Product Details

• Actors: Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, James Gandolfini, J.K. Simmons, Bob Balaban
• Directors: Gore Verbinski
• Writers: J.H. Wyman
• Producers: Aaron Ryder, Christopher Ball, J.H. Wyman, John Baldecchi, Lawrence Bender
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC
• Language: English
• Dubbed: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Dreamworks Video
• DVD Release Date: August 7, 2001
• Run Time: 123 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (182 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003CXRY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,782 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Mexican" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Part road movie, part romantic comedy, part thriller, and a whole lotta fun, The Mexican could get by on star power alone, but it offers Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and a clever plot full of delightful surprises. It's a thoroughly enjoyable shaggy-dog story in which the downtrodden Jerry Welbach (Pitt) copes with a dual dilemma: his girlfriend Samantha (Roberts) has just dumped him to pursue solo ambitions in Las Vegas, and a manipulative mobster has ordered Jerry to Mexico to retrieve a coveted antique pistol (the "Mexican" of the title) that carries a legacy of legend, death, and danger. Jerry soon has his hands full with bandits, bloodshed, and a grizzly hound dog that vanishes and reappears with amusing regularity. En route to Vegas, Samantha's taken hostage by a burly assassin (James Gandolfini) who's attached to the gun-fetching scheme and is, in more ways than one, not who he seems to be.

Like a good magic act, J.H. Wyman's original screenplay distracts you from its gaps of logic, using unexpected revelations to fuel its strategic vitality. It also provides a wealth of character development, and director Gore Verbinski (Mouse Hunt) gives his stellar cast equal time to shine. It hardly matters that Pitt and Roberts spend most of the film apart; their time together is worth waiting for, and the machinations that separate them play out like a cross between vintage Peckinpah and Romancing the Stone. And why is the accursed pistola so valuable? That's just another surprise, setting the stage for the arrival of yet another big-name star, whose motivations are pure in a film full of double-crosses and darkly shaded humor. With a giddy plot like this, star power is just icing on the cake. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini. A mobster, his girlfriend and a hit man deal with each other and search for a priceless handgun en route to Las Vegas. 2001/color/123 min/R/widescreen.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A good mix March 22, 2002

By V. VanCamp

Format:VHS Tape

'The Mexican' has a good mix of comedy, romance, action, adventure, drama and suspense. Very enjoyable movie. Julia plays a wonderful quirky, smartypants, sensitive, woman in love. Brad does very well as a slightly lost, good hearted semi-boyfriend just trying to keep himself alive while hoping that his semi-girlfriend will somehow understand. James puts in a stellar performance as the guy who is "very sensitive for a cold-blooded killer".

I recommend giving this movie a shot. Leave your expectations at the door and just enjoy the show for what it is ... a quirky kinda dark romantic comedy. It is well done, combining romance, action and emotional impact with comedy.

There are some very funny scenes, a few somewhat deep scenes that deal with relationship issues and some dramatic scenes that are sad and some that are happy, all of them touching. There are also some subtle jokes, so keep your eyes and ears open!

Admittedly, there was a point where I felt that the movie was going on a bit long, but it quickly became interesting again and I forgot about that.

When you watch this movie, I recommend taking special note of the three main character's eyes. The actors very effectively express their character's emotions and thoughts with their eyes.

Enjoy!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars It's like juggling Mexican jumping beans! July 26, 2001

By A Customer

Format:DVD

Boy has girl. Boy tries to keep girl by severing his connections to organized crime but has to do one more job of retrieving an antique Mexican pistol which is cursed. Boy loses girl. Girl gets kidnapped to insure that the Boy gets the job done. Lots of people try to make sure the Boy doesn't get the job done. Mayhem ensues.

If you like sequential movies, if you don't like movies that jump back and forth in time and place, if you are a parent that must leave the room constantly, do not get this movie. If you want to live in a vicarious boy/girl relationship with Julia Roberts or Brad Pitt then do not get this movie.

Cinemaniacs and filmography sickos (such as myself) that watch a movie 5 times to figure out that "cool camera angle" or particular acting dynamic, come on in. The water is FINE!

If you want to see a good but strange movie that truly shows J.R.'s subtle but amazing breadth of ability then see "The Mexican". Brad Pitt also gives a good performance. The production stands on its own as suitably weird, trust me, but if dropping acid were legal I'd make the suggestion just because it couldn't get any more bizarre. Warning: you may feel tempted to adopt Leroy (played by James Gandolfini), the hit man reluctantly getting in touch with his true self. Absolutely fantastic. He plays this with more realism (if anything in this movie could be considered realistic) and balance than Robert DeNiro in Anaylyze This. I really look forward to seeing more of his work.

I only gave it 3 stars because I felt that the plot device (the cursed pistol) was a bit meaningless even in farcicle mode, and the movie doesn't seem to hit its mark squarely or successfully as some hybrid cross between a continuous story and a contiguous collection (ala Twenty Bucks or Four Rooms).

The acting alone is worth seeing this film. J.R.'s snap switch between angry girlfriend to scared hostage is very good, but it's her subtle shift between hostage to guidance counselor that I really loved. It's a lot of jumping around and she doesn't lose you. THAT'S what makes Ms. Roberts a great actress.

Brad Pitt also did a credible job. I just don't think the story shifts or dialog had the same opportunities to show off his virtuosity in the same way as he did in Meet Joe Black.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A miracle February 6, 2002

By Bruno Pietoso

Format:DVD

So here we have this great mix of Brad Pitt, which is one of the greatest actors around (not just a pretty face..he is a wonderful actor and there is no doubt about that ) and Julia Roberts which has earned her reputation(and is really looking good) and does a great job in this incredible movie. I think the script was well written..the dialogues were fun and well developed, making sense as you follow along.
The settings for this movie coudn't be more accurate and precise for it truly represents an ambience of what "The Mexican" is.
It's just a simple movie but it has a certain charm that atracted me , because all the elements blend in together and gives you the final result: Fun,romance,excitement and action!
Let's not forget the soundtrack which is well balanced within each scene and really does the work in creating an enviroment and even brings up emotions within each part. It's easy to identify with the characters and the way they interact with each other.
I recomend this movie 100%..it's worth a look. Maybe people were expecting a different movie due to the cast.. it may not be revolutionary..but it sure is a respectable work of art.