--- title: "Once Upon a Time in Mexico: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico" critics_score: 55 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003): what the critics said Critics' score 55 from 11 reviews: 0 positive, 8 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics land in the middle, and they agree on where the fun is. Johnny Depp’s CIA agent is singled out again and again as the best thing in the film, and several reviews say the energy drops whenever he is off screen. The action is generally thought to be handled well, and more than one critic finds the whole thing enjoyable in a loud, brash way even while admitting it disappoints. The reservations cluster on the plot. Nearly everyone calls it overcomplicated, meandering or rushed, and a few find it a repeat of the series’ formula with Banderas pushed to the margins. The spread is fairly narrow: eight reviews are mixed, three are negative, none are positive. The AV Club takes the harder line, calling it an overstuffed misfire while still praising Banderas and the action choreography; Slant finds the violence increasingly rote. Collider, writing years later, mostly commends the Blu-ray transfer. ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 26 September 2003. Bradshaw finds the film boisterously entertaining but says it loses energy when Johnny Depp is off screen. He singles out Depp’s comic performance as the main source of its fun. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,1049531,00.html) ## Variety — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 2003. Festival review. Rooney finds the film an entertaining, technically accomplished action spectacle, though its overcomplicated plot weakens it. He especially praises Johnny Depp’s inventive performance and the soulful flashbacks to the Mariachi’s relationship with Carolina. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2003/film/reviews/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-1200539745/) ## Screen Daily — Lee Marshall Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2003. The page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is not accessible. The review text is behind a paywall, so its specific praise or criticism cannot be determined. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico/4014839.article) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2003. The page is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. Its praise or complaint cannot be verified from the available text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/12/movies/film-review-guitar-in-his-hand-revenge-in-his-heart.html) ## Time Out — GM Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The available description characterizes the film as brash and flamboyant, but does not reveal the critic’s overall verdict. It singles out the film’s influences, though the description is cut off before specifying them. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-1) ## Empire — Mark Dinning Rating 3/5. 1 January 2000. Dinning finds the film disappointing overall but still terrific fun. He praises Johnny Depp’s comic performance, while criticizing the meandering plot and the way it sidelines Banderas. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/upon-time-mexico-review/) ## Radio Times — Adam Smith Rating 3/5. Smith argues the film repeats the series’ familiar formula and feels stuck in a groove. He singles out Johnny Depp’s CIA agent as the film’s most entertaining element. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-65fz4u/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico/) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 3/5. 26 September 2003. The review finds the film enjoyable but too rushed and unfocused to match its Sergio Leone inspirations. It especially praises Johnny Depp’s entertaining, quirky performance as Sands. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Jeremiah Kipp Rating 1.5/4. 22 September 2003. Kipp gives the film a sharply negative verdict, faulting its sham plotting and increasingly rote violence. He singles out Johnny Depp’s lost, wandering character as the film’s more effective element. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2003. Phipps finds the film an overstuffed, convoluted misfire that loses its direction and humor. He praises Banderas’s performance and Rodriguez’s action choreography, but faults the long expository stretches and sloppy plotting. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico-1798198861) ## Collider — Andre Dellamorte Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 February 2011. The critic finds the film chaotic and wearying, with a plot that struggles to connect its many characters and set pieces. They praise its clean, beautiful Blu-ray presentation, which makes the film more palatable. [Read the review](https://collider.com/robert-rodriguez-mariachi-trilogy-blu-ray-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico.md