El Mariachi

I don't see the huge buzz that this film made. The shots are amateurish, the acting looks weak, and the story seems stupid. Films like this deserve to stay on the foreign market and away from America's eyes. Shame to Sundance, shame. Again, I don't see the huge buzz that this film made. The shots are amateurish, the acting looks weak, and the story seems stupid. Films like this deserve to stay on the foreign market and away from America's eyes. Shame to Sundance, shame. Once more, I don't see the huge buzz that this film made. The shots are amateurish, the acting looks weak, and the story seems stupid. Films like this deserve to stay on the foreign market and away from America's eyes. Shame to Sundance, shame.

Once again, I say I'm not going to excuse trashiness on account of a low budget. There was nothing interesting about this storyline, with paper-thin characters. But oh wait...is a film like this supposed to run on storyline? Of course not. It's supposed to run on its *wink wink* dazzling special f/x. Yes, I'm upping the sarcasm to the max. When villains get shot in this movie, they appear as if tomatoes are exploding on their chests. I think I had better f/x in those corny little home videos/action films I made with my friends back in early high school. Maybe Mr. Rodriguez should've considered not having blood at all in the shooting scenes. If you watch old movies, when people got shot they didn't show the blood. Yet it didn't in any way decrease the film's realism. Then again, filmmakers weren't all show-offs back in the day. Please don't think I'm against all low-budget and indie flicks. You want me to name all the films I enjoyed that were produced on a micro-budget? You've got two hours? Like I say about other experimental films of this sort, I would've been impressed if this were a student film. I'm sure it would get top honors, and rightfully so. But as a regular feature film...I can't help but view it as a pure trashfest. There are some moments of humor--like the villain returning into the bar to pay for his drink--that are redeeming factors. No, Rodriguez didn't take this movie too seriously, which is one step in making a trashy action flick. But Rodriguez definitely has talent, and he proved that in his upcoming films like the sequel "Desperado"--with much more impressive special f/x--and "From Dusk Till Dawn"--one of my all-time favorites. He's destined for success. This just isn't one of his best efforts. If this type of campy action flick appeals to you--fine. I can't dispute. But this was too much trash for me. My score: 5 (out of 10)

This movie and its sequels (either of which I admit I have not seen) cannot be taken seriously unless you're an action-flick buff, an insider in the game of experimental or just-for-fun cinema, or someone like me who has spent his life on the Mexican border and likes the characters and the scenery. I do not pretend to know anything about Rodriguez or Gallardo, but I must say I rather enjoyed their little game of making a reasonably presentable film on a budget that would just about equal the value of the motorcycle used in the last scene. And there is an engaging quality in the interplay between the characters played by Gallardo and Consuelo Gomez. Especially the bathtub scene. Lest anyone think Mexico is rife with gratuitous gunplay in the streets and lawless corruption on a grand scale, however, I suggest they visit the place and see for themselves how ordinary life can be in that vast country. The worst I have ever experienced is having to gauge just how much and under what circumstances the ubiquitous mordida ought to be. Like a cold glass -- er, make that a bottle -- of cerveza, a trip to Mexico can be a real treat.

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. ***

So many of the reviewers of this listing have based their reviews on the amazing feat by Rodriguez in creating a film for $7,000. The fact of the matter is that this budget figure is little more than marketing hype, promoted by Rodriguez himself in his book "Rebel without a Crew". This book has sold significant numbers to indie film makers over the years, looking to make successful films on a shoestring and has also dramatically enhanced the reputation of Rodriguez. The truth is that Rodriguez did indeed make this film for $7,000 but the final version the public got to see, the version reviewers of this IMDb listing have seen, needed a further $300,000 spent on it to bring it up to technical and commercial standards/expectations. Even for an estimated total budget of around $325,000 this is still a decent little film, demonstrating film making talent on a limited budget and it's certainly worth a viewing but don't judge it on the basis that it cost $7,000 to make!

Let's give credit where credit is due. Although this picture had an extremely low-budget, it goes to prove that a nice film can still be produced if the director has the imagination and talent to pull it off. And let's face it, the sad fact is that there are all too many movies being made today that cost much more than this particular film ($7000) but fail to deliver the same level of satisfaction. The director (Robert Rodriguez) deserves every attribute due to him. The humor was good and there were some social commentaries that I think some people might have missed. That is not to say, however, that this film was necessarily perfect. It wasn't. The acting wasn't great by any means. Neither was the script. But then, the movie was originally produced in Spanish and the version I saw was dubbed in English, so it is possible that some of the dialogue may have been lost in translation. The ending though, was unexpected and abrupt and I didn't quite like it. As far as the characters are concerned, I thought Reinol Martinez (playing the part of the gangster "Azul") did the best. Consuelo Gomez ("Domino") was attractive and put in a fair performance as well. Carlos Gallardo ("El Mariachi") was average at best. The rest of the cast were pretty much forgettable. Having said all of this, the fact that this film was produced with a low budget doesn't mean that a person should lower his standards and give it a higher score than it deserves when it comes to evaluating it. This wasn't "Gone with the Wind" so there's no need to give it an equivalent rating. The bottom line is that it was an enjoyable low-budget film and it made a hefty profit. No need to argue with that.

I have always wanted to see this movie because I thought it would be a Spanish low-budget version of Desperado. But even though there are similarities, such as the guitar-case full of guns and the mariachi, those two movies don't have much in common. I don't care that this is Rodriguez first film and if it cost almost nothing to make. It is too cheap looking, too many weird scenes where nothing happens such as: the main-character walking into an empty room almost in slow motion looking at the furniture and figurines, the weird nightmares he has which are never explained, his love for a woman that he is never even romantically involved with and yet risks his life for. And the professional assassins that chase the mariachi are apparently no match for him as he easily kills most of them, including their leader, Moco. There is not much action and what little there is, is done really badly. The villain Moco is pathetic and so is the other villain Azul. A fat little Mexican who is as about as dangerous as a Guinea pig.