The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) - May 28, 2019 (Sony)

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by rocknblues81

How many successful westerns have they been in the last decade in terms of money? The Assassination of Jesse James didn't make any money either. Neither did The Proposition?

You have the 3:10 to Yuma remake but even that was 15 years ago now. Not to mention that Bale and Crowe were in their prime, James Mangold was fresh off Walk the Line. It was kind of an exception.


It's going to be hard to sell a western in today's pop culture. The genre has mostly been dead (with only a couple of exceptions) for a couple of decades in terms of being able to make money.

I've already spelled out the reasons I think this film was not very successful, and that it being a western (or not being a western) had nothing to do with that.

I'm not necessarily arguing with you that westerns these days aren't the goldmine they used to be, but if you're talking about something like The Assassination of Jesse James, again, that's another film whose lack of success can be attributed to things like length and it being more of a slow-paced character study.

Django Unchained, The Revenant and True Grit are all westerns that did very well at the box office in recent years and also garnered critical acclaim.

[rocknblues81]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

I've already spelled out the reasons I think this film was not very successful, and that it being a western (or not being a western) had nothing to do with that.

I'm not necessarily arguing with you that westerns these days aren't the goldmine they used to be, but if you're talking about something like The Assassination of Jesse James, again, that's another film whose lack of success can be attributed to things like length and it being more of a slow-paced character study.

Django Unchained, The Revenant and True Grit are all westerns that did very well at the box office in recent years and also garnered critical acclaim.

Two of the three are also directors that help sell the movie. QT is his own brand at this point. You go see a QT movie because it is a QT movie. No matter if it a western or a Crime Drama people will be interested because of his style. Death Proof being the exception.

I think some of True Grits success can be linked to No Country for Old Men.

The success of westerns in the last 20 years can largely be linked to who was involved.

I don't think we are that far apart here though. I do think that some people don't realize that traditional westerns are slow movies by today's standards.

It takes the right people to be involved for a western to even do acceptable business now.

One could argue that Three Burials is slower paced than even old westerns, but TLJ alone wasn't going to sell a movie at that point.

Honestly though... Most people probably do not know that this movie even exists.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by rocknblues81

Two of the three are also directors that help sell the movie. QT is his own brand at this point. You go see a QT movie because it is a QT movie. No matter if it a western or a Crime Drama people will be interested because of his style. Death Proof being the exception.

The success of westerns in the last 20 years can largely be linked to who was involved.

I don't think we are that far apart here though. I do think that some people don't realize that traditional westerns are slow movies by today's standards.

It takes the right people to be involved for a western to even do acceptable business now.

That's no different than the success of movies involving the likes of Roy Rogers, Clint Eastwood or John Wayne.

There are also a lot of the more "traditional" westerns on the streaming services. They obviously appeal to a certain demographic but it's not as dead of a genre as many people think.

And, yeah, "neo-western" is a good description for films like this and No Country For Old Men.

[Purplenoon]

Just watched this for the 3rd or 4th time. This is a magnificent western. Period. When it takes place is immaterial. Tommy Lee should take the director’s chair more often. His next one, THE HOMESMAN is equally good. Interesting that Three Burials predated No Country For Old Men by a couple of years. The fact that he acts in these movies is just the icing on the cake.

[rocknblues81]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

That's no different than the success of movies involving the likes of Roy Rogers, Clint Eastwood or John Wayne.

There are also a lot of the more "traditional" westerns on the streaming services. They obviously appeal to a certain demographic but it's not as dead of a genre as many people think.

And, yeah, "neo-western" is a good description for films like this and No Country For Old Men.

Yeah, but streaming is different. Will a family pay lots of money to go to the movies to see a western? When I say it is basically dead I am talking about making money at the movies.

It's complicated. I don't think you have many people in the biz that care about making them... And the people behind it have to be certain people. Then you add the trends in the country.

Tom Hanks just did one with Paul Greengrass and it only made 12 million I think. But Tom Hanks and Paul Green grass doing a western doesn't give me confidence. So I skipped it.

But the Coens I think built credibility with say rural and middle America do to Oh Brother, Where Art Thou and No Country. The former is especially popular with rural people that I know. It made True Grit an easier sell I think.

[Jorvic]

In terms of the film itself: it is one of Tommy Lee Jones' best performances. His intensity in the lead role is almost frightening at times.

Plenty of able support from Melissa Leo, Dwight Yoakam (so often great at playing cowardly and/or generally dislikeable characters) and Levon Helm.

The landscape is used (as are a number of other things) in a manner that recalls classic Western territory. The film plays with the idea of an obsessive quest in different ways. Not surprisingly, there's what seem like some visual echoes of Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. Though it has some startling moments of violence, the narrative maintains a very deliberate pace.

Certainly a film worthy of a higher status – or perhaps wider audience – than it currently has.