Review of The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) by Compi24 — 02 Jul 2020

One of only two directorial efforts from that of legendary actor Tommy Lee Jones thus far, "The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada" features some mildly interesting musings on redemption, reality and the road to madness, but ultimately lacks a good portion of everything else you need to craft a worthwhile story, namely decent pacing and memorable character work.

There's also too much going on in this for my tastes. Certain shots, characters and even entire scenes felt out of place all too often. And what exactly was the deal with the first 40 minutes or so being non-linear? I don't exactly have an issue with it, but I also can't for the life of me find a reason why it was necessary in any way, shape or form.

It didn't really add anything aside from that fleeting novelty you get when you finally realize a non-linear narrative is a non-linear narrative. And by the time you understand what's going on, it's entirely abandoned for a more traditional (and admittedly more entertaining) approach.

A bit of a head-scratcher, this one, but with commendable acting, at the very least.