Logan Lucky

Directed, shot, and edited by Steven Soderbergh and written by Rebecca Blunt, Logan Lucky is the story of a trio of siblings who try to end their family’s streak of bad luck and underachievement by robbing the Charlotte Motor Speedway and hope they don’t get caught by the FBI. The film marks a return from Soderbergh following a four-year break from films as he returns to a genre that has brought him success and mixing it with humor. Starring Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Riley Keough, Katie Holmes, Hilary Swank, Sebastian Stan, Katherine Waterston, Seth McFarlane, Jack Quaid, Brian Gleeson, Dwight Yoakam, and Daniel Craig. Logan Lucky is an exhilarating and whimsical film from Steven Soderbergh.

The film follows two brothers whose lives haven’t gone well as they conspire with their younger sister about stealing money at the Charlotte Motor Speedway with the help of an incarcerated safecracker they know. It’s a film with a simple premise with some complexities and intrigue yet it is about a family trying to change their fortunes and hope to give themselves a better life. Yet, they know they can’t do it by themselves as it’s not just this safecracker they need but also his brothers who aren’t very smart but are dependable. Rebecca Blunt’s screenplay does follow a simple three-act structure as the first act is about the Logan family with the eldest in Jimmy (Channing Tatum) was once a promising football star until his right knee gave out as he works in construction and wanting to be a good dad to his daughter Sadie (Farah Mackenzie) whom he has shared custody with his ex-wife Bobbie Jo Chapman (Katie Holmes).

Yet, he would be laid off due to insurance liabilities relating to his knee as it add to his growing misfortunes that would include his younger brother Clyde (Adam Driver) who lost part of his left arm in the Iraq War and is wearing a prosthetic while working as a bartender. The first act doesn’t just play into the Logans’ misfortune and Jimmy’s motivation to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway but also wanting to change it as he knows what to do, where to steal, and when as they recruit their younger sister Mellie (Riley Keough), the incarcerated safecracker Joe Bang (Daniel Craig), and Bang’s younger brothers Sam (Brian Gleeson) and Fish (Jack Quaid). The second act isn’t just about the heist but also how Joe and Clyde, who would put himself in prison to help Joe, break out and later get back in to serve their sentences but there are also complications as it relates the day of the heist forcing Jimmy to change plans. The third act is about its aftermath where the no-nonsense FBI agent Sarah Grayson (Hilary Swank) come in and figure what is going on as she would prove to be a match for all involved.

Steven Soderbergh’s direction is definitely stylish in some respects in terms of some of the compositions and set pieces he creates yet much of it is still straightforward as it play into the simple world of a trio of unfortunate siblings. Shot on various locations in North Carolina as well as Charlotte including the Charlotte Motor Speedway and parts of the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Soderbergh does use the locations to play into this world of the American South as it is set mainly in the border between West Virginia and North Carolina where Jimmy did some of his construction work in the latter though he lives in the former. Soderbergh would emphasize on a simple approach to the compositions such as the opening scene of Jimmy fixing his truck while talking to Sadie about a John Denver song. It’s among these moments where Soderbergh can bring so much by doing so little which would also include a key scene of Sadie doing her pageant performance as the simplicity of the shots are captivating in establishing what is happening but also would serve as a key motivation for the few involved in that scene.

Also serving as cinematographer and editor in respective pseudonyms as Peter Andrews and Mary Ann Bernard, Soderbergh’s approach to the visuals as there are some stylistic approach to lighting for some of the interiors and scenes at night whether it’s the usage of dark-yellowish colors or something natural for some scenes set in the daytime. Soderbergh’s editing does have style such as this usage of dissolves in a montage for some characters during the third act but also in some stylish cuts as it play into the heist and its aftermath. The heist sequence has elements of comedy but also intrigue into the attention to detail of what is going on and how they get the money but there’s also some twists and turns along the way such as what is happening at the prison Joe and Clyde are serving at. Soderbergh would also infuse bits of comedy as it relates to a snobbish British businessman in Max Chaliban (Seth MacFarlane) who would rile up the Logan brothers but also put himself into some serious shit. All of which play into two sets of siblings trying to pull off a heist without having the authorities wonder who it is. Overall, Soderbergh crafts as mesmerizing and fun film about a trio of siblings trying to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway to end their family curse.

Production designer Howard Cummings, with set decorators Barbara Munch plus art directors Eric R. Johnson and Rob Simons, does brilliant work with the look of the homes that some of the characters live in as well as the interior of the tube system inside the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick does fantastic work with the costumes from the dresses that Sadie wears for her pageant as well as some of the stylish clothing that Mellie wears. Visual effects supervisors Christina Mitrotti and Lesley Robson-Foster do terrific work with the visual effects as it relates to Clyde without his prosthetic as well as a few set dressing scenes. Sound designer Larry Blake does excellent work with the sound as it play into the way the tube system sounds from the inside as well as the scenes at the race track. The film’s music by David Holmes is amazing for its electronic-jazz score that has a lot of energy in the way it play into the suspense and humor with some blues and rock in the mix while music supervisor Season Kent provides a fun soundtrack of blues, rock, and country from artists and acts like Bo Diddley, John Denver, the Groundhogs, Lord John Sutch, John Fahey, LeAnn Rimes, Dr. John, and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

The casting by Carmen Cuba is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from real NASCAR racers Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch as state troopers, Jon Eyez as an inmate friend of Joe in Naaman, Kyle Larson as a limo driver, LeAnn Rimes as herself singing America the Beautiful, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano as security guards, the trio of Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip, and Mike Joy as themselves commentating the race, Charles Halford as a friend of the Logans in Earl, Macon Blair as Grayson’s partner, Jim O’Heir as Jimmy’s boss early in the film who reluctantly lays him off, David Denman as Bobbie Jo’s husband Moody Chapman, Boden and Sutton Johnston in their respective roles as Moody’s sons Dylan and Levi, Ann Mahoney as a woman working security named Gleema, and Sebastian Stan in a terrific small role as NASCAR racer Dayton White who tries to live a healthy lifestyle despite working for Chaliban.

Katherine Waterston is fantastic in a small role as a former classmate of Jimmy in Sylvia who runs a mobile clinic where she gives Jimmy a tetanus shot. Dwight Yoakam is superb as Warden Burns as a prison warden who tries to uphold some order during a prison riot that lead to Joe and Clyde’s brief escape. Jack Quaid and Brian Gleeson are hilarious in their respective roles as Joe’s dim-witted brothers Fish and Sam as two guys who aren’t smart but are still guys who can get the job done. Katie Holmes is wonderful as Bobbie Jo Chapman as Jimmy’s ex-wife who is still bitter about Jimmy’s shortcomings as she is also concerned about her daughter’s performance at the pageant. Farrah Mackenzie is brilliant as Sadie as Jimmy and Bobbie Jo’s daughter who is entering a beauty pageant as she turns to her Aunt Mellie for help while wondering what song to sing at the pageant. Hilary Swank is excellent as Sarah Grayson as a no-nonsense FBI agent who arrives in the film’s third act as she knows something is up but is also aware that whoever stole the money are a lot smarter than anyone realizes.

Seth MacFarlane is a joy to watch as Max Chaliban as a pretentious businessman from Britain with awful hair and a mustache who insults the Logan brothers as well as try to get his racer to drink his awful energy drink as he is just fun to watch. Riley Keough is amazing as Mellie Logan as a hairdresser who doesn’t believe in the family curse but is aware that the family hasn’t done great as she helps her brothers with the robbery in her own way while being there for her niece Sadie for the upcoming pageant. Daniel Craig is incredible as Joe Bang as a safecracker who is doing time in prison that knows how to open safes while Craig is given the chance to be funny and charming as he is a joy to watch. Adam Driver is marvelous as Clyde Logan as a former Iraq War veteran with a prosthetic left arm who also works as a bartender where he is reluctant to be part of the bank robbery as he had gotten arrested before as a kid yet is hoping to reverse the family curse. Finally, there’s Channing Tatum in a remarkable performance as Jimmy Logan as a former football star turned construction worker who decides to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the hope to change his family fortunes but also give his daughter a chance for a future as it is a low-key but charismatic performance from Tatum.

Logan Lucky is a phenomenal film from Steven Soderbergh. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, a killer music soundtrack, and a witty take on the caper/heist film. The film is definitely one of Soderbergh’s most entertaining films but also one that is full of engaging characters and moment that are full of heart and joy. In the end, Logan Lucky is a spectacular film from Steven Soderbergh.

Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - Kafka - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray’s Anatomy - Schizopolis - Out of Sight - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Ocean's Eleven - Full Frontal - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-Equilibrium - Ocean’s Twelve - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean’s Thirteen - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Magic Mike - Side Effects - Behind the Candelabra - (Unsane) – (High Flying Bird)

The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh: Part 1 - Part 2

© thevoid99 2018

Panic Room

Directed by David Fincher and written by David Koepp, Panic Room is the story of a woman and her daughter who hide inside a secret room where robbers have invaded their new home. The film is a thriller in which a woman has to outsmart and hide from a trio of burglars who want something to steal as well as take care of her diabetes-stricken daughter. Starring Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Jared Leto, Dwight Yoakam, and Forest Whittaker. Panic Room is a chilling yet engaging film from David Fincher.

What happens when a woman and her daughter buy a new home only to be invaded by burglars who are there to rob the house because of a safe they believe is in there? That is pretty much the premise of the film as it is a simple home invasion story where a woman and her daughter are forced to hide in a panic room after a trio of burglars broke into their home. David Koepp’s screenplay follows the recently-divorced Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) as they try to find a new home unaware that it was the home of a reclusive millionaire who had created a panic room with cameras due to his paranoia. Once the two move in, their night of terror would begin with the trio of robbers who had hoped that no one was in the house but once they see Meg and Sarah who would lock themselves in the panic room. All hell breaks loose where things become very tense not just for Meg and Sarah but also for the burglars.

Leading the trio is Junior (Jared Leto) who knows about the house as he brings two men with great skill as one of them in Burnham (Forest Whitaker) is a skilled safecracker with a conscience as he immediately learns who is in the house as he is reluctant to do anything but knows he needs the money. The wildcard of the team is Raoul (Dwight Yoakam) who is new as Junior brought him in as he is someone that just wants the money by any means necessary. Adding to the tension of being inside the panic room is the fact that Sarah is diabetic as she is in need of an insulin shot or else she could die which only make things more tense. All of which play into a game of wits between the burglars and Meg.

David Fincher’s direction is definitely stylish for not just the fact that much of the film is set inside a townhouse around New York City but also for the tense atmosphere of the house once it is invaded. While Fincher would use medium shots and close-ups to create an intimacy into the compositions and the sense of claustrophobia that looms throughout the film. It is his approach to tracking and long shots that are the most interesting parts such as a sequence, with the aid of visual effects, where the burglars arrive into the home and it is this single take that follows every aspect of the house for the burglars to try to get in from the outside. It sets the tone for what is to come while the usage of video cameras surveying every aspect of the house show what Meg and Sarah are watching but don’t exactly hear what the burglars are saying.

Fincher’s direction also maintains that air of suspense as it play into the moments where the burglars try to break their way or even find a way for Meg and Sarah to leave the panic room. It has this air of ingenuity into who can outsmart who as it would intensify the suspense as well as the fact that things start to unravel among the burglars where Raoul would go into great extremes to get things done with Burnham being the most reasonable one. Even as Sarah’s condition becomes a plot device that would amp up the suspense yet it is effective where the burglars try to figure out what to do where one could care less about Sarah yet Burnham is the one that is concerned. A showdown does occur with Meg’s husband Stephen (Patrick Bauchau) coming into the third act where he finds himself in serious trouble prompting Meg to be the one to step up and fight for herself and her daughter. Overall, Fincher creates a gripping yet mesmerizing about a mother and daughter dealing a home invasion from burglars.

Cinematographers Darius Khondji and Conrad W. Hall do brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the few bits that are shot in the daytime exteriors to the usage of low-key lights and shadows to play into the suspense as well as the way the scenes inside the panic room are lit. Editors James Haygood and Angus Wall do excellent work with the editing from the way it plays up the suspense and drama as it relies on some slow-motion cuts for stylistic reasons while being very straightforward. Production designer Arthur Max, with set decorators Jon Danniels and Garrett Lewis and art directors Keith Neely and James E. Tocci, does amazing work with the look of the house in many of its interiors of the house in the way the rooms look like as well as the panic room itself as it is one of the highlights of the film. Costume designer Michael Kaplan does nice work with the costumes as it is mostly casual in the clothes that the characters wear.

Visual effects supervisor Kevin Tod Haug does fantastic work with the visual effects from the way some of the camera movements around the house occur to some of the scenes involving gas and fire is presented. Sound designer Ren Klyce does superb as it play into the suspense with its usage of sound in all of the aspects of the house from sparse yet low-key textures to moments that are loud. The film’s music by Howard Shore is wonderful for its orchestral-based score that play into the suspense and drama with its string arrangements and bombastic percussions to create that swell of terror.

The casting by Laray Mayfield is terrific as it feature some notable small roles from Ann Magnuson as real estates dealer Lydia Lynch, Ian Buchanan as a man giving Meg and Sarah a tour of the house, Paul Schulze and Mel Rodriguez as a couple of police officers who show up late in the film, Patrick Bauchau as Meg’s ex-husband Stephen, and the voice of Nicole Kidman as Stephen’s new girlfriend. Jared Leto is superb as Junior as the leader of the three as the one who has a tip about the house as the presence of Meg and Sarah ruin the plans as he tries to figure out what to do while also being evasive about certain things at the house. Dwight Yoakam is excellent as Raoul as a burglar who is all about getting the money by any means necessary as he spends much of the film wearing a ski mask which makes him very menacing as it’s a very dark performance from Yoakam.

Forest Whitaker is brilliant as Burnham as a burglar who takes the job for money as he is skilled with a lot of what happens but doesn’t want to harm Meg and Sarah where he becomes conflicted into what is happening where he tries to do what is right and the job. Kristen Stewart is amazing as Sarah as a young girl who is just a typical young girl that finds herself being terrorized as she stays in the panic room with her mother as she starts to get sicker due to her diabetes. Finally, there’s Jodie Foster in a phenomenal performance as Meg Altman as a woman who tries to protect her daughter anyway she can while having to outwit the burglars as it’s a performance that is just engaging to watch as it is one of her defining performances.

Panic Room is a sensational film from David Fincher that features great performances from Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, and Forest Whitaker. Armed with a strong supporting cast, a simple yet effective premise, gorgeous visuals, and a chilling music score. The film isn’t just one of Fincher’s most accessible films but also a fine example of suspense when it is just simple and to the point. In the end, Panic Room is an incredible film from David Fincher.

David Fincher Films: Alien 3 - Se7en - The Game - Fight Club - Zodiac - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - The Social Network - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011 film) - Gone Girl

Related: 15 Essential Music Videos by David Fincher - The Auteurs #61: David Fincher

© thevoid99 2016

The Newton Boys

Based on the book by Claude Stanush, The Newton Boys is the true story about a family of thieves known as the Newton Gang who were one of the most notorious bank and train robbers of the early 20th Century. Directed by Richard Linklater and written by Linklater, Stanush, and Clark Lee Walker, the film marks Linklater’s first foray into studio features as he explores the world of the Western and a family that are eager to make their name as thieves. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Skeet Ulrich, Vincent D’Onofrio, Julianna Marguiles, and Dwight Yoakam. The Newton Boys is a delightful though very flawed film from Richard Linklater.

The film is about a group of brothers who gained notoriety in the early 1920s robbing banks throughout the American Midwest as they were successful in their venture until a train robbery in Chicago where some confusion leads to their downfall. Yet, it is about these four brothers from Texas as they have endured so much poverty as their eldest brother Willis Newton (Matthew McConaughey) has just been released from a 3-year prison sentence for a crime he never committed. With the help of his friend Brentwood Glasscock (Dwight Yoakam), Newton gathers his brothers Jesse (Ethan Hawke), Joe (Skeet Ulrich), and Dock (Vincent D’Onofrio) to take part in a series of nighttime bank robberies that were major successes. With success comes trouble and also greed as the brothers try to maintain a life without crime but things don’t work well leading to their botched Chicago train robbery.

The film’s screenplay does have this unique structure where it has a level of excitement in the first two acts in how Willis Newton decided to go into the world of bank robbery. Even as he brings in his younger brothers in Jesse and Joe into the mix early in the film as they both have different ideas about robbery with Jesse being the liveliest of the bunch while Joe is more reluctant but understand the need for money. Dock eventually comes to the fold after he escapes prison where the robberies are successful as they’re only in it to get the money from big banks and making sure no one gets killed. Along the way, Willis gains a companion in Louise (Julianna Marguiles) who would try to pull him away from crime but various setbacks in attempt to go legal would trouble things. Even a tempting yet dangerous theft of a bank in Toronto would have Willis re-think about everything he went through.

The first two acts does have this sense of liveliness in the script though it does have issues in character development where Jesse is always a charismatic drunk who likes to have fun while Dock is someone who doesn’t really get much to do. Then comes the third act that culminates with the Chicago train robbery where things get darker and dramatic where the story loses some steam. Notably as they deal with the law and other authorities where it gets very grim and the film becomes uneven in tone.

The direction of Richard Linklater is quite grand but also has a sense of looseness in the way the robberies are presented as it is told in great detail. Linklater also creates some amazing compositions and moments where he keeps things lively for most of the film as it has some humor as well as low-key moments where Willis Newton lives his life with Louise. For the robbery scenes, Linklater does carry an air of suspense in the fact that something could go wrong though it would be more prevalent in its third act. Due to the weakness of the script in that third act, things do lose some luster where Linklater does try to create something lively again but it often feels to tacked on making the ending a bit drawn out despite some very good moments in the final credits scene that features the real Willis Newton talking in a documentary and a 1980 episode of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson where Joe Newton talks. Overall, Linklater creates a fine but messy film about a gang of brothers robbing banks.

Cinematographer Peter James does excellent work with the cinematography as it‘s mostly straightforward for many of its scenes set in Texas in its exterior and interior settings. Editor Sandra Adair does fantastic work with the editing to create some great montages for some of the robberies as well as some methodical cuts for the suspenseful moments. Production designer Catherine Hardwicke and set decorator Jeanette Scott do amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the hotels the brothers stay in to the look of the cars and such to capture the period of the early 1920s.

Costume designer Shelley Komarov does wonderful work with the costumes from the clothes the men wear to the stylish dresses that Louise wears. Sound editor Pat Jackson does terrific work with the sound to capture the energy of the robberies as well as the atmosphere of the clubs the characters go to. The film’s music by Edward D. Barnes is a delightful mix of ragtime music with blues and country to play up the sense of energy while music supervisors Keith Fletcher and Mark Rubin add material from the standards of the time to play up the liveliness of that period.

The casting by Don Phillips is brilliant as it features a huge ensemble that includes some notable small roles from Chloe Webb as Glasscock’s wife, Charles Gunning as the robber Slim, Luke Askew as the Chicago police chief Schoemaker, David Jensen as the Chicago train robbery organizer William Fahy, and Bo Hopkins in a terrific performance as the investigator K.P. Aldrich who looks into the Newton Boys’ robberies. Dwight Yoakam is excellent as the nitroglycerine explosives expert Brentwood Glasscock who is the most careful of the bunch though he is not very good with guns. Julianna Margulies is wonderful as Louise as Willis’ lover who discovers about what he does as she tries to get him to go straight only to realize the difficulties he’s facing.

Vincent D’Onofrio is good as Dock Newton as the guy who can get things done and such though D’Onofrio doesn’t really get much to do as he’s sort of wasted in the film. Ethan Hawke is very funny as the lively Jesse Newton as a guy who likes to flirt with the ladies and drink while being a charmer though the script doesn’t give Hawke more to do. Skeet Ulrich is superb as the youngest Newton brother Joe as the most reluctant person of the group who is aware of what has to be done while facing the dangers of their crimes. Finally, there’s Matthew McConaughey in a marvelous performance as Willis Newton as the ringleader of the gang who organizes every heist and such while being a man of charm and wit as McConaughey brings a lot of gusto to his role.

The Newton Boys is a good though flawed film from Richard Linklater. While it has a great cast, amazing set pieces, and a terrific soundtrack. It’s a film that starts off well only to be bogged down by some weak aspects of the script in its third act. Particularly where it wants to be a western comedy as well as a docu-drama where it becomes very uneven in tone. In the end, The Newton Boys is a fine and worthwhile film from Richard Linklater.

Richard Linklater Films: It’s Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books - Slacker - Dazed & Confused - Before Sunrise - subUrbia - Waking Life - Tape - School of Rock - Before Sunset - Bad News Bears (2005 film) - A Scanner Darkly - Fast Food Nation - Me and Orson Welles - Bernie (2011 film) - Before Midnight - Boyhood - Everybody Want Some!! - The Auteurs #57: Richard Linklater Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2013

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/15/08 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed and starring Tommy Lee Jones, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada tells the story of an aging cowboy who discovers the body of his dead immigrant friend as he captures his killer and take him on a long, horseback journey from Texas to Mexico to bury the body. Written by Guillermo Arriaga, the writer of films like Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and Babel for director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. The film is a part western, part-journey that is also inspired by the story of Don Quixote. Also starring Barry Pepper, Julio Cedello, Dwight Yoakam, January Jones, Melissa Leo, Vanessa Bauche, Cecilia Suarez, and Levon Helm. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is an enchanting yet haunting film from Tommy Lee Jones and company.

Herding goats near the Texas-Mexico border is a man named Melquiades Estrada (Julio Cedello) where he shoots at a coyote as the two gunshots are heard by a new border patrolman named Mike Norton (Barry Pepper) who shoots Estrada to death and later buries him. After Estrada's body is found by patrolmen, local sheriff Belmont (Dwight Yoakam) calls Pete Perkins (Tommy Lee Jones) to reveal that Estrada is found dead as Perkins asks Belmont who killed Estradas as he would recall the times he met Estrada where they became friends. Particularly when they out with a couple of women including Pete's married girlfriend Rachel (Melissa Leo) who is also having an affair with Belmont. Meanwhile, Mike Norton is dealing with his troubled marriage to Lou Ann (January Jones) who feels bored by her new surroundings despite finding a friend in Rachel where she went on a double-date with Pete and Melquiades some time ago. Mike's new job as a border patrolman has become troubled due his violent attitude towards Mexican where he becomes distant following Estrada's death. 

After Belmont buries Estrada at another place, Rachel reveals to Pete that Mike Norton is the one who killed Estrada. When Belmont refuses Pete's request to arrest Norton due to issues with the border patrol, Pete decides to take matters into his own hands by breaking into the Nortons' home trailer where he ties up Lou Ann and kidnaps Mike. Forcing Mike to dig Estrada's body, Pete decides to make a vow to bury his friend at his birth home of Jiminez, Mexico as he also takes Mike on a treacherous journey on horseback as an act of revenge. While Belmont decides to go after Pete, pete is at the other side of the mountains forcing Belmont to let the border patrol and its Captain Gomez (Mel Rodriguez) to handle things but they're unable to capture Pete and Mike. Back in Texas, Lou Ann makes a decision about her marriage as she reveals to Rachel what she will do. With the journey to Mexico where Pete and Mike later encounter a blind man (Levon Helm), Mike tries to escape where he gets bitten by a rattlesnake as he's later saved by a group of U.S. bound Mexicans led by Lucio (Ignacio Guadalupe) to a small town where Pete also arrives at the town. 

At the town, Mike is treated by a woman named Mariana (Vanessa Bauche) whose nose Mike had broken weeks ago while Pete makes a call to Rachel to come to Mexico and get married. Melancholia eventually seeps into both Pete and Mike as they continue towards their journey to Jiminez as many locals claim the place doesn't exist. Finally meeting a woman (Cecilia Suarez) Pete thinks is Melquiades' wife, Pete wonders if everything his friend had said is true or not as he and Mike try to find the place called Jiminez.

The film is essentially about a man vowing to keep a promise to a friend of his while seeking justice and honor in his death. The character of Pete Perkins is someone who is seeking companionship in his lonely life whether it's through a married woman like Rachel or his friend Melquiades Estrada. When Melquiades is taken away, he tries to seek justice by capturing a man as ignorant as Mike Norton. When Norton becomes a prisoner, he is being punished not just physically but also emotionally and mentally as he goes on his own personal journey about himself.

Director Tommy Lee Jones and writer Guillermo Arriaga create a unique structure to the film to the film. Especially with Arriaga's unique narrative style as he separates the film into four parts. The first half is told through flashbacks and present time back and forth about the first two burials of Melquiades Estrada and Perkins seeking justice. The second half of the film involves the journey and the people back in Texas that concludes with the third and final burial of Melquiades Estrada. The film also involves a melancholic tone as Perkins tries to deal with his own alienation following Estrada's death as he tries to take care of his body as its decaying while being eaten by ants and such. The theme of alienation is very prevalent not just in Perkins but also the supporting characters as they all deal with boredom in this little Texan town with Lou Ann couldn't cope with living in small town Texas despite her friendship with Rachel.

Jones' direction works to convey the tone of fantasy and reality with that ode to Man of La Mancha where Jones' character is Don Quixote and Mike Norton is Sancho Panza. The location in Texas is truly inspiring as Jones uses it to great heights from its mountains to its beautiful scenery of water and desert truly gives the film a worldly feel. Jones' approach to the ending might seem baffling to some audience but again, it's him delving into a kind of realism mixed in with fantasy relating to Perkins. Jones use of compositions, scenery, and themes to convey the film is truly magnificent as it shows that he has a great future in being a director.

Cinematographer Chris Menges does some amazing work in the use of exteriors from the skylines to the dark, moody nighttime scenes to convey the film's melancholic mood. The interiors are also wonderful from the blue-green look of the diner Rachel works at to the Mexican bar mixed in with red lights and blue that Perkins is in to call Rachel. Menges' cinematography is astonishing as is his shots of the Texan mountains and hills. Editor Roberto Silvi does an excellent job with the film's present-day/flashback cutting to give the film a nice, unique pacing that works to convey the film's first half while the second half is more straightforward and intense. Production designer Merideth Boswell and art director Jeff Knipp do an amazing job in creating the look of the homes and places that Perkins and Norton go into, notably a cantina that is filled with wonderful lights and such.

Costume designer Kathy Kiatta does a fantastic job in the look of the costumes from the men's clothing filled with belts, cowboy boots, and cowboy hats to the dresses of the women as well as casual gear that is filled with wonderful colors. Sound recordist Loic Gourbe and mixer Mark Weingarten do a wonderful job in capturing the atmosphere of each location shot as well as the sounds of gunshots and animals in the desert. The film's music by composer Marco Beltrami is amazing in its understated tone with the use of acoustic instruments that has an intensity in the guitars to convey a feel of the western. Beltrami's score also does well in the suspense and melancholia as it's another highlight of the film. The soundtrack mostly consists of country classics by Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr., Freddy Fender, Roger Miller, and Dwight Yoakam as well as some Mexican, ranchero music.

The film's cast assembled by Jeanne McCarthy is wonderfully superb with small performances from screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga as a cowboy whom Perkins and Norton run into, Rene Campero as a local Don who Perkins talks to if he knew Melquiades, Celia Suarez as a woman who Perkins thinks is Melquiades' wife, and Vanessa Bauche as Mariana, a woman whom Mike had broken her nose during an immigration chase who would later return the favor. Ignacio Guadalupe is good as Lucio, a Mexican who accompanies Perkins and Norton to town while befriending the old cowboy. Mel Rodriguez is also good as border patrol captain Gomez who tries to control Mike while doing his job to try and capture Perkins. Legendary drummer for the Band, Levon Helm is amazing as a blind man who takes Perkins and Norton for dinner and company as he asks them a favor that is morally wrong that neither are wanting to do.

Melissa Leo is excellent as Rachel, a married woman who has numerous affairs with both sheriff Belmont and Perkins as she tries to keep the young Lou Ann company while being confused in her affairs while January Jones is pretty good as the neglected and lost Lou Ann. Julio Cedello is great in his small role as Melquiades Estrada who is just a simple man that becomes the unwittingly victim of his own death while his body is being carried around in a treacherous journey.

Country singer Dwight Yoakam is excellent as the cantankerous Sheriff Belmont who has a real dislike towards Perkins while trying to maintain his role as sheriff only to find comfort in Rachel. Barry Pepper is brilliant in his role as Mike Norton, an angry, naive, ignorant man who has committed murder only to be dragged and tortured physically and emotionally into a journey as he tries to seek redemption and understanding. Pepper's performance is a real highlight as he endures many physical and mental challenges for his character while being a great foil for Jones.

Then there's Tommy Lee Jones in one of his finest performances yet. In his role as a laconic, melancholic rancher is just amazing to watch as Jones' understated, minimalist performance is shown a wide range of emotion and humor as he plays a man trying to make a promise. Jones also brings a wonderful presence to his character as if he is Don Quixote that makes his performance more worldly and grand as it's a great character for the actor to play.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is a truly superb film from Tommy Lee Jones and writer Guillermo Arriaga with a great cast led by Jones and Barry Pepper. With a wonderful supporting cast that includes Melissa Leo, Dwight Yoakam, and the late Levon Helm, it's a very unique and exotic film that plays into the world of the western and its theme of redemption. Fans of Jones' acting will no doubt consider this one of his finest work as well as be surprised by what he's able to do as a filmmaker. So in the end, for anyone that wants a mesmerizing western mixed in with fantasy, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is the film to see.

(C) thevoid99 2012