Mexico's Wild West.(Movie Review)

When, in the opening minutes of "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," Antonio Banderas swoops down from a rooftop through a spray of bullets onto a speeding bus with Salma Hayek handcuffed to his wrist, you think, "Ah, El Mariachi is back." Alas, he's not. The character known just as El-- who started out as an unassuming guitar picker turned vigilante in "El Mariachi" and grew into a buff action hero played by Banderas in the thrilling 1995 sequel "Desperado"--barely makes an appearance here. And his presence is sorely missed.

Robert Rodriguez wanted to make an epic Western set in Mexico to complete his "El Mariachi" trilogy. And on one level, he has succeeded: the picture is as sweeping and full of bravado as a Sam Peckinpah or Sergio Leone Western. But Rodriguez erred by sidelining the main attraction of the first two installments: El Mariachi himself, the iconic and deeply sensual hero who displays an unwavering, if extralegal, sense of justice. Without him in the lead, the film is as flat as the hot Mexican desert where it's set. In his stead, Rodriguez has cooked up a new set of comic-book characters who bluster and shoot their way through a convoluted and violent tale. And though he edits some of the shootouts and chase scenes with considerable wit and energy, the plot itself will leave even the most attentive viewer thoroughly confused.

Set in a scenic, dusty town in the middle of nowhere, "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" picks up a few years after "Desperado" ended: with El ...