journal features

movie review - The Mexican

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Vancouver, 2001.10.20

The Mexican is a tale about an antique Mexican pistol and the pack of thugs and losers who try to obtain it once it turns up. Brad Pitt plays yer loser, Julia Roberts plays his common-law-wife, and James Gand*lfini plays one of the thugs.

This was far more entertaining than I'd expected. It was by now means a great movie, but it was actually well worth watching.

It has a plot, it has formulaic Mexican scenes, and it has plenty of gunplay. This is the first Julia Roberts movie I've seen in a *long* time in which she was bearable. She overacted as usual, but with the general tone of the movie, it worked. A bit of an underperformance from Pitt, this time round.

Recommended.

rand()m quote

Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

—Hermann Goering