Tommy Lee Jones has been one of cinema’s premiere curmudgeons for decades, having seemingly been born with a face that looks as if it was carved out of granite. Given his status, reputation, and penchant for delivering powerful performances, the biggest surprise emanating from The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada was that it took him so long to make it.
The acclaimed neo-Western marked Jones’ feature-length directorial debut, and it came no less than 35 years after he made his maiden big screen outing. He’s only directed one more film since the atmospheric road trip movie with a homicidal twist released in 2005, though, something we’d love to see him do more of based on the quality of both his first film and successor The Homesman.
Three Burials finds the grizzled veteran playing a ranch owner who decides to honor the wishes of his friend when the title character is wrongfully killed and buried by Barry Pepper’s border patrol officer. Exhuming the body to keep the promise he’d made to Melquiades Estrada, Jones’ Pete Perkins kidnaps the law enforcement official, digs up the dearly-departed ranch hand, and then heads out on horseback to ensure he’s put in the ground on Mexican soil.
Unfortunately, the baking heat doesn’t do a decomposing corpse any favors, but that’s the least of the duo’s worries as their unexpected adventure hits several bumps in the road, to put it lightly. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada might not be to everyone’s taste, but after FlixPatrol revealed it to be one of the most-watched titles on Prime Video heading into the weekend, it’s evident that Amazon customers are at the very least willing to give it a shot.