So I just came back from "Once Upon A Time in Mexico." It was a lot of fun and it was something of a mess. Rodriguez tried so hard to make this an epic that it has all kinds of plot strands that are hard to follow. Despite that, it was a good time and had some wonderful stuff in it.
Johnny Depp has been appropriately praised. I could see Rodriguez making a new set of films about that character. Having said that, I never got a handle on whether Sands (Depp's character) was in control of what happened or not, and what his eventual goal was anyway. But then, maybe that's the point. Ruben Blades should also be getting some attention. He plays a retired FBI agent dragged into the affairs by Sands. He wrings a lot of feeling for his character out of only a handful of scenes.
Rodriguez also brings back some of his trademark actors including Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin. Trejo is playing a different character from the one he played in "Desperado", but I wasn't sure if Cheech's character was the bartender from "Desperado" or not. I'll have to go back and see if he gets shot in the eye.
Overall, a fine action flick whose reach might exceed its grasp. Well worth your time if you enjoyed "El Mariachi" and "Desperado." It certainly creates an interesting arc for the Mariachi character.