El mariachi

Having experienced director Robert Rodriguez's most recent film, the zombie horror pastiche Planet Terror (2007) - which was sold as a double bill with Quentin Tarantino's femme-exploitation revisionist film Death Proof (2007) as a modern-day homage to low-budget 70's drive-in cinema - I couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed by its obvious disregard of the low-budget format in favour of CGI, explosions and A-list cameos. Now, although Planet Terror was hardly a big budget affair, it was clearly the work of an experienced filmmaker with his own studio and facilities and a collection of superstar friends willing to turn up and do a couple of days work at a reduced fee. However, with this, his first film, Rodriguez creates a perfect example of the grindhouse ethos in a more contemporary sense; i.e. a violent, low-budget exploitation picture with a minuscule cast of mostly no professional actors and with almost every single technical role carried out by the director himself.

Unlike Planet Terror - which is a good film and one that I did enjoy - the final result here is lively and inventive, with none of the generic clichés and nodding irony of that more recent project. It not only shows the efforts of low-budget film-making at its best, but uses the same shortcomings of low-budget film-making to its advantage. In this respect, it reminds me of something that Roger Corman might have produced in the 1970's, with the exploitative reliance on violence and the corruption of innocence as its central theme, and the excitement and imagination that permeates the direction of Rodriguez from the first frame to the last. The film can obviously be approached as a minor-key riff on the very noir-like notions of mistaken identity, small-town corruption and the vision of the mysterious gunslinger, with Rodriguez creating his own blend of "Mexploitation" cinema that would continue with the bigger-budgeted sequel/re-make Desperado (1995) and the third instalment, Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), which just might be the director's best film (or at least, the most entertaining). You can also see certain parallels with a film like From Dusk till Dawn (1996) and the proposed Machete (2008), though really; these films come nowhere near the verve, grit and vitality of the film in question.

If you can get past the technical limitations, the use of the Spanish language and the reliance on non-professional actors, then El Mariachi (1992) is a great film. Not a masterpiece, but simply a great film; one that offers entertainment value and some genuine no-budget ingenuity and - if watched with the added bonus of the director's commentary function - an effective, makeshift film school. I suppose you could always disagree that the film is more successful as a result of the low-budget, as I guess there are some elements here that audiences might see as shoddy or indeed comical due to the lack of funds and experience. Nonetheless, the film really does use these limitations to further the story and the occasional moments of light comedy, not to mention the creation of those enigmatic dream-sequences, which Rodriguez claims were shot simply to use up the last few feet of film on each reel. It all works though, creating a film that is wild, violent, funny, charming and above all else, unpredictable.

This movie put director Robert Rodriguez "on the map." He followed up with two sequels: "Desperado" and "Once Upon A Time In Mexico." Not surprising, the best of the three was this low-budget opening film. As Rodriquez had more and more money to spend on the sequels, the stories got more and more carried away with too many explosions and special-effects, losing the charm of this first effort.

Unlike the sequels, this Mexican-made, so it is in Spanish with English subtitles. Don't let that scare you away. There isn't a great deal of dialog so keeping up with the subtitles is very easy.

The movie has very interesting camera closeups and angles as Rodriquez showed he was going to be a stylish director. The story is simple but effective, suspenseful and even with some humor. Unnlike his subsequent films in this trilogy, the action is not overdone here.

The length is also is a plus. At 80 minutes you can be thoroughly entertained in less than an hour-and-a half. The only disappointment to me was the print quality on th DVD, but I got an early edition. There might be better editions out since. It's not fuzzy but it's not sharp, either.

Anyway: highly recommend for actions/crime buffs who like style in their photography, or saw the sequels and would like to know the history of this particular "Mariachi."

I really appreciate this work from Robert Rodriguez. The so-called low-budget film, shot for just $ 7,000, and Rodriguez put his heart and soul into this film. He was a director, a screenwriter, a producer, he did effects, he did absolutely everything except acting. He was even tested for some drugs because they paid him for it, all to raise money and make a movie. From that aspect, the film looks extremely good. However, some flaws are visible, such as the camera or wooden acting, at times the film is too raw, but all this is understandable.

What could easily be viewed as just a simple B-movie turns into an impressive, gritty and action-packed independent feature from director Robert Rodriguez. It's the volatile, gripping story of a wandering guitarist who arrives in a small Mexican town looking for a big break, but unfortunately a case of mistaken identity makes him the target of the town's cold-blooded boss and his vile henchmen who are bent on killing him. Shot for a remarkable $7,000, and featuring a cast of newcomers and generally unknowns, this formidable little feature still packs a punch with violent, pumped-up action scenes and credible performances. Nothing ever truly breathtaking, but a respectable showing nonetheless. ***

El Mariachi (1992) was a fine debut for film maker Robert Rodriguez. He makes the most of his minuscule budget and makes a very entertaining action film. The story behind the making of the film is even more interesting than the movie itself. You can tell from this movie that Robert Rodriguez had a bright future in the movie business.

The story is about a musician who's trying to find work in a Mexican border town. None of the places he visits wants to hire a guitar player for their business. Meanwhile another man comes to town carrying a guitar case, he's no musician. He's a notorious hit man for a local gangster. When their paths cross, nothing but trouble lies ahead for the El Mariachi. Can the poor dude survive the week without being killed? Who is this guitar carrying killer? Why is he in town? What are the local crime boss' motives? To find out you'll have to watch EL MARIACHI!!!

An interesting debut that showed lots of promise. The movie was followed by a pseudo-sequel/remake a few years later with a bigger budget and a cast filled with a lot of named actors.

Highly recommended.