The Mexican (2001)

Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts have star power to burn in Gore Verbinski's offbeat THE MEXICAN, about the search for a cursed legendary gun. Pitt stars as Jerry Welbach, a small-time loser who is given no choice but to run an errand for a powerful boss (Bob Balaban) who will have him killed if he fails. But if he accepts the job to go to San Miguel to pick up the beautiful handcrafted gun known as the Mexican, his loud, demanding girlfriend, Samantha (Roberts), will leave him and move to Vegas. But through a course of bizarre events, his contact is shot in the top of his head, the gun is stolen, and Sam is kidnapped...
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and held hostage by a hired killer (James Gandolfini) who is not all that he seems.

Verbinski tells this humorous tale of love, trust, double crosses, and murder as part road-trip comedy, part wacky film noir. The supporting cast, including terrific turns by J.K. Simmons, Bob Balaban, and Michael Cerveris, makes for the requisite bunch of second-rate hoods and other lowlifes. Pitt and Roberts are excellent as the always-battling couple, but Gandolfini steals the show as a sensitive hit man with a dangerous secret. The excellent soundtrack includes such classic songs as "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" and "Safety Dance."
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A clumsy criminal is put in a position where he not only has to save his own skin, but that of his girlfriend in this comedy with strong undercurrents of romance. Jerry Welbach (Brad Pitt) is a low-level Mafia "mechanic" whose ineptitude is countered by frequent (but unpredictable) bursts of dumb luck. Jerry's girlfriend Samantha (Julia Roberts) wants him to get out of the business, and after his latest blunder lands capo Arnold Margolese (Gene Hackman) in jail, so does mid-level crime kingpin Bernie Nayman (Bob Balaban). But Bernie insists that Jerry do one last errand for the mob before they let him find emplo...
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yment elsewhere -- he has to go to Mexico and recover a rare and very valuable pistol, which is said to be cursed. While Samantha objects to Jerry taking the assignment, he isn't in much of a position to argue; Jerry heads south of the border, while Samantha, in a huff, sets out for Las Vegas. Once in Mexico, Jerry finds the pistol easily enough, but making his way back to the States proves to be an unexpected challenge. Meanwhile, Jerry's superiors want insurance that he'll return with the goods, so they hire Leroy (James Gandolfini), a hitman, to kidnap Samantha and hold her hostage until Jerry comes back. However, Samantha and Leroy quickly strike up a friendship, and she soon learns the gunman has a sensitive side he doesn't show to the world -- along with a few other secrets. The Mexican marked the first screen pairing for mega-stars Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt -- though, given the film's narrative arc, they play only a handful of scenes together. The film was directed by Gore Verbinski, who won awards for his work in commercials before breaking through with the quirky family comedy Mouse Hunt.
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Jerry Walbach is boodschapper voor een maffiabaas. Zijn vriendin Samantha heeft een hekel aan zijn job en vraagt hem ermee te kappen. Ze dreigt hem zelfs te verlaten indien hij nog een opdracht aanvaardt. Toch gaat Jerry weer op pad: hij moet in Mexico een antiek pistool - The Mexican - gaan ophalen. Indien hij zijn taak niet volbrengt, wacht Jerry de kogel. Wanneer de opdrachtgevers vinden dat de 'job' niet snel genoeg vordert, wordt Samantha ontvoerd om Jerry onder druk te zetten...

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