I like it, yet it's very overrated
Added 7/21/2002
Well let me start by saying that I liked El Mariachi, It had a good likeable cast (Carlos Gallardo was good as El Mariachi), good script, and it knows how to keep the viewer interested. Like Roger Ebert once said, "A good movie doesn't rely on how much money is spent on it" and I totally agree with that. So many would say that El Mariachi is the total package right? Wrong! As a John Woo and Quentin Tarantino lover I expected this to be somewhat more action packed and was left somewhat empty handed. It suprised me how so many people said the action was beautifully done, and I thought I was going to agree with them since I saw Desperado before this. Yet the action is a let down, heck the budget was so low in this movie we don't even see any type of bullets flying or even explosives going off in the actors chests. For the man who has been called the Hispanic John Woo I would think that his action sequences would be more stylized (I have seen really cheesy Mexican shoot-out movies that had an even lower budget yet managed to show better action sequences than this.) But I guess I realize that Robert Rodriguez intention wasn't to make a great action film rather to make a good movie. And a good movie it's. If you are an action fan that can accept this drawback, then go for it.
2 out of 11 people found this helpful.
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Great Action Movie!
Added 6/26/2001
Even though this movie was made on 7,000 it is just as entertaining as these million dollar movies out there! This movie to me was more entertaining than Titanic ever could be! And the action sequences a great! Anyway if you are looking for a good action movie this is your movie!!
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Crazy Action
Added 6/24/2001
The first film by Robert Rodríguez, who went on to do Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn, among other, if you can get past de spanish languaje it is still a great low budget action film, even comparable with some big time movies, the action scenes are some of the best, specialy because of budget contraints. A very original and funny movie.
1 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Fantastic
Added 6/17/2001
If it weren't for the Spanish language and subtitles in this movie, it could have easily been mistaken for a John Woo movie, the Hong Kong director who was one of Rodriguez's inspirations to create El Mariachi. Make no mistake. Only one other director in the entire world makes such use of incredibly slick, stylish, unique camerawork in an action movie and that man is John Woo, who practically invented the style. Unmistakeably John Woo-ish camera technigue.But if you love good action movies and especially if you love high-octane John Woo movies then you will not be disappointed in the least bit!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Never before have i seen a movie that grabbed me the way this one did. Shot on 16mm film and $7,000 he made by selling his body to science, Robert Rodriguez was a one man crew in his cinematic debut. The actions scenes are so intense, so fast, and so well thought out. If you haven't read "Rebel Without A Crew" you should, for Rodriguez explains the entire process of making "El Mariachi."
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Fun, brisk action film
Added 10/11/2009
The Bottom Line:
A scrappy little action film made for 250,000 that completely works and rarely betrays its low-budget origins, El Mariachi is not only loads better than the far more expensive Desperado but is a legitimately enjoyable film which could scarcely be much better.
3/4
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Review: El Mariachi (1992)
Added 10/4/2009
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Writer: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Carlos Gallardo, Consuelo Gomez, Jamie de Hoyos, Peter Marquardt, Reinol Martinez
This was Robert Rodriguez's first major film, and it is full of actors who never did anything else besides this movie (though a few appeared in Rodriguez's Desperado). It cost next to nothing to make, and for that it should be remembered as a very good low budget foreign film by a promising young director.
El Mariachi follows a young man (known only as El Mariachi) as he enters the small Mexican town of Acuna looking for work as a guitar player in local bars or restaurants. Unfortunately for him, he happens to be dressed in the same manner and with the same guitar case as a man name Azul, who is in a bloody war against local crime lord Moco. El Mariachi is then mistaken for Azul on several occasions and forced to fight for his life and his girl.
You can definitely tell that Rodriguez used many first time actors in this film. Most of the dialogue feels forced and unconvincingly delivered, but it doesn't detract from the film too much. The story itself is very intriguing, and it had me guessing until the end. Action sequences are cleverly shot, and the visual style and special effects are very gritty and believable. This is a decent Western movie in my opinion. It feels a lot like the classic Sergio Leone Westerns, but with a very definitive Mexican flavor (an not just because it is in Spanish).
Final Score: 6/10
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"All I Wanted Was to Be a Mariachi..."
Added 8/27/2008
The Good Things
*Lots of exciting action scenes.
*Some bloody violence for those who enjoy it.
*Some funny parts too.
*Excellent filming style. Lots of unique camera angles. Camera shakes around a little, but not irritatingly so. It's a rough style reminiscent of older 70s films.
*Storyline is simple but engaging.
*Characters are excellent. Good acting and writing.
*Good music.
The Bad Things
*Maybe a little too grainy and gritty. It could use some restoration (on the other hand, the grittiness accentuates the rough style).
For such a low-budget movie, this is quite an excellent and exciting (and sometimes humorous) piece of work. It could have been total garbage, but the film's style, characters, action, and writing makes it great. Highly reccomended to anybody who likes action or crime films.
As noted above, the DVD has very rough grainy video quality, which can be considered good or bad. At the very least, it is anamorphic widescreen. The sound is okay. It is in Spanish with English subtitles (and probably some other languages, but is not English dubbed). It includes a some good features; a commentary and some making-of footage.
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