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Entertainment Media Analysis Report
A service to parents and grandparents

MAR21017
The Mexican (2001), (R)
CAP Score: 21
CAP Influence Density: 3.58


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ALERT: To fully understand this report you should first visit the topics suggested by the CAP Table of Contents.

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NOTE: If you do not want the plot, ending, or "secrets" of a movie spoiled for you, skip the Summary/Commentary. In any case, be sure to visit the Findings/Scoring section -- it is purely objective and is the heart of the CAP Entertainment Media Analysis Model applied to this movie




SUMMARY / COMMENTARY:


If Scriptural references appear, the full text appears at the end of the Summary / Commentary likely using a mix of KJV and NIV.


THE MEXICAN (R) -- the heterosexual immoralities in it are shadowed by the homosexual presences.

A rare handgun was worth lives to several bad guys. And Jerry Welbach (Brad Pitt) had to go to Mexico to fetch it. Samantha (Julia Roberts), Jerry's live-in girlfriend did not want him to go. Samantha wants to go to Las Vegas where she and Jerry had planned to go before this hopefully last errand for Jerry came up. Jerry said "No" to Las Vegas. Samantha said "Yes." Jerry goes to Mexico. Samantha goes to Las Vegas.

Bad guy Margolese (Gene Hackman) spent time in prison for something Jerry did or did not do in one of the "errands" Jerry does for the bad guys. So Jerry performs more odd errands to work off his debt. The latest errand, hopefully the last, is to go to Mexico to pick up The Mexican, an operational antique handgun of immense value to Margolese. The Mexican is so valuable to Margolese that insurance to ensure Jerry gets the job done is Jerry's life.

As further insurance that Jerry does his job, another bad guy, Leroy (James Gandolfini) kidnaps Samantha on her way to Las Vegas. Samantha fears for her life or of being violated by Leroy -- he's a big dude. After time, Samantha beings to wonder why Leroy doesn't try the expected. In a restaurant, she finds she has nothing to fear regarding being violated ... Leroy is gay. Samantha discovers this as Leroy experiences "a moment" with a dude at the counter. And sure enough, in keeping with a the evident trend of modern entertainment to promote and encourage homosexuality, Leroy and the dude end up in a motel bedroom -- together. There is much display of homosexual mannerisms, techniques and conversational topics in this flick, mom/dad. Indeed, the heterosexual immoralities in it are shadowed by the homosexual presences. Most of the reviews I have read laud this movie for the "sensitive" and "endearing" dialogues and exchanges between Roberts and Gandolfini: that the chemistry between Pitt and Roberts is, in comparison, absent.

And, of course, no legal consequences ... at all.

Sorry to make the topic of homosexuality such a long "sermon" but this is an extremely vulnerable topic in this era of post-Clintonics. The property of this film which painted a pro-homosexual "message" was the treatment and encouragement of homosexuality as normal, acceptable, and even desirable: as if homosexuality were as routine as taking your shoes off at the end of the day and as wholesome as mom's apple pie; as if broken homosexual relationships are as devastating as broken heterosexual relationships because of the homosexuality. And this was done in The Mexican using the power of the larger-than-life, in-your-face "authority" of big name "idols" on a sixty-foot screen and hundreds of watts of audio power. The love I feel for my father and my sons and their love for me is as real as the sunrise, as real as my love for my mother, my wife and my daughters and their love for me. The only love I have which is deeper and richer is my love for Jesus. And my love for all mankind, males included whether straight or gay, is real also. Why am I going here? To show you there is nothing wrong with male to male or female to female love -- as long as it is not sexual. God speaks very, very encouragingly about loving one another but very, very sternly to homosexuality: to unforgiven homosexual practices. There is no "interpretation" possible to make homosexuality acceptable to Him. God condemns homosexuality in several places of the Bible [1Cor. 6:9-10; Rom. 1:26-27 and many more]. While He condemns homosexuality He loves the practitioner, indeed all of us, enough to forgive him/her if s/he asks. The homosexual is as precious to Jesus as you and I. One of the most off-the-wall excuses I've heard is the one in which the practitioner states s/he is Christian and that Salvation forgives all sins -- past, present and future -- so the homosexual is free to practice it and still be saved. Yes, once we have received the Gift of Salvation we will never lose it -- we have His Word on it [Rev. 3:5]. But it is all too convenient that these folks seem deny the Command in 1Pet. 2:16 "Live as free men [saved, free of eternal damnation as the price of sin], but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil [NOT use freedom through Salvation as license to sin]." Once we are saved by the Preciosu Blood we are free from eternity in Hell but we are are NOT immune to consequences of sin. What Jesus did for us gave us eternal Life in Paradise but He did not e-v-e-r say we will never have to pay for our (unforgiven) sins after we have been saved. We are ALL sinners and must ask forgiveness every day. Payment for our unforgiven sins can take any form He wishes. One school of thought is suffering trials on earth or that our sins can block His Grace [undeserved gifts]. Another school of thought is loss of rewards in Heaven. The bottom line: we are NOT free to sin after being saved. And homosexuality is a sin no matter what the contemporary culture says. We have His Word on that, too. Whether we believe it or not.

Many escapades erupt as Jerry proceeds into Mexico to fetch The Mexican., but I'll not spend any more time on this and will get to additional issues that provide possible aberrant behavioral templates. Remember, while no single movie is likely to corrupt viewer coping skills and behavior choices, under conducive conditions any one movie can catalyze the multitude of influences planted by hundreds and thousands of elements of immorality in and as entertainment AND the myriad of other negative influences children must cope with day after day. The American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry AND this ministry agree that aberrant entertainment takes its toll on the decision-making skills of viewers.

Matters of violence and/or crime in The Mexican include threats to kill, gunfire deaths, murder by gunfire, attempts to kill by gunfire and suicide by gunfire [Hab. 2:12]. Foul language was off-scale. Uses of the most foul of the foul words more than doubled the number of uses of the three/four letter word vocabulary [Col. 3:8]. And there were many, many uses of God's name in vain both with and without the four letter expletive [Deut. 5:11]. Most of the points lost in Sex/Homosexuality were due to the homosexual programming. Items of heterosexual immorality included partial nudity, a man and woman in bed together, cohabitation, and adults in underwear [Col. 3:5]. Many murders of various mechanisms and the suicide of a young girl drew down the Murder/Suicide score [Deut. 5:17].

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If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ].
  • 1Cor. 6:9-10 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
  • Rom. 1:26-27 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
  • Rev. 3:5 He who overcomes [is saved] will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
  • Hab. 2:12 Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by crime! [building a "city" and establishing a "town" here could apply to a criminal empire and parts of it]
  • Col. 3:8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
  • Deut. 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
  • Col. 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
  • Deut. 5:17 You shall not murder. [suicide is murder of the self]
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    As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie.





    FINDINGS / SCORING: The Mexican (YEA2001R) CAP Thermometers

    NOTE: Multiple occurrences of each item described below may be likely, definitely when plural.

    Wanton Violence/Crime (W):
  • threats to kill
  • planning crime
  • gunfire deaths, graphic
  • car theft
  • abductions at gunpoint
  • many firearm threats
  • gunfire to kill, multiple
  • attempted theft

    Impudence/Hate (I)(1):
  • 79 uses of the most foul of the foul words
  • 37 uses of the three/four letter word vocabulary
  • vulgar gesture
  • public urination
  • reckless driving
  • urination to encourage urination
  • lust for murder

    Sex/Homosexuality (S):
  • partial nudity
  • man and woman in bed together
  • sexual comments, discussion, some homosexual
  • homosexual talk, admission, flirtation, solicitation
  • cohabitation, both hetero- and homosexual
  • adults in underwear
  • vulgar homosexual talk
  • homosexual mannerisms
  • homosexual dancing
  • encouragement of homosexual behaviors
  • implied homosexual "intercourse"
  • adult male on commode
  • vulgar male anatomical reference
  • "It's just beautiful" regarding a broken homosexual relationship

    Drugs/Alcohol (D):
  • smoking
  • drinking

    Offense to God (O)(2):
  • 4 uses of God's name in vain with the four letter expletive and 19 without

    Murder/Suicide (M)(3):
  • graphic gunfire murders
  • murder victims
  • gunfire suicide



    NOTE: The CAP Analysis Model makes no scoring allowances for trumped-up "messages" to excuse or for manufacturing of justification for aberrant behavior or imagery, or for camouflaging such ignominy with "redeeming" programming. Disguising sinful behavior in a theme plot does not excuse the sinful behavior of either the one who is drawing pleasure from the sinful display or the practitioners demonstrating the sinful behavior. This is NOT a movie review service. It is a movie analysis service to parents and grandparents to tell them the truth about movies using the Truth.


    "There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." [Emphasis is mine] And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I aplaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our five-year study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings.





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  • (1) As noted in CAP Special Report-001, "Investigation Area and Scoring Trend," of the six CAP Investigation Areas, Impudence/Hate was the strongest presence in all four movie classifications. It has a strong revelation about the entertainment media.

    (2) The use of the three/four letter word vocabulary without God's name in vain is incorporated into the Impudence/Hate Investigation Area. The use of God's name with or without the four letter expletive is incorporated into the Offense to God Investigation Area. There is no duplication.

    (3) Only portrayal of successful murder or suicide are incorporated into Murder/Suicide. Portrayal of attempts to commit murder or suicide and deaths by police action or war are incorporated into Wanton Violence/Crime.





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