# Mexican, The (2001)

### reviewed by
Laura Clifford

    THE MEXICAN
    -----------

Samantha Barzel (Julia Roberts) throws a fit when she discovers that long-time boyfriend Jerry Welbach (Brad Pitt) is delaying their plans for a Las Vegas weekend in order to do a job for big boss Margolese (an uncreditted Gene Hackman). Sam makes good on her threat to head for Vegas on her own as Jerry heads south in search of a prized but cursed pistol known as "The Mexican."

Jerry begins a cycle of dumb luck followed by freakish fate by immediately locating Beck (David Krumholtz, "Slums of Beverly Hills"), holder of the infamous antique, in a Mexican dive, then losing him to a reveller's stray bullet. When Jerry checks in with Nayman (Bob Balaban), he finds out that he's holding the dead body of Margolese' grandson.

Meanwhile Sam heads for Vegas and ends up in the crossfire between an elegant Black stranger (Sherman Augustus, "Virus") who takes her hostage in a ladies' room and Leroy (James Gandolfini, "The Sopranos"), a psychotic hit man sent by Margolese to use Sam as Jerry's completion bond. Leroy plugs the stranger and begins a road trip with the feisty Sam - 'I'm just here to regulate funkiness' he tells her.

Director Gore Verbinski ("Mouse Hunt") seesaws back and forth between the Mexican and US action as Jerry's travails resemble a human Wile E. Coyote's while Sam and Leroy bond. Verbinski struck pay dirt with his superstar threesome, all better than the script warrants. Roberts continues her appealing, movie star, streak here and has loads of chemistry with her costar Gandolfini. Quite unlike the hit man he played in "True Romance," Leroy is a gay man (which Sam discovers fairly early on) dejected by the lack of love in his life until Sam encourages a roadside flirtation. Brad Pitt once again proves a real flair for comedy, able to elicit howls of laughter with a simple 'Oh no!' He has loads of chemistry with the Mexican mutt who becomes his sidekick. Roberts and Pitt have one of those 'can't live with them, can't live without them' relationships which flare up into screaming matches every 5 minutes. Roberts is the screamer, hurling such self helpisms as 'now you're blame shifting!' at laid back screamee Jerry. (Too) much has been made of their lack of screentime together.

Technically the film looks (cinematography by Dariusz Wolski of "Dark City" and "The Crow") and sounds (original score by Alan Silvestri, "Cast Away") good. The script, by J.H. Wyman, is problematic however. While individual bits play well enough, the film begins to drag. Wyman gives his MacGuffin its own superfluous subplot (several different takes on the history of the pistol are shown in bleached out home-movie segments), which could have been jettisoned entirely. The film comes to a natural conclusion point about thirty minutes before it has the good graces to end. Then Verbinski and screenwriter Wyman positively betray the audience with their third act treatment of Gandolfini's character. Any buoyancy and good will are lost at that point as "The Mexican" stumbles towards its finish.

    B-

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