An illegal immigrant (Julio Cedilio) is killed without cause by a border patrolman (Barry Pepper), who covers up his crime. The victim's employer and close friend (Tommy Lee Jones) quickly gets to the bottom of the matter and, when law enforcement fails to intervene, exhumes the body of his pal from a county grave, kidnaps the patrolman, and forces him at gunpoint to transport the corpse home south of the border for burial in his hometown. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is a poignant, meditative modern Western boasting excellent performances from Jones (making his directing debut) and Pepper.
*** 1/2 out of ****
