The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

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Oaklee D A gritty and emotional film. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/26/25 Full Review Samantha S I just streamed this. Tommy Lee Jones is an incredible director and this movie is so beautiful and strange and full of heart. All about friendship and prejudice and immigration and morality and violence. It's brilliant. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/22/23 Full Review isla s This is quite a slow-moving and somewhat gritty watch, although its setting is relatively rural, in Mexico. The cinematography is quite good and the performances decent enough but it did feel a little bland/bleak and I wouldn't say it's a particularly engrossing watch as such. However, the main plot/theme is a somewhat interesting one and I liked the music featured. It may not be especially engrossing but it is reasonably tense at times and overall I'd say its a film worth watching, so I would recommend it but not if you're looking for a constant all-out action type film, this is more of a slow-burning Western/crime drama, I'd say - less a thriller and more a contemplative watch. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review dave s Tommy Lee Jones' The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada has all of the markings of a film that is good but had all of the ingredients to be great. Set in a small Texas town, a Mexican illegal immigrant is shot dead by a border guard (Barry Pepper) in a misunderstanding and is left for the coyotes. Pete Perkins (Jones), Melquiades' best friend, discovers the details of the incident and, after recovering the corpse and kidnapping the border guard, embarks on a journey to fulfil the promise he made to his friend to bury him in Mexico. The movie succeeds on the strength of the unique story, striking scenery and sound performances, but is sometimes hampered, especially in the first act, by sporadic flashbacks that are either pointless or could have been dealt with through exposition over the course of the story. Regardless, Jones' directing debut is worth viewing for its comments on the depth of friendship. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review William L Fans of Jones' earlier Western roles may note the parallels of the narrative with a major plotline in Lonesome Dove, in which Jones must also accompany the remains of a close friend on a perilous journey across the harsh Western frontier, as a result of a promise secured earlier. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada avoids diving into surface-level politics regarding the US/Mexico border and illegal immigration, choosing instead to clarify the humane nature of those on both sides (with respect to some parties) through a sincere friendship, imperfect characters, and bleak subplots that are reminiscent of a far larger-scale film (even if the narratives sort of fizzle out with time). A quality neo-Western that feels equal parts adventurous and plausible. (4/5) Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/13/20 Full Review Audience Member Great movie and great acting! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

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