Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, The

USA 2005, 121 minutes
Dir. Tommy Lee Jones
Rating: [M]
Genres: Drama / Western

Feat. Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Dwight Yoakam, Melissa Leo, Levon Helm, Julio Cedillo, January Jones

Aroview: Stunning tale of redemption straddles the Texas-Mexico borderline, beginning with the offhand killing of a Mexican ranch-hand (Cedillo) and then following the personal pledge of his American buddy (Jones) to see him laid to rest after an epic horse trek southwards through the rugged granduer of the Mexican hinterland.

Portraying the web of personal liasons and professional misdeeds among the jaded police-force, pumped-up border patrol and scraggy residents on the US side of the border, scriptwriter Guillermo Arriga (AMORES PERROS) pursues his themes about the discovery of dignity and justice with masterful balance as the film telescopes out to become a quest for a remote village. Jones also displays ample skill - in his debut directing effort - forging an effective atmosphere of wit, pathos, tragedy and irony, among the spectacular vistas.

NZ International Film Festival 2006