The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

A story of old-fashioned virtues, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada marks the theatrical directorial debut of Tommy Lee Jones, who also stars here as an aging cowboy forced to take the law into his own hands when the establishment tries to sweep a killing under the carpet because the victim—his close friend—was an illegal alien. A throwback in a society given over to compromise and shady dealing, Jones's grizzled, principled character is like one of those long-gone Western icons of the range, but while the film is almost endearingly traditional—not only in terms of its heroic protagonist, but also in its gruff, virile (and frequently gallows) humor—it's given a contemporary spin in terms of its setting (today's Texas-Mexican border), villains (border guards and corrupt local cops), and chronologically-fractured presentation. To be sure, the film avoids making hard dramatic choices, preferring easy resolutions and uplifting climaxes, but it's an engaging, literate yarn that—in its depiction of a friendship crossing ethnic and national boundaries—is both moving and touches a current hot-button issue. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by filmmaker and star Tommy Lee Jones, and costars Dwight Yoakam and January Jones, and trailers. Bottom line: a so-so extras package for a winning film.] (F. Swietek)