The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

"Nobody is beyond redemption."

2005 2h 1m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🍅

84%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 679🍅84%Rotten Tomatoes●77Metacritic★7.3IMDB · 42,370

AdventureCrimeDramaMysteryWestern

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When brash Texas border officer Mike Norton wrongfully kills and buries the friend and ranch hand of Pete Perkins, the latter is reminded of a promise he made to bury his friend, Melquiades Estrada, in his Mexican home town. He kidnaps Norton and exhumes Estrada's corpse, and the odd caravan sets out on horseback for Mexico.

“Nobody is beyond redemption.”

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Cast

Tommy Lee Jones
Pete Perkins
Barry Pepper
Mike Norton
Dwight Yoakam
Sheriff Frank Belmont
January Jones
Lou Ann Norton
Melissa Leo
Rachel
Julio Cesar Cedillo
Melquiades Estrada
Levon Helm
Old Man with Radio
Mel Rodriguez
Captain Gomez

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tommy Lee Jones
Writers: Mark Lambert Bristol, Guillermo Arriaga
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America, France, Mexico

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

Earned back only 80% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United States of America, France, Mexico.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tommy Lee Jones, shot by Chris Menges. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tommy Lee Jones and Barry Pepper and Dwight Yoakam carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tommy Lee Jones directs. Chris Menges behind the camera. Marco Beltrami scores. Roberto Silvi cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, France, Mexico. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 80% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 21 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4International production across 3 countries: United States of America, France, Mexico.
5Directed by Tommy Lee Jones, shot by Chris Menges. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Marco Beltrami. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Roberto Silvi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Tommy Lee Jones and Barry Pepper and Dwight Yoakam carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Nobody is beyond redemption.".
10IMDB entry: tt0419294 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 10 themes, including "mexico", "texas", "illegal immigration", "border patrol".