance to redeem himself in the eyes of his ruthless boss, Margolese (Gene Hackman), presently in prison as a result of Jerry's incompetence. Margolese's lieutenant, Nayman (Bob Balaban), commands him to go to Mexico and retrieve both the priceless handgun and its young caretaker Beck (David Krumholtz). This mission is the final straw for his long-suffering girlfriend Samantha (Julia Roberts) who trades clichés from relationship manuals as she hurls his clothes over the balcony.

Jerry's success at having found Beck and the gun is short lived when Beck is accidentally killed and both his car and the gun are stolen. This development makes Jerry the subject of suspicion and as a consequence Samantha is drawn into the net. She is kidnapped by the lumbering Leroy (James Gandolfini), who tries to downplay his role by suggesting he is simply there to “regulate funkiness". It's a clue that as thugs go he's just a little bit different, a trait not lost on Sam. "You're a very sensitive person for a cold-blooded killer", she observes after a while. The root of his sensitivity is revealed when he checks out a gruff looking man at a truck stop. It's true to say that cinema isn't littered with gay hoodlums, but Gandolfini's mix of tenderness and strength provide the film with its most engaging performance.