In Texas nearby the border of Mexico, border patrolman Mike Norton mistakenly kills the Mexican cowboy Melquiades Estrada and buries him in the desert. When Melquiades's body is found one week later, his best friend, the ranch foreman Pete Perkins, claims the body to fulfill his promise to bury Melquiades in his hometown Jimenez and presses the local sheriff Belmont to find the killer.
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Tommy Lee Jones | Pete Perkins |
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Barry Pepper | Mike Norton |
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Dwight Yoakam | Belmont |
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January Jones | Lou Ann Norton |
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Melissa Leo | Rachel |
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Julio Cedillo | Melquiades Estrada |
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Levon Helm | Old Man with Radio |
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Mel Rodriguez | Captain Gomez |
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Cecilia Suárez | Rosa |
| Ignacio Guadalupe | Lucio | |
| Vanessa Bauche | Mariana | |
| Irineo Alvarez | Manuel | |
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Guillermo Arriaga | Juan |
| Josh Berry | Border Patrolman | |
| Rodger Boyce | Salesman |
Art |
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|---|---|
| Merideth Boswell | Production Design |
Camera |
| Chris Menges | Director of Photography |
Directing |
| Tommy Lee Jones | Director |
Editing |
| Roberto Silvi | Editor |
Production |
| Michael Fitzgerald | Producer |
| Pierre-Ange Le Pogam | Producer |
| Jeanne McCarthy | Casting |
| Luc Besson | Producer |
| Eric A. Williams | Line Producer |
Sound |
| Marco Beltrami | Original Music Composer |
Writing |
| Guillermo Arriaga | Screenplay |