Touches You

Such a frustrating disappointment

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Loved it. He started well. What happened? Does anyone have a hunch about why evertyhing went "down hill" after El Mariachi? The more money he got later on, the less edge his films had.

What more can be said of "El Mariachi"? Truly? It's gone down into the history books of pop-culture for its ferocious ingenuity and rampant creativity, and has for the past twenty-five years become a beacon of inspiration for virtually all low-budget and wannabe filmmakers. A simple story told through creative visuals despite a non-existent budget, the film is an absolute revelation. It rocketed director Robert Rodriguez to stardom and proved to the world the power of indie cinema... showing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you don't need a big-budget and big-names to sell a film... just talent, dedication and a passion to tell a story.In an unnamed small Mexican town, the titular nameless Mariachi (Carlos Gallardo) arrives, seeking out a job to prove himself and earn some much-needed money to get by. But little does he know that a peculiar twist in fate will soon emerge, as at the same time, a career- criminal called "Azul" (Reinol Martínez) also arrives in town... and in his possession is a guitar-case full of weapons. Due to a classic case of mistaken identities, the mariachi soon finds himself in the cross- hairs of Azul's enemies, included the dreadful crime-boss "Moco" (Peter Marquardt), and must struggle to survive... all the while, the mariachi also attempts to romance a beautiful young woman (Consuelo Gómez) who takes pity on him.The film's production has become the stuff of legend, and for good reason. Rodriguez and his small, dedicated team managed to put the film together using barely-functional equipment, favors from friends and neighbors, and a budget of only about $7,000. And yet, the result is a solid and satisfying action-thriller that still holds up for the most part thanks to the manic and infectious energy of all involved and some clever twists and turns. Without the money to afford spectacle set- pieces or even convincing props, the film instead uses creative means and sharp writing to accomplish its goals, leading to many a genuinely thrilling and exciting moment. It's a real-life fairy-tale of success if ever I've seen one, and still manages to inspire even as it feels a bit more antiquated and dated over time.The cast is a lot of fun, despite mainly being made up of friends and volunteers, and everyone plays their roles very well. Gallardo in particular being quite good as a sort-of average "everyman" whom is thrown into a hellish fight to stay alive. Even though the role would eventually be recast with the excellent Antonio Bandares in the sequels, Gallardo knocks it out of the park, and you can't help but root for the mariachi in every single scene. I also really enjoyed Consuelo Gómez in her role of Domino, the woman whom the mariachi falls for. She's perhaps not the most developed character, but she and Gallardo share a great on-screen chemistry, and she does very well with the material. And of course, Marquardt and Martínez are both quite good as our slimy villains, and you'll just love hating both of their guts.But we all know the real star here is writer/director Rodriguez, and you definitely see his genius on display throughout the entire film. While his more recent works have earned a very mixed reception, the fact remains that the man is a great director and knows how to entertain an audience with some flair and gusto. He's got a great eye for composition and uses this well in the film's many action sequences. A chase that includes a zip-line and a ride on top of a bus in particular being absolutely jaw-dropping in its execution. And he constantly and cleverly finds ways around his limitations and make the lack of budget work for the film creatively. For a director who was in his early-20's at the time of production, this is really surprising stuff to behold.There's a reason why "El Mariachi" took the world by storm back in the 90's. And there's a reason why it's still talked about and studied to this very day. While not a particularly complex tale, it's very well-structured and well-executed, and it shows how raw talent and passion can overcome even the greatest of odds. There's no other way around it- the film's awesome and inspiring and well- worth checking out. And so, I give it a very good 8 out of 10. A must-watch thriller for all fans of film and entertainment!

Usually a movie is considered to be low-budget if it costs less than $1 million. El mariachi was a micro-budget that costed only $7,000. Robert Rodriguez was in charge of almost everything behind the scenes with some stars in the movie helping out. The low-budget is apparent, but you turn your attention away from the cost almost right away.El mariachi spawned two international blockbusters--Desperado (the best known) and Once Upon A Time In Mexico. Desperado is part sequel and part remake, but both sequel have poor connections with one another. Since El mariachi does not spawn from anything else, it has the most forgivable flaws.In all three movies, the tragic hero (played here by Carlos Gallardo and in the sequels by Antonio Banderas) is an unnamed guitar player (known as El Mariachi) who just wants to get a chance to play and make some money. He wanders from town to town with only his guitar in search of his destiny. So far he sounds pretty generic, but he has a tender heart and very nice appeal. He stumbles into a Mexican town where he meets a bar owner named Domino. The love story between these two is fantastic. We hope that she helps him rise and become a successful musician. This love story may not be the main premise, but it is defiantly something lyrical.The main story is a case of mistaken identity involving a drug lord, his nemesis, and El. Azul is a mean, rough-and-tough Spanish criminal who breaks out of jail and is after the drug lord known as "Moco."Azul loves to wear black and always carries a guitar case that's full of guns. Moco orders his men to kill anyone that fits that description. El also loves to wear black and always carries a guitar case. We all know where this is going. Action scenes and chases occur that are more exciting than stylistic. Style is what Rodriguez was really concerned with in the sequels. With such a low budget, there wasn't very many second takes, just other camera positions. That is what makes it such a great flair. El and Azul accidentally switch cases which makes matters worse. We have grown to love El and Domino, but Azul and Moco still have unfinished business. Sadly, tragedy ensues. Desperado features a recreation of the scene, so the viewer knows what will happen. But Rodriguez did in his first shot what very few directors can ever do: make the viewer wonder what will happen next and root for the best...even after you've seen the movie! This isn't very violent as the others are, but its character and plot developments are strong, and it has a higher emotional factor than any other Robert Rodriguez movie.

El Mariachi plays his guitar but is mistaken for a hit men. Lot of thugs with guns keep trying to kill him. The story isn't the big draw of this movie. It's really just an excuse to shot a lot of guns and make an action movie. Robert Rodriguez signals his arrival with this well shot indie. Sure the big draw when it came out was the low low cost of production. That didn't matter when it comes to the value of the camera work. Even the most benign scenes are shot in an exciting compelling way. It's a great sample of what Rodriguez would do in Hollywood later on.I recently watched it again after almost 20 years. I have to admit that I don't remember the narration or the dubbing. They sounded odd to me. It's very distracting.