The Mexican (2001)

Elevator Pitch: A minor criminal, with an obligation to a crime boss, is given the task of going to Mexico to pick up a historic handgun as his last job, incurring the wrath of his girlfriend, who expects him to change his ways. It is do the job or die, and so he goes and gets the gun, but cannot get back into the states. The girlfriend is taken hostage by a gay hitman in order to ensure that the gun is safely handed over, but south of the border, nothing seems to be working out as it should.

Content: Jerry, the crook, drives about in the desert and adobe towns of Mexico, sometimes with the gun and sometimes chasing other who have stolen it. The girfriend, Samantha, is driven to Mexico by the hit man in her Volkswagon Beetle, sometimes trying unsuccessfully to escape. The gun is supposed to be cursed and we see a few possible 19th century scenarios showing it involved in tragic events. Quite a lot of shouting, some shooting with handguns, drinking and smoking but no nudity or sex.

A View: On reading some snippets from the script I can understand why the stars were attracted to it, but for some reason they just don’t deliver and neither the critics or the general public thought much of it. I did not think much of it either. Some people felt that James Gandolfini was the only good thing in it, but a large dog was a close second. Roberts and Pitt might as well not have bothered, so I would advise you not to bother either.

Additional Info: Information from a gun enthusiast! The participants mostly carry their pistols stuck down the front of their pants. This is known, appropriately, as a “Mexican Carry”.