Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert Rodriguez
Written by	Robert Rodriguez
Produced by	Elizabeth Avellán Carlos Gallardo Robert Rodriguez
Starring	Antonio Banderas Salma Hayek Johnny Depp Mickey Rourke Eva Mendes Danny Trejo Enrique Iglesias Marco Leonardi Cheech Marin Rubén Blades Willem Dafoe
Cinematography	Robert Rodriguez
Edited by	Robert Rodriguez
Music by	Robert Rodriguez
Production companies	Columbia Pictures Dimension Films Troublemaker Studios
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing (United States and Japan) Miramax International[1] (International; through Buena Vista International[2])
Release date	September 12, 2003 (2003-09-12)
Running time	102 minutes[2]
Country	United States
Languages	English Spanish
Budget	$29 million[3]
Box office	$98.8 million[3]

Once Upon a Time in Mexico (also known as Desperado 2) is a 2003 American neo-Western action film written, directed, produced, photographed, scored, and edited by Robert Rodriguez. It is the sequel to Desperado (1995) and the third and final installment in the Mexico Trilogy. The film features Antonio Banderas in his second and final performance as El Mariachi. In the film, El Mariachi is recruited by CIA agent Sheldon Sands (Johnny Depp) to kill a corrupt general responsible for the death of his wife, Carolina (Salma Hayek).

Once Upon a Time in Mexico was released in the United States on September 12, 2003, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for Depp's performance, but criticism for reducing its protagonist to an almost secondary character in his own trilogy and a convoluted plot. In the special features of the film's DVD, Rodriguez explained this was intentional, as he wanted this to be his The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the trilogy. It grossed over $98 million against a $29 million production budget.