Review of The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) by Dominic L — 14 May 2008

If you are graving I mean craving for a quirky western-type film about a delusional ranch-hand who seeks revenge on a border patrol officer who killed the ranchman's best friend then you should dig into the indie film "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada".

I swear to death that this will be the only film ever made about a delusional ranch-hand who seeks revenge on a border patrol officer who killed the ranchman's best friend. The film is the brainwork of Tommy Lee Jones.

I guess Jones was "jonesing" to create an unconventional film, which is what "The Three Burials of (do I really have to finish typing the entire title?)" encompasses much of. Jones not only directs it but also stars as ranch-hand Pete Perkins.

Pistol Pete discovers that his best friend, Mexican immigrant Melquiades Estrada, is killed by a dodgy border patrol officer named Mike Norton played by Barry Pepper. Perkins' mission is to seize Norton and and force him to give Melquiades a proper burial in Estrada's Mexican village.

The film does display flashbacks of Perkins & Estrada's friendship. However, for the most part we see Estrada as a "Chip" of the dead block. Yes! Just like Eric Estrada's career, Melquiades is mostly shown in the film "good as dead".

Sorry Ponch! Do not cinematically arrest me! OK, enough! Writer Guillermo Arriaga, best known as Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's right-hand write man, once again contributes a razor-sharp, brainy screenplay.

Jones was incisive with his freshman directorial effort, and was scarcely charismatic with his not-so-freshman acting effort. However, it was Pepper's peppery and emotional thespian work that I most digged about "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada".

The young acting supporting acting guns of January Jones as Norton's wife and Julio Cedillo as Mel himself did not misfire. Moreover, the older acting supporting guns of Melissa Leo as an adulteress waitress and Dwight Yoakam as the town sheriff also hit the right thespian targets.

Also, "Tijuana" know that the cinematography of this semi-western film had all the right shots. "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" might be long in title but short in staleness.

Can you dig it??? **** Good.