As non-conforming and singular as it’s director - Tommy Lee Jones,
making his feature directorial debut, he directed a telemovie a few
years back called “The Good Ol’ Boys” - but as brilliant too, Three Burials is the ultimate in anti-Hollywood:
staggeringly unflashy, hugely character-driven, widely open to
construal, and ultimately, agreeably real.
If mullet-haired Tom Hanks cracking puzzle books bored you, and if you thought Wolverine’s
claws were too blunt, and Mission: Impossible just ‘too much Cruise’,
then you’ll appreciate this one. It’s a solid film indeed.
The
performances are amazingly good; the locations are exquisite, and its
messages – as inspiring as they are unexpected.
A whodunit-of-sorts, the film stars Jones as a ranch foreman
honouring his late friend, illegal immigrant Melquiades (Julio César
Cedillo), appeal to be buried in his native Mexico should he give up
the ghost in Texas. Meantime, one of the new Border Patrol boys (Barry
Pepper) is about to get to know the late man, a hell of a lot better.
As you’ll have worked out for yourself from my vague synopsis, I don’t want to give up too
much about the film. Part of its appeal is letting the story unfold for
itself.
As a director, Tommy Lee Jones is surprisingly proficient – showing both
creativity and nous behind the lens, at times shooting sequences that
would turn John Sayles or Sam Peckinpah to mush. He always puts the
story before anything else (unlike a lot of the films he’s been in
himself), and the film is better for it. He might have worked harder on
the first act (the back-forward shift between ‘then’ and ‘now’ may be
confusing to some viewers), might've humanised the villain a tad more,
and possibly retained the same tone for the overall picture (in
contrast to switching from thriller to black comedy, three quarters of the
way through), but overall, it’s a terrific debut.
They don’t make ‘em like they used to – something Tommy Lee Jones
obviously agrees with.
The zone 4 DVD is actually pretty damn good, especially compared to
the release that some of the other global DVD zones received. Among the
extras are a making-of, a bit on the soundtrack, some interviews, plus deleted
scenes, footage from the premiere and a commentary by Tommy Lee Jones,
Dwight Yoakam and January Jones.
The commentary track - often one of the best features of most DVDs - isn't the best; in fact it's
a bit dull. There's too much dead-air between topics of conversation to
really captivate you, and consequently, the trio have little to offer
besides back-slapping each other on a "job well done".
