Well-known as the film that put director Robert Rodriguez "on the map" – he was able to remake it as an English-language film three years later, as DESPERADO with Antonio Banderas – EL MARIACHI is an entertaining little film that once again shows that it's possible to shoot decent action on a very low budget. In tone it reminds me a lot of the gritty crime thrillers that came out of Turkey in the 1970s, except with more comedy and romance. The story, one of mistaken identity, is kept simple but there are quite a few decent twists as things play out. Rodriguez really gave a tour-de-force effort behind the scenes; not only did he act as director and editor, he also performed most of the other duties behind the camera. His swooping, frenetic, perfectly-edited style brought him to Hollywood's attention and the rest is, as they say, history.
Back to EL MARIACHI, and it's a film with some decent performances – first-timer Carlos Gallardo essays the reluctant hero role with some skill, while Reinol Martinez's thug-turned-assassin packs some real presence, and Peter Marquardt's villain is supremely slimy. I could have done without the wooden Consuelo Gomez in the romance scenes; thankfully she was replaced by Salma Hayek in DESPERADO. Said romance scenes drag the pacing of the film down in the middle and leave a hole of about twenty minutes where not a lot happens.
Thankfully, things pick up for an engaging final shoot-out, and there's always an action scene never too far away. The shoot-outs are a lot of fun, as are the stunts – I especially liked the "bus swing" which shows you need practically no money or CGI effects to create an exciting shot. While the fact that it's a low-budget, Mexican, Spanish-language film – one that Rodriguez regarded as "practice" for his later Hollywood career – work against it and mean that most people will never have seen or heard of it – EL MARIACHI is a fun B-movie that fans of the director will enjoy.
Back to EL MARIACHI, and it's a film with some decent performances – first-timer Carlos Gallardo essays the reluctant hero role with some skill, while Reinol Martinez's thug-turned-assassin packs some real presence, and Peter Marquardt's villain is supremely slimy. I could have done without the wooden Consuelo Gomez in the romance scenes; thankfully she was replaced by Salma Hayek in DESPERADO. Said romance scenes drag the pacing of the film down in the middle and leave a hole of about twenty minutes where not a lot happens.
Thankfully, things pick up for an engaging final shoot-out, and there's always an action scene never too far away. The shoot-outs are a lot of fun, as are the stunts – I especially liked the "bus swing" which shows you need practically no money or CGI effects to create an exciting shot. While the fact that it's a low-budget, Mexican, Spanish-language film – one that Rodriguez regarded as "practice" for his later Hollywood career – work against it and mean that most people will never have seen or heard of it – EL MARIACHI is a fun B-movie that fans of the director will enjoy.