Mexican (2001)

Mexican: Directed by Gore Verbinski. With Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, James Gandolfini, J.K. Simmons. A man tries to transport an ancient gun called The Mexican, believed to carry a curse, back across the border, while his girlfriend pressures him to give up his criminal ways.

“Take u0026quot;All About Steveu0026quot; (cute dysfunctional romcom), toss in u0026quot;3 Days in the Valleyu0026quot; (gritty crime drama), a little bit of u0026quot;Silver Streaku0026quot; (roadcom) and a hint of u0026quot;Deathtrapu0026quot; or possibly u0026quot;Fargou0026quot; (dark comedy), then whip them all mercilessly with an eggbeater until itu0026#39;s unrecognizable, bake at 425 degrees for 2 hrs 3 mins, and there you have u0026quot;The Mexicanu0026quot;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf you enjoyed all the films I mentioned above, youu0026#39;ll like this. Itu0026#39;s polished, as any Hollywood flick with Brad Pitt u0026amp; Julia Roberts would be, but itu0026#39;s quirky and odd enough to set itself apart from the others. The story is about a lovable loser (Brad Pitt) and his crazy therapy-inducing girlfriend (Julia Roberts) who end up trapped in a bloody battle to get a cursed gun known as u0026quot;The Mexicanu0026quot;. The plot has plenty of twists u0026amp; turns to keep you entertained on the surface. But the real story is about unlikely relationships: not just Brad u0026amp; Juliau0026#39;s bipolar romance but also unlikely friendships u0026amp; loyalties that spring up between kidnappers u0026amp; kidnappees, assassins u0026amp; victims, American profiteers u0026amp; Mexican defenders… like a good Clint Eastwood movie (u0026quot;The Unforgivenu0026quot;, u0026quot;Gran Turinou0026quot;), the point is that itu0026#39;s easy to apply labels, but how often do you get a good look at whatu0026#39;s underneath?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI mentioned that this is a dark comedy, and indeed there are about half a dozen killings. What makes it different from, say Pulp Fiction or Heathers, is that the film doesnu0026#39;t gloss over the deaths with comedic gags. Thatu0026#39;s where this film is unusual… It has a place for comedy, and it has a place for tragedy. It doesnu0026#39;t really mix the two. Thus you may find your emotions wrenched around a bit, and that may be disorienting to some viewers. But if youu0026#39;re ready for a wild ride (exactly what this movie claims to be), youu0026#39;ll love it. And it has a cool dog in it too.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOther good movies in the same genre include u0026quot;Mr. u0026amp; Mrs. Smithu0026quot; (Brad Pitt u0026amp; Angelina Jolie), the hilarious u0026quot;My Cousin Vinnyu0026quot; (Joe Pesci, Marisa Tomei) and the classic u0026quot;Foul Playu0026quot; (Chevy Chase u0026amp; Goldie Hawn).”