The Mexican

"Love with the safety off."

2001 2h 3m EN

😐

6.0

MID

🥫

54%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.2

IMDB

★6.0TMDB · 1,674🥫54%Rotten Tomatoes●43Metacritic★6.2IMDB · 122,196

ActionComedyCrimeRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Love with the safety off.”

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Cast

Brad Pitt
Jerry
Julia Roberts
Samantha
James Gandolfini
Leroy
J.K. Simmons
Ted
Bob Balaban
Nayman
Sherman Augustus
Well Dressed Black Man
Michael Cerveris
Frank
Gene Hackman
Margolese

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gore Verbinski
Writers: J. H. Wyman
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $57M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

25 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gore Verbinski, shot by Dariusz Wolski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alan Silvestri. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Craig Wood shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts and James Gandolfini carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Love with the safety off.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gore Verbinski directs. Dariusz Wolski behind the camera. Alan Silvestri scores. Craig Wood cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $57M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
225 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4Directed by Gore Verbinski, shot by Dariusz Wolski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Alan Silvestri. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Craig Wood shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts and James Gandolfini carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Love with the safety off.".
9IMDB entry: tt0236493 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "mexico", "kidnapping", "romcom", "road trip".

The technical file

Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski
Original score: Alan Silvestri
Editing: Craig Wood
Production design: Cecilia Montiel
Costume design: Colleen Atwood
Makeup / hair: Mary L. Hart-Mastro
VFX supervisor: Richard Chuang
Sound: Tom Myers
Stunt coordinator: Seth Arnett
Runtime: 123 min · 2h 3m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $57,000,000
Box office: $147,845,033
Return: 259% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Mexican (2001)
Rotten Tomatoes: 54% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 43/100
IMDB rating: 6.2/10 · 122,196 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

3 wins & 2 nominations total

Also by

Gore Verbinski

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2022-08-01
★ 9/10
Silly entertainment! <em>'The Mexican'</em> works as a comedy and works as an adventure road trip flick, so it evidently achieved what it set out to do. This 2001 release features a strong cast, as we get Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts together alongside James Gandolfini, J. K. Simmons and Gene Hackman. I enjoyed all five, especially the first three. It's not a film to be taken overly serious, it's one to enjoy and I got a lot of enjoyment from it - credit to Gore Verbinski & Co. Recommended? Definitely!
Aaron2023-11-12
★ 9/10
It’s been a while since I’ve seen this and maybe my tastes may have evolved but I recall liking it a lot and watching it a second time at one point. I was pleasantly surprised by James Gandolfini’s brave choice of his small role, after the tough gangster roles. I would watch it again just for that. I would recommend this move to anyone looking for a nice early 2000’s romantic comedy.