'The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada' digs beneath the surface
by Bob Longino

Tommy Lee Jones' big-screen directorial debut might not be the easiest film to watch, but its payoff makes it one of the better trips to the movies of the past year. The movie is partially in Spanish, and the story jumps with frequent flashbacks. Plus, at times Jones' character hauls out the corpse of his dead friend, tending to it with great, if bizarre, care. But with strong performances, "Three Burials" explores in intimate detail the cultural and social connections between the ruggedly picturesque border areas of southwest Texas and northern Mexico. Read the full review

TO SUM UP
A man is shot and quickly buried in the high desert of West Texas, later to be found and reburied in the town cemetery. True to his dead friend's wish, ranch-hand Pete Perkins takes his friend's body to give him a proper burial in his hometown in Mexico — kidnapping a border patrolman along the way.

FILM FACTS ...
Sony Pictures Classics
'The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada'

Director: Tommy Lee Jones
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Julio Cedillo, Vanessa Bauche, Dwight Yoakam, Barry Tubb
Run time: 121 minutes
Release date: Dec. 14, 2005
Rating: R for language, violence and sexuality.
See showtimes

A man of few words
Actor/director Tommy Lee Jones gives uncharacteristic interviews with:
• The Palm Beach Post
• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

On the web
Official movie site
View the trailer
   Trailers require Quicktime

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READ THE REVIEW

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A-
"It's a film of redemption, of alienation among the inhabitants of the dusty, rattler-infested West and, on its surface, of one man demanding a kind of moral restitution for the slaying of his friend in a place where little justice exists."

Austin American-Statesman: 4 of 5 stars
"...is more Peckinpah than Lonesome Dove, but one wonders if the actor/filmmaker's assuredness might be enough to sell this strange tale to fans of more conventional Westerns."

The Palm Beach Post: B
"Like many of the best westerns, this is an allegorical tale of honor and self-discovery, more internal than action-driven, with characters that deepen along their peculiar odyssey."


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