The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada | Rodger Boyce, Sonny Carl Davis

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada | Rodger Boyce, Sonny Carl Davis | Humanity at its best!

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The Three Burials ...

	The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada Rodger Boyce, Sonny Carl Davis Sony Pictures, 2006 average customer review:based on 100 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Shouldn't Be Buried

What a delicious surprise when I pick up a movie based on a friend's recommendation, guessing it is more his taste than mine, not always a match, but then find... such treasure that it quickly flies to the top of my favorite flick pile. Such is Three Burials.

If I gave this recommendation credence prior to viewing, it was mostly because the movie's lead, Texas ranch foreman, Pete, is played by Tommy Lee Jones, who also directs. I've long been a Jones fan, enamored with his wizened face and great acting range. I should have known: Jones comes through with a memorable story about a man meeting the call of love for his best friend, a call of honor for a promise made. The story evolves around a young Mexican man, the rancher Pete's friend, named Melquiades Estrada, played by Julio Cedillo, stupidly shot down by border patrolman, Mike, played by Barry Pepper. To hide his mistake, the patrolman buries the body, later dug up by the sheriff, reburied, once again brought up out of the earth by Pete - this time to keep his word and bury his friend in his hometown in Mexico. To accomplish this, he makes a memorable journey across the dry expanse of Texas and Mexico, accompanied by the most reluctant patrolman, kicking and screaming most of the way. It is a journey that has something of everything along the way: honor, struggle, violence, compassion, humor, enlightenment, loneliness, integrity.

It is this journey that takes the viewer along on an experience that changes all. What was thought a wife and family turns out to be a woman who lies to and about the dead man. The characters met along the way are each one a gem. The struggles between the ranchman and the patrolman are the stuff of western legends. The metamorphosis by conclusion is bittersweet and tender in the way of a cowboy's heart.

Whether a fan of westerns, of Tommy Lee Jones, an unusual kind of love story, or simply with appreciation for a good, solid story that satisfies, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada should be unearthed again and again for viewing pleasure.

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Humanity at its best!

Tommy Lee, does a superb job of acting, when he befriends a mexican cowboy looking for a job. With respect and mutual admiration they enter into a rare relationship whereby the immigrant makes Tommy Lee swear to bury him, should anything happen to him, in his hometown accross the border. Lee, goes to great lenghths to find the killer who ends up be a (ignorant)caucasion border patrol officer. Awesome movie that depictes human behavior to its fullest! Multiplot directing pulls the Tommy Lee, the (ignorant)caucasion patrol officer and the mexican immigrant into a relationship of human dignity.

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A movie with a message

To sum up this great and powerful movie ....it conveys a fantastic "moral to the story." Tommy Lee Jones leads us on a trail of how consequences (to our actions) can be swift when we violate humanity. The major violation is the killing of an innocent person who wants to better his life. The killer believes "denial" gets him off the hook but instead he is given some hard reality! The message is "reality" is not a gentle tap on the back. This movie is proof of that!! Tommy Lee teaches us how "hard" realities wake us up and force us to live truthfully. This is a must see film with a message as powerful as Kurosawa's Ran.

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Lonely Living, Lonely Ending

Tommy Lee Jones has the has the ability to carry an entire movie, portraying a taciturn, laconic south Texas ranch worker. In this generation, he has no peer for this part. He exemplified the virtues of faithfulness to a friend, relentless pursuit of a commitment and justice while never talking about any of them.
The writing was above average, cinematography good and story lines reasonable. The supporting cast was adequate to the task, but Mr. Jones was the difference in the delivery of the movie.
For Tommy Lee Jones fans, this is a must see movie. Keep an eye on Barry Pepper's development, as he earns larger and larger roles.

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