Get 'burried'
American Western raised to new heights
Scott Hansen
Issue date: 9/25/08 Section: Scene
It doesn't take long for Tommy Lee Jones' directorial debut "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" to prove that the critically acclaimed actor has a knack for making good movies.
The film immediately immerses the audience in its plot through a series of flashbacks and an interesting editing approach. The body of ranch hand Melquiades Estrada is discovered by a couple hunters near the U.S.-Mexico border and an investigation by a corrupt group of United States authorities ensues. Eventually piecing together a mysterious set of circumstances believed to be the cause of Estrada's death, a cover up ensues and leads to the abrupt burial of Estrada. Tommy Lee Jones plays Estrada's best friend, Pete Perkins, who aims to get to the bottom of who killed Estrada and give him a proper burial.
For such a fast paced opening sequence, Jones does an outstanding job of developing the lead roles. The character he plays is a humble and laid back ranch hand, showing his vulnerability and a love for loyalty early on. Mike Norton, the border patrolman who murdered Estrada, is portrayed by Barry Pepper as being Perkins' polar opposite. He beats up on unarmed illegal immigrant, treats his wife horribly and has a problem with following orders from his superiors.
Watching the two characters as they get closer and closer to meeting is like watching a pair of trains headed straight for each other. Knowing that the result of the characters colliding will be explosive is a treat in and of itself.
But luckily their meeting doesn't spell the end for the film. Perkins, knowing Norton killed his best friend, kidnaps him in order to do what he considers to be the right thing. The pair set out to unbury Estrada's body, get the body across the border and top it all off by giving Estrada the burial he deserves.
Several scenes throughout the film's progression come across like a punch to the stomach. On the other hand, Jones does a brilliant job of incorporating a sense of chivalry and humor into the philosophically deep and depressing plot. And not enough can be said of how enjoyable it is to watch Perkins and Norton progress as their journey furthers along. Is Norton really doing this for Estrada or does he just need a purpose in life? When Norton cries for forgiveness is he doing so because he intends on changing his ways or does he just not want to be held accountable for his actions?
One might think that Jones would overshadow the performance of Pepper because of the extreme difference in the two actors' résumés. But as much as Jones' performance is well done, Pepper truly makes the film and turns in the best performance from the overall excellent ensemble. Perhaps Jones was focusing too much on directing the film than acting, but if that is the case it tremendously works out in the films favor.
Not a lot of first time directors get the results that Jones does out of "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada." However, not a lot of first time directors have Jones' experience when it comes to being involved in the movie making process. Jones has starred in a lot of great films and seemingly has pulled things from all of them to put towards this film. His passion for westerns and morals oozes from the frames of this film and the audience is lucky to have the end result.
- Scott Hansen
The film immediately immerses the audience in its plot through a series of flashbacks and an interesting editing approach. The body of ranch hand Melquiades Estrada is discovered by a couple hunters near the U.S.-Mexico border and an investigation by a corrupt group of United States authorities ensues. Eventually piecing together a mysterious set of circumstances believed to be the cause of Estrada's death, a cover up ensues and leads to the abrupt burial of Estrada. Tommy Lee Jones plays Estrada's best friend, Pete Perkins, who aims to get to the bottom of who killed Estrada and give him a proper burial.
For such a fast paced opening sequence, Jones does an outstanding job of developing the lead roles. The character he plays is a humble and laid back ranch hand, showing his vulnerability and a love for loyalty early on. Mike Norton, the border patrolman who murdered Estrada, is portrayed by Barry Pepper as being Perkins' polar opposite. He beats up on unarmed illegal immigrant, treats his wife horribly and has a problem with following orders from his superiors.
Watching the two characters as they get closer and closer to meeting is like watching a pair of trains headed straight for each other. Knowing that the result of the characters colliding will be explosive is a treat in and of itself.
But luckily their meeting doesn't spell the end for the film. Perkins, knowing Norton killed his best friend, kidnaps him in order to do what he considers to be the right thing. The pair set out to unbury Estrada's body, get the body across the border and top it all off by giving Estrada the burial he deserves.
Several scenes throughout the film's progression come across like a punch to the stomach. On the other hand, Jones does a brilliant job of incorporating a sense of chivalry and humor into the philosophically deep and depressing plot. And not enough can be said of how enjoyable it is to watch Perkins and Norton progress as their journey furthers along. Is Norton really doing this for Estrada or does he just need a purpose in life? When Norton cries for forgiveness is he doing so because he intends on changing his ways or does he just not want to be held accountable for his actions?
One might think that Jones would overshadow the performance of Pepper because of the extreme difference in the two actors' résumés. But as much as Jones' performance is well done, Pepper truly makes the film and turns in the best performance from the overall excellent ensemble. Perhaps Jones was focusing too much on directing the film than acting, but if that is the case it tremendously works out in the films favor.
Not a lot of first time directors get the results that Jones does out of "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada." However, not a lot of first time directors have Jones' experience when it comes to being involved in the movie making process. Jones has starred in a lot of great films and seemingly has pulled things from all of them to put towards this film. His passion for westerns and morals oozes from the frames of this film and the audience is lucky to have the end result.
- Scott Hansen
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