El Mariachi Review by Mitch (3.5 Stars)

El Mariachi Review by Mitch (3.5 Stars) | MatchFlick

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Movie Details

All Movie Info

Starring:
Carlos Gallardo

Directed By:
Robert Rodriguez

Written By:
Robert Rodriguez, Carlos Gallardo

El Mariachi (1993)

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Movie Review by Mitch
August 25th, 2006

Story: El Mariachi (Carlos Gallardo) just wants to play his guitar and carry on the family tradition. Unfortunately, the town he tries to find work in has another visitor...a killer who carries his guns in a guitar case. The drug lord Moco ( Peter Marquardt) and his henchmen mistake El Mariachi for the killer, Azul (Reinol Martinez), and chase him around town trying to kill him and get his guitar case. The local bar owner Domino (Consuelo Gomez), helps El Mariachi out of this case of mistaken identity..

Review: Not only is "El Mariachi" the starting point of the Mariachi Trilogy that consists of "El Mariachi", "Desperado" and "Once Upon A Time In Mexico". It was the movie that started the career of writer/director Robert Rodriguez. Costing only $7000 to make, who would imagine that such a low budget foreign film could spawn two sequels and become a staple in young filmmakers' "how-to" collection? Not me, I jumped on the bandwagon with "Desperado" like most everyone else. I originally bought this one to see where it all started and ended up liking it not for the movie itself, but for the commentary and other special features. The story is pretty straightforward and I can't really comment on the acting because I don't understand Spanish, but it is a truly fast paced action oriented movie with style. I find that early movies of popular directors are an interesting way to see how they grow. Go watch "Evil Dead" and then "Spider-man 2" for a good example. Note- I know they are Sam Raimi films but they just popped into my head -End Note.

Picture and Sound: Again, for the budget the movie looks great and sounds great. The only thing missing is an English audio track. At least Rodriguez's commentary is in English.

Special Features: The "10 Minute Film School" featurette documentary is priceless. Watch the movie with subtitles first, then the featurette, and then watch the movie with the commentary on. You will see this movie in a different light.

End Note- If you are a fan of the other two movies, you will probably be disappointed with El Mariachi. But, if you want to see where it all started give it a shot. If you are an amateur film maker, or just want to know how films are made, then this is a must see. That's why I enjoy it.

Until we see El Mariachi VS The Punisher,
keep reading.

Mitch Emerson

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