The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada has the grandeur of a morality drama enriched with the impassioned bewilderment of true tragedy.

As an actor Tommy Lee Jones rarely makes a false move. A master of understatement, he conveys a sense of enormous power held in check. The same could be said of his first feature as a director, Three Burials.

This gripping film about real people is well-worth excavating.

A contemplation film that begs to be chewed up, spit out, processed, talked about, and felt deeply.