# Once Upon a Time in Mexico - SPOILERS **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039 "2003-09-22T06:34:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bossy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/58f4c7/32.png) [@bossy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bossy)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/21 "2003-09-23T16:10:46Z")
“are you a Mexi-CAN or a Mexi-CAN’T ??” ---
**Author:** ![metroshane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@metroshane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metroshane)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/22 "2003-09-23T19:07:19Z")
I see George Lopez has already stole that line in his tV show. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/23 "2003-09-23T23:23:12Z")
Mexi-CAN here. Being an independent filmmaker I’m a big fan of hometown boy’s work. It is all just for fun of course but I’ve got to say that the storyline seemed to fall apart towards the end. Very sexy filmmaking though. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/24 "2003-09-24T00:13:58Z")
general leftover? they guy’s name is leftover? i’m glad i read this, i was going to see the movie but i read about the eye thing in the review. that is a bit icky for me. so did they make him eat his own eyes? tell him they were grapes? did the casting people get all the pretty people in hollywood to be in this movie? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/25 "2003-09-24T00:46:56Z")
That “Spidey” sense of a blind gunslinger is a reference also to spaghetti westerns, I think originally it was called “the Blind man”, it was remade (?) recently by HBO as “Bind Justice” As this had a spoiler warning, I have to comment as I did in a previous thread: I wonder aloud if Paul Rodriguez based the final scenes on the brouhaha that occurred in Venezuela, like in the movie, we had a president “rescued” by a revolt of the people in FAVOR of democracy. The metaphor is more appropriate once one realizes how bumbling and erratic the CIA was in Venezuela also. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/26 "2003-09-24T04:34:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rocking chair \* > \*\*general leftover? they guy’s name is leftover? > > i’m glad i read this, i was going to see the movie but i read about the eye thing in the review. that is a bit icky for me. > > so did they make him eat his own eyes? tell him they were grapes? > > did the casting people get all the pretty people in hollywood to be in this movie? \*\* Naw, the General’s name was Marquez. Grapes? Gah! Johnny Depp (Sands) did not eat his own eyeballs. I would have run screaming from the multi-plex. The bad guys actually used some kind of drill thing and a sudden fade-to-black. The eyeless Depp looked like black holes in his head…no ooey gooey stuff other than dried blood running down both cheeks. There were a lot of high-dollar stars in the movie and after watching it, I must say I’m surprised. If I could have understood the story better, perhaps I would have also understood why those particular actors and actresses chose to be in the film after reading the script. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/27 "2003-09-24T04:38:23Z")
I saw it. The plot, acting, and action was ludicrous, but I thought that was the point. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/28 "2003-09-25T02:31:02Z")
Remember Nov 27 is National Talk Like a Corrupt CIA Agent Day! ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/29 "2003-09-25T02:33:02Z")
Remember Nov 27 is National Talk Like a Corrupt CIA Agent Day! (Spotted on Rotten Tomatoes board) ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/30 "2003-09-25T04:08:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GIGObuster \* > \*\*I wonder aloud if Paul Rodriguez based the final scenes on the brouhaha that occurred in Venezuela… \*\* NOW I understand why this movie sucked so long and so hard. I thought Robert Rodriguez, the protege director of El Mariachi and Desperado. I didn’t realize he sold the franchise to Paul Rodriguez, washed up mediocre comedian. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/31 "2003-09-25T04:55:11Z")
I went to see some stuff get blowed up _real_ good. And I did. What screwed it up for me was the &%^# cheezy post-production fix for an explosion that apparantly wasn't up to snuff; human bodies producing \*sparks\*, for God's sake, when shot; human bodies being flung twenty feet or more when shot with \*pistols\*; and of course, dinky little silencers or supressors on damned-near anything that when 'bang.' I mean, they had shrimpy little beer-can sized supressors on fucking AK-47s! How &#% stupid is that?! They even put little itty-bitty _ **supressors on revolvers!** _ Aaaauugh! BAD, BAD, BAD! It ruined my comfortable escapist mood something fierce. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/32 "2003-09-25T05:46:00Z")
I really loved _Desperado_ so I was disappointed by the hodgepodge of _Once Upon a Time in Mexico_. Johnny Depp was the one bright spot, though with the flame-pattern of blood dripping from his eye-sockets, I thought he looked like a former member of KISS. And I was devastated by the underuse of Salma Hayek, especially since the promos (and the probably fictional flashbacks) presented her has some kinda bare-legged knife-wielding supersexy killing machine. If there was ever an opportunity for megahot latina girl-on-girl action, Hayek and Eva Mendez would have fit the bill perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/33 "2003-09-25T06:12:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FallenAngel \* > \*\*NOW I understand why this movie sucked so long and so hard. I thought Robert Rodriguez, the protege director of El Mariachi and Desperado. I didn’t realize he sold the franchise to Paul Rodriguez, washed up mediocre comedian. 😃 \*\* :smack: I can see my ignorance of directors’ names is second only to my ignorance on quality beer. At least in the original thread, I got the name right. \* I still liked the movie, only part I thought was a mess was the motorcycle chase: way too fast and out of place. [sub]\* Of course, I did not use his first name.[/sub] 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dasgupta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@dasgupta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasgupta)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/34 "2003-09-25T13:41:56Z")
Okay, I really enjoyed _El Mariachi_ and _Desperado_, but I haven’t seen this one yet. Now, my memory may be a little fuzzy, but I’m fairly sure Cheech’s character (the bartender) got gunned down point blank by El Mariachi. Is this the same character Cheech plays in _Once Upon a Time_? ---
**Author:** ![metroshane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@metroshane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metroshane)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/35 "2003-09-25T15:00:08Z")
It amazes me how people react to this series. I mean people don’t question King Kong or Godzilla…or that Superman can fly, but everyone likes to call out the comic stuff in this trilogy. Folks, this is a superhero type movie. And it’s full of humor to drive that point home. Sure many parts aren’t realistic, but that’s what comics are. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/36 "2003-09-25T15:14:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dasgupta \* > Now, my memory may be a little fuzzy, but I’m fairly sure Cheech’s character (the bartender) got gunned down point blank by El Mariachi. Is this the same character Cheech plays in _Once Upon a Time_? No, and Marin isn’t the only actor to appear in both movies, playing different characters. Danny Trejo was also killed in _Desperado_ yet appears in _Mexico_. ---
**Author:** ![McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McDeath_the_Mad)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/37 "2003-09-25T16:09:40Z")
I was disappointed because I was expecting a sequel to “Desperado”. IE (or is it EG?) lots of gun fights, explosions, Steve Buschemi, Salma Hayek, etc. If this was a “stand alone” movie I probably would have enjoyed it more. MtM ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/38 "2003-09-25T16:53:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tranquilis \* > \*\* I mean, they had shrimpy little beer-can sized supressors on fucking AK-47s! How &#$% stupid is that?! They even put little itty-bitty _ **supressors on revolvers!** _ > \*\* I totally agree. I mean, why did they have to ruin the mood of perfectly plausible action stunts, realistic storlyines, and believable characters by having innappropriately-sized suppressors? Some people just gotta mess up perfection. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/39 "2003-09-25T18:35:40Z")
**Juniper** your RD Condensed version of this movie absolutely rocked! I think I shall wait for PPV for this. > [@](#): > > He sends guys to get Antonio, who noodles constantly on the guitar like that kid you hated in the college dorm. ::::If I had a hammer…::::::::::::::: ---
**Author:** ![Draknek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@Draknek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draknek)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039/40 "2003-09-29T22:51:06Z")
I saw this film today. My friends didn’t like it that much, but I thought it was quite good, despite the majorly confusing plot. A bit less gore might have been an improvement, though. I have a few questions. Before the first conversation between Depp and FBI guy, was it mentioned that Depp was CIA? I could have missed something, but I was just confused when he claimed to be CIA in that scene, as he was just acting so evil. I think one of the things that threw me off with the plot was that he (Depp) didn’t actually seem to have much motivation, other than get rich from the assasination money. It seems like an awful lot of backstabbing and string-pulling (and confusion on my part) just for the money. And waltzing off with the FBI-EC. Am I missing something here? Why must Depp and that guy who played El look so similar? I swear, in the first scene, I though El was asking for information about himself. **Juniper** , your summary was great! I didn’t pick up that FBI-eqivalent girl was whatsisface’s daughter, but other than that, it seems I followed it quite well. In the end. I haven’t seen, nor did I know of before this thread, the 2 prequels (we only saw this film because one of us “remembered hearing an ad for it a while back, and it sounded vaguely good”). Are they any good? (Current comments would indicate yes.) How much squeamish stuff is there in them compared to this one? (The only way I’m likely to see them is if I can get my parents to rent them out - with my friends would take too much organisation, and there’s no point in watching something on your own - and my parents are unlikely to enjoy people’s eyes being drilled out.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-spoilers/203039.md?page=3)