Sorrow on the border

Humiliation doesn't seem like it would be a good theme for a film. "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada," supports this theory.

Tommy Lee Jones ("Men in Black") directs and stars as Pete Perkins, a rancher in Texas trying to fulfill his friend's wish of being buried in Mexico. The film is split between the preparation of journeying to Mexico, and the journey itself.

The film comes off as a dark comedy at times, but after many humiliating sex scenes, the awkward humor becomes discomforting. One full-length sex scene lasted 10 seconds between border patrolman Mike Norton (Barry Pepper of "61*") and his wife as she casually watches television.

This film is clearly different and its failed attempts at originality are at least attempts. This is Jones' second stab at directing, the first being the western "The Good Old Boys."

Melquiades Estrada (Julio Cesar Cedillo of "The Alamo") is an illegal immigrant, who works for Perkins until Norton shoots him in confusion. In response, Perkins finds Norton and takes him in handcuffs to Mexico with the body of Melquiades.

Characters are developed in a mix of present shots and unannounced flashbacks. The only indication of time is whether or not Melquiades is dead. When a flashback does not include him it's almost impossible to decipher when this scene is happening.

When there isn't a scene in which someone is being disgraced, the movie carries a mood similar to other recent cowboy films, such as "All the Pretty Horses," or any Cormac McCarthy book.

There's no John Wayne in this film. Perkins is made out to be the protagonist honoring his friend but his "good guy" image is wrecked when he relentlessly performs acts of near torture on Norton throughout their journey.

Norton suffers because it was he who accidentally killed Estrada.

The other characters include Norton's wife, Lou Ann, who is unfulfilled and hateful of her surroundings. She meets an equally unhappy waitress, who introduces her to prostitution.

It's not necessary to have a happy ending. Nor is it necessary for any of the characters to be happy. Jones notes on the "Three Burials" Web site that the film is "a study of the emotional, psychological, spiritual, and social implications of having an international border running through the middle of a culture."

This point is not clear at all in the film. Coahuila, Mexico and southern Texas are depicted so differently, that no cultural link is apparent. The only thing this movie conveyed was that life is full of unneeded sorrow.

Overall, "The Three Burials" turns out to be a failed imitation of the blood-and-earth style of Cormac McCarthy. In the shadow of McCarthy's excellence, watching this movie creates sympathy for the voyaging characters. Both the journey and the film are arduous and unnecessary.