 El Mariachi (1992) The story follows a mariachi who shows up in a deadwood Mexican town looking for work, only to be confused with a legendary killer who carries his weapons in a guitar case. It's a classic Hitchcock plot, but Rodriguez spins it around enough to squeeze some new shit out of it, relying heavily on thrilling and frequently hilarious shootout scenes to distract you from the low budget. The acting is good, the dubbing is totally impressive, and the camerawork is super-sharp considering this was essentially just Rodriguez and a bunch of friends making a more or less backyard home movie. That it manages to outclass bigger-budget studio pictures, and hasn't dated poorly despite over-hype, is a testament to the director's vision. I've always been kind of skeptical of Rodriguez, perhaps because any DIY approach is bound to be suspect, but his movies routinely deliver the goods. The DVD tacks on a feature called "Ten Minute Film School," wherein he lifts the curtain on some of his more imaginitive tricks while filming Mariachi. This is even more revelatory than the movie itself, letting you know that the man knows exactly what he's doing. It gave me a newfound respect for the man … though his association with Tarantino still counts against him. Or maybe I should just chill out and let these guys have their fun … after all, someone needs to bring gratuitous bloodshed into the world, and as my prison counselor says, it can't be me, anymore.
Review by Dr. Baptist |