Pancho Villa – Mexican Outlaw (TV Movie 2003)

Pancho Villa – Mexican Outlaw: Directed by Bruce Beresford. With Antonio Banderas, Eion Bailey, Alan Arkin, Jim Broadbent. Hollywood makes a deal with Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa to film his war and recreate his life.

“Pancho Villa is a Mexican general who makes a deal with a movie studio where he will get $25,000 in gold, in exchange for the rights to film his battles. This is quite an absurd idea, especially as it leads to certain battles being u0026#39;made to measureu0026#39; for the camera, and it becomes even more absurd when you realize that this is actually a true story. Yes, thatu0026#39;s right; And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself is actually a film about the making of another film from 1914, known as u0026#39;The Life of General Villau0026#39;. The film is a little like Shadow of the Vampire, in that it depicts the making of an old film, using todayu0026#39;s actors to play the people involved in the making of the old film. This film was made for American TV, and to me this seems a great injustice and a commentary on what the American film industry thinks of itu0026#39;s audience. Like 1995u0026#39;s Citizen X, the only reason that I can think of as to why this wasnu0026#39;t given a cinema release is that it would be lost on itu0026#39;s potential audience.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film features a number of familiar faces. People that you often see in films, but donu0026#39;t know their names. Here we have the excellent Alan Arkin, whou0026#39;s one of my favourite u0026#39;smalleru0026#39; stars without a doubt, Jim Broadbent, Eion Bailey and Anthony Head from the rubbish u0026#39;Buffyu0026#39; program also makes an appearance. The real acting plaudits, however, go to Antonio Banderas for his complete embodiment of the title character. Iu0026#39;ve heard a number of people say bad things about Antonio in this movie, but I have no idea why; here he gives what is probably the best performance of his career. In fact, he is so good that after a while you forget that youu0026#39;re watching an actor and it actually seems like Pancho Villa really is starring as himself. This does the movie no end of favours on the reality front as it continually switches between the movie that theyu0026#39;re making and the reality of Pancho Villau0026#39;s revolution. This movie does an excellent job of catching an authentic Mexican atmosphere, and this is made even finer by way of an excellent, subtle, score.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe battles in the film are excellently staged, and also quite violent and bloody; which is always nice to see. That came as something of a surprise to me as, with this being a TV movie, I wasnu0026#39;t expecting the battles to be particularly well done. The message that this film has seems to be that people can be made to believe anything. As one character professes at one point in the film, u0026quot;the lens is mightier than the swordu0026quot;, and through the way that the film shows the difference between what the film that the characters are making shows and what the truth is; this message comes across loud and clear.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePlease donu0026#39;t miss this movie because it is cursed with u0026#39;(TV)u0026#39; after itu0026#39;s title; as although it isnu0026#39;t a masterpiece, it most definitely is well worth seeing.”