The Mexican (2001)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Jerry Welbach, a reluctant bagman, has been given two ultimatums: The first is from his mob boss to travel to Mexico and retrieve a priceless antique pistol, known as "the Mexican"... or suffer the consequences. The second is from his girlfriend Samantha to end his association with the mob. Jerry figures alive and in trouble with Samantha is better than the more permanent alternative, so he heads south of the border.
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What critics compared The Mexican to
In fact, not since "Sleepless in Seattle" kept stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan separated for much of its duration has a film deliberately conspired to avoid exactly what its potential audience wants to see, and that's the pairing and hopeful chemistry between its two stars.
(Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan epitomized this concept in Sleepless in Seattle.)
(He got some help from Gore Verbinski, director of "The Mexican."
Simon Wells -- great-grandson of H.G. Wells -- directed most of the film, with Gore Verbinski ( "The Mexican," "Mouse Hunt") taking over for the last couple weeks of shooting.
For not only did he reportedly suffer from physical exhaustion while shooting the film (with an uncredited Gore Verbinski - "The Mexican" - being called in to finish the last days of shooting), but he's also likely to feel ill upon seeing some critical and public reaction to his effort, or at least the second half thereof.
Perhaps this erratic editing and untidy storytelling can be attributed to the fact that Simon Wells had some kind of breakdown on the set and was replaced by director Gore Verbinski ( "The Mexican" ) for the last few weeks of shooting.
Coming from a company known for pyrotechnic B movies, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” is better than much costlier studio-backed equivalents (such as “The Mexican,” “The Bounty Hunter” and “This Means War”).
The strengths of Pirates of the Caribbean lie mainly in Verbinski's sincere tributes to boy's life pirate operas, from volumes of unnatural fog to the good teeth/bad teeth barometer of morality, to parrots on shoulders and characters who mutter "Arrrrrgh, shiver me timbers"--benefiting, as well, from Verbinski's and wonderful cinematographer Dariusz Wolski's (Dark City, Romeo is Bleeding, and Verbinski's own The Mexican ) colour schemes and lighting, which provide Pirates of the Caribbean with a rich texture that again reminds of Gilliam.
…probably best that director Gore Verbinski ( The Ring , The Mexican ) and writers Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, and Jay Wolpert embellished the plot a little, since the ride, as I remember it, mainly involves animatronic pirates yelling, drinking, shooting, looting, and chasing women.
Director Gore Verbinski has played to both his strengths, stylish horror ("The Ring") and offbeat, sometimes violent comedy ("The Mexican").
This rollicking adventure from director Gore Verbinski is in love with the sights and sounds of pirate movie tropes—sailors swinging from ship ropes, sword fights, cannon balls flying through the air, glistening pirate bounty—and benefits immensely from both the filmmaker's successful fusion of arch comedy, swashbuckling action, mild horror (a trick neither his execrable The Mexican, nor his leaden The Ring , could pull off), and his willingness to let Johnny Depp overact his heart out.
Verbinski had, at this point, made three features: the first, Mousehunt , was a live-action movie made with the physics and logic of a Tom & Jerry cartoon; the third, The Ring , was an exercise in probing the limits of terror available to a PG-13 horror movie (the second, The Mexican , is a film that nobody in the world has ever seen, despite it starring Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts).
Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski ("The Mexican," The Crow") produces sparkling visuals both above and below the waterline.
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And doesn't The Mexican have some elements of a dusty Western?
His remake of The Ring and the first Pirates of the Caribbean flick were a one-two step that seemed more indicative of his promise than the not-awful-in-retrospect The Mexican and the awful but not bloated Mousehunt.
However Gore Verbinski (who also directed The Ring and The Mexican) with the help of an impressive voice cast, has actually given us something with Rango that is very intriguing.
Inspired by the town of Real de Catorce (used in his 2001 movie The Mexican), Verbinski gives us Dirt, a one-tortoise town where the ragtag denizens are beyond quirky.
Gore Verbinski has directed three “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies and “The Lone Ranger,” plus “The Ring,” “Rango,” and “Mousehunt,” as well as under-seen gems “The Mexican” and “The Weather Man.”
Verbinski is one of the most versatile and stylish big-ticket filmmakers to make that music video-to-Hollywood leap, never bothering with indie-maverick mode and yet still making strange movies for children and families (Mousehunt and Rango), hard-to-classify dramedies (The Weather Man; The Mexican), horror (The Ring), and fantasy adventures (Pirates and Ranger).
It is terrifying to think that James Gandolfini was originally slated for the role when Gore Verbinski (“The Mexican” and “The Ring”) was set to direct it.