dodgee_69

Personally speaking, I am a big fan of Robert Rodriguez, especially the El Mariachi films, however i was hugely disappointed by this effort. The huge success and critical acclaim that he received on the first two and other films such as From Dusk til Dawn, has obviously drawn in some bigger stars, Depp, Rourke, Mendes and Defoe to name a few and of course the usual names are all involved - Banderas, Hayek, Trejo and Tito Larriva all make standard return appearances. Don't get me started on the absurd inclusion of Enrique "hows my face lookin?" Iglesias...

Rodriguez does put the film together well though, and despite the slightly loose plot, it is visually entertaining to a degree, but realistically its nothing we haven't seen before. Not really worth seeing unless you are a die hard Rodriguez/El Mariachi fan and need some closure on the story - but if you are, like me, then you've probably already seen it and came to roundabout the same conclusion - its a nice film, but has none of the kick-up-the-arse attitude that the first two have.

El Mariachi tells the story of the ultimate case of mistaken identity, as a Mexican gang look for an enemy with a guitar case full of guns, but lock their targets on an honest guitar player who is simply looking for work.

Never really knowing whats happening to him, the Mariachi, is forced to put down his guitar and pick up an uzi in order to protect himself from a ruthless gang boss who fears the other guitar-case carrying Mexican is coming to seek revenge on him.

Despite is incredibly low budget, Rodriguez turns this film into an awesome watch, which absolutely deserved a financially boosted sequel - although the third should probably be left unseen. Again Rodriguez' skill of framing each shot is superb, utilising a vast array of different camera angles, perspectives and methods. He was without a doubt one of the most important new directors of the nineties, doing just as much for extreme violent cinema as Tarantino did.

This is without a doubt one of the best action films to of graced the big screen. Antonio Banderas puts in a convincing performance as the wronged mariachi seeking revenge on the mob boss who ordered the killing of his lover. Blood bath follows blood bath as he shoots and destroys his way through a small, lawless Mexican town.

Salma Hayek, who is an awesome sight for sore eyes throughout, made her real breakthrough with this film. Robert Rodriguez script is snappy, funny and dark which some brilliant one liner's and a well structured narrative. But the multi-talented Rodriguez (who directed, wrote, edited and composed the music to name but a few things) shines especially in his framing of each shot, drawing the audience in and delivering exactly what they want to see.

This is a stylishly executed, comic tale that everyone can enjoy whether you're a fan of action or not. Banderas must kill around 50 people in this film, and yet the violence never sees too gratuitous. This film is an eye pleasing thrill ride that never slows down or disappoints. Highly recommended to all.