Desperado

Sinking us back into the gritty life of a tormented guitar player, Rodriguez sets the stage for an amazing film. This time, Antonio Banderas steps into the role of the troubled Mariachi as he continues his quest to rid Mexico of the corrupted drug lord that destroyed his life. Using friends like Steve Buscemi, he finds the town that is harboring his villain named Bucho. The Mariachi's form of questioning normally leads to several dead, a cinematic gun fight, and some classic Sergio Leone verbiage. Unfortunately, our hero does not escape unscathed and finds himself being healed by the likes of Carolina, a bookstore beauty played by Selma Hayek. Together they build a steamy relationship that will help our Mariachi reach his final destination.

As more gunfights, explosions, and blood rock this independent blockbuster, we soon discover a hidden secret about our hero, one that could change the course of his destination.

This was an impressive second outing by director Robert Rodriguez. While I was worried that Hollywood would have drained too much of his imagination, it was instead the direct opposite. Hollywood gave him the tools to build an amazing 'sequel'. While different, yet the similar to his independent feature 'El Mariachi', Rodriguez sets the stage for a roller coaster film that makes you hold your breath and pray for more. He has taken elements from his first film and expanded them to new levels. Banderas is perfect as our 'new' Mariachi and the chemistry between him and Selma Hayek cannot be contested. Banderas' ability to control this enraged man was spectacular. They worked as our two main focuses of this film. Coupled with some humorous moments with Steve Buscemi and Quentin Tarantino, this film successfully stood on its own two feet thanks not just to the action, but the actors in their respective roles.

Finally, Rodriguez is a genius behind the camera. He is able to give us exactly the right amount of action, drama, and comedy for our liking. He is the proverbial salad bar of cinema. While giving us this deeply rooted character hell-bent on destroying this drug lord, he also lets our imaginations wander with his comical and cartoonish action sequences. The scenes of men flying through the air after being shot are somewhat comical, yet completely Rodriguez. He has successfully created this world that is all uniquely his own. Rodriguez has done this by giving the world depth and outside characters. He builds suspense and also suspicion all at the same time.

Overall, an amazing film (in case you haven't noticed) that should be found in nearly everyone's film collection.

Grade: ***** out of *****

Rodriguez follows up 'El Mariachi' with 'Desperado'. Many seem to have preferred the raw look that 'El Mariachi' had and while 'Desperado' is more 'sophisticated' in the making and more polished, that doesn't prevent it from being an awesome action entertainer. For me, it was just as much fun as 'El Mariachi'. Rodriguez does what he does best. He already mentioned that his Mariachi films are a tribute to the western cinema that names like Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood defined and 'Desperado' works perfectly with its comic book story, quirky characters and over-the-top action sequences. Moving at a rapid pace, the direction and editing are top notch. The cinematography is brilliant too. Antonio Banderas does a good job taking over the role from Carlos Gallardo (who sort of plays his sidekick in this one). However, it is Salma Hayek that steals the show even though the story is dominated by El Mariachi. As Carolina, she is sensual, witty, charming and quite clever too. Hayek delivers a very natural performance and owns each and every one of her scenes. In addition, there are some wonderful cameos by Cheech Marin, Quentin Tarantino, Steve Buscemi and Danny Trejo. Overall, 'Desperado' is full throttle entertainment. This is what an action entertainer is supposed to be.

Desperado (1995) was a fun and big budgeted version of Desperado. Robert Rodriguez has fun with the film and the characters from El MARIACHI. Antonio Banderas stars as the mythical El Mariachi whilst Salma Hayyek co-stars as his love interest. Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, Steve Buscemi and Quentin Tarantino are among the other stars who make guest star appearances.

El Mariachi is hiding out in another small desert town. He's become a legendary vigilante who's still seeking out justice for his dead girlfriend. He has a companion (Steve Buscemi) who helps him out find those who were connected to the boss from the first film. During one of his hits, a hired gun from another crime family comes into town (Danny Trejo). He also fits the description of El Mariachi (somewhat). A local book dealer (Salma Hayek) crosses paths with the legendary crime fighter. Who is the man behind all of El Mariachi's sorrow? Why is he so desperate to single handedly trying to crush the crime in the area? How does he do it by himself? Is he that good? To find out the answers for all of these questions you'll just have to watch DESPERADO.

A fun second parter to EL MARIACHI. Unlike most sequels, you don't need to watch the first film to enjoy this one. It's just another entertaining film that'll burn some time. Enjoy!

Highly recommended.

This is allegedly the sequel to "El Mariachi", but let's be honest, this is actually the same film made with more experience, a higher budget, better actors and better technology... and phenomenal music.

7/10

There are so many adjectives one could use describing this film, I wouldn't know where to begin to start. I'll just try to limit them to a few. The headline here states one of them. Others could be "ludicrous," "fun," "amusing," "stupid," etc. You get the idea.

Robert Rodriguez took the profits from his first film, "El Mariachi," and continued on with the story now with more funds, so he made it glossier, more explosive, added some name actors and, of course, way overdid it, making it almost a cartoon it is so outrageous. He continued this with the third film, "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" which is even more of the same.

If something worked subtly the first time, filmmakers think that to improve on it is by bombarding the audience with it the next time. They don't know when enough is enough and, boy, does that apply to Rodriguez. He does keep you entertained, though, once you check your brains at the door and begin watching the show. However, all this excess makes it lose any credibility "El Mariachi" might have built up with the first show in this trilogy.

Whether the movie is really dumb or its just tongue-in-cheek humor by Rodriguez, it has super-style and fun to watch. Talk about stylish! No wonder Quentin Tarantino and he are good friends and the latter has a guest appearance in the film. They both love having fun with the cameras.

The first eight minutes let you know what you are in for: outrageousness. It's an 8-minute scene at a bar involving a story told by Steve Buscemi. It's one of the highlights of the movie.

Antonio Bandaras and Selyma Hayek are the "good guys" but they aren't exactly Billy Graham and Mother Teresa. If they are the good guys, you can imagine how evil the "bad guys" are? Speaking of them, two of the toughest- looking hombres in the business are chief among the villains: Joaquim de Almeida and Danny Trejo.

Some of the action scenes are so outrageous you laugh out loud. My favorite was a guy shooting rockets out of his guitar case! As that tells you, it's just a wild ride: 103 minutes of south-of-the-border Rodriguez-Tarantino lunacy and despite what may sound like a bunch of insults, I always have fun watching this movie.