Tommy Lee Jones has been one of cinema's most well-known curmudgeons for decades, appearing to have a face that appears to be made out of granite. The greatest surprise from The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada was that he took so long to get there.
Jones' feature-length directorial debut came at no less than 35 years after he made his maiden big screen appearance. The atmospheric road trip film with a homicidal twist was released in 2005, though, something we’d like to see him do more of due to the quality of both his first and successor, The Homesman.
Three Burials finds the grizzled veteran playing a ranch owner who chooses to honor his friend's wishes when Barry Pepper's border patrol officer wrongfully kills and buried him. Jones' Pete Perkins kidnaps the law enforcement officer, digs up the dearly-departed ranch hand, and goes out on horseback to ensure he's put on Mexican soil.
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada may not be everyone's preference, but after FlixPatrol revealed it to be one of Prime Video's most-watched titles heading into the weekend, it's evident that Amazon customers are at least willing to give it a shot.