Three Burials:A Rugged Western Worth Giving A Try

I'd first like to welcome my newest follower, Jamee (I hope that's spelled correctly) Welcome, and I hope you'll feel free to add comments whenever you feel up to doing so.

My co-worker in the morning also happens to be huge movie aficionado, which definitely makes for entertaining conversations. Everyday we shoot the breeze about various films we've either enjoyed or hated, and we've also begun bringing in movie recommendations for the other to watch. Over the weekend I viewed one of those recommended movies from his collection.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) is a modern western drama and the directorial debut for Academy Award winning actor Tommy Lee Jones. The film was inspired by a real life killing in Texas of an American teenager by the United States Marines during a military operation near the border. Jones also stars in the film playing the character Pete Perkins, a life long cowboy who is trying to solve the mysterious death of his best friend Melquiades Estrada. Unfortunately, because of Estrada's legal status, the local law enforcement has shown little interest in solving the apparent murder. So when word gets back to Pete that a local border patrol agent, played by Barry Pepper, may have been involved in Estrada's death, Perkins decides to take justice into his own hands, kidnapping the agent and forcing him on a perilous horseback pilgrimage into Mexico to return Estrada's body back to his hometown.

Jones' directorial debut is genuinely meritorious effort. His use of flashbacks to show the relationship and interactions between Perkins and Estrada really illuminates why Jones' character is so determined to return Estrada's body back to his hometown. My only real complaint for the film is Dwight Yoakam's performance a Sheriff Belmont. I found his portrayal to be laughable at times and way too over the top. Besides that, Three Burials is a challenging and fascinating film and a definite recommend, especially for western fans. (*** Stars)