Chris Zuhdi's "Mexican Moon" is an inventive, at times surreal, meditation on the cartel drug-war along the US-Mexican border, with bits of "El Mariachi" and "No Country For Old Men" running through its veins. Chock-full of terse Eastwood-esque dialogue and splatters of blood, "Moon" is an unique entry into the genre for the sheer execution of its storytelling. Zuhdi, acting as his own DP, shoots dialogue scenes in a slightly disorienting center-punch, never cutting away to a wide or two-shot, which gives the film an almost stage-like feeling. The lighting is hard, as if the omniscient God in this fictional universe was shining a spotlight down on every character in the scene. Dark blues and blood reds run throughout, but Zuhdi keeps you engaged, with the twists and turns of the hundred-thousand dollar mcguffin that constantly switches hands. Also, and I mean this sincerely, was blown away by the use of Johnny Cash's "Thanks A Lot", which I'm sure from a licensing point of view, could not have been easy to obtain! If you're tired of the ultra-slick Hollywood recreations of the old western, check out this down and dirty little gem today.

Mexican Moon is gem. It has an interesting premise and boasts beautiful location work, production design, cinematography and color grading. The musical score is awesome and drives home the Tex-Mex flavor. The shots are very artistic though at times I felt there were too many close-ups within a scene. Also, I felt the writing and acting could have used a bit of finessing but overall, as a lover of independent cinema, I rather enjoyed this movie.

I am generally not a fan of Indy films, but the premise of a returning Vietnam Vet against the Mexican Drug Cartel in a small Texas town in the 1970's sounded intriguing. I am also a fan of film Noir ( much of the movie is filmed at night) and westerns such as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly ( watch the showdown between the hero Sonny, his girl Mary and the bad guy Torres ( a former DEA Agent who went rogue and murdered 10 people including a small boy). Watch the eyes of all three characters and it will remind people of the Sergio Leone classic. Two things that pleased me. One was there was an actual conclusion with no hanging plot lines. In far too many Indy films the audience is left in doubt about what happens. That is a pet peeve of mine. Next: Spoilers ahead: Our hero has a happy ending with Mary. In my humble opinion, too many movies are ruined by downbeat endings. This movie in particular was improved by the ending. Why? The hero survived Vietnam, when too many soldiers either died, or became psychologically and ( or) chemically impaired. Here he ( along with Mary) will get a second chance in life. What is it and how do they get there? That is why you watch the movie.,The only problem I had with the film was inopportune cuts ( I will not spoil by mentioning them, but they are easy enough to spot),That is why I give it 9/10 stars instead of 10/10.stars. Again a very good Indy movie.