El mariachi (1992)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Robert Rodriguez

Writer:

Robert Rodriguez (written by)

Release Date:

26 February 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

With a guitar in his hand and a price on his head, he wasn't looking for trouble...but trouble came looking for him.

Plot:

A traveling mariachi is mistaken for a murderous criminal and must hide from a gang bent on killing him.

Plot Keywords:

Mariachi | Guitar | Guitar Case | Gun | Mexico

Awards:

4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Carlos Gallardo	...	El Mariachi
Consuelo Gómez	...	Domino
Jaime de Hoyos	...	Bigotón (as Jaime De Hoyos)
Peter Marquardt	...	Mauricio
Reinol Martinez	...	Azul
Ramiro Gómez	...	Cantinero (as Ramiro Gomez)
Jesús López	...	Viejo Clerk (as Jesus Lopez)
Luis Baró	...	Domino's Assistant (as Luis Baro)
Oscar Fabila	...	The Boy
Poncho Ramón	...	Azul's Rat (as Poncho Ramon)
Fernando Martínez	...	Azul's Rat (as Fernando Martinez)
Manuel Acosta	...	Bodyguard
Walter Vargas	...	Prisoner
Roberto Martinez	...	Prisoner
Virgen Delgado	...	Female Bodyguard

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence.

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

Mexico | USA

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) (1999) | Brazil:14 | Australia:M | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R (Approval No. 31967)

Filming Locations:

Ciudad Acuña, Coahuíla, Mexico

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Fairly early in the movie, Azul insists he only killed six of Moco's men, while Moco insists ten and the other four are credited to El Mariachi. Actually, Azul is responsible for the death seven of the men (the three hitmen in the opening, four in the bar) and Mariachi is responsible for three (two in the truck, one beside, leaving one unconscious).

Goofs:

Continuity: In the jail, the female guard's hair is up one shot and down in the next.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mauricio: Good morning, Azul. Know who this is?

Movie Connections:

Edited into Desperado (1995)

Soundtrack:

Mariachi Tecnologia

This First One Still The Best In The Trilogy

This movie put director Robert Rodriguez "on the map." He followed up with two sequels: "Desperado" and "Once Upon A Time In Mexico." Not surprising, the best of the three was this low-budget opening film. As Rodriquez had more and more money to spend on the sequels, the stories got more and more carried away with too many explosions and special-effects, losing the charm of this first effort.

Unlike the sequels, this Mexican-made, so it is in Spanish with English subtitles. Don't let that scare you away. There isn't a great deal of dialog so keeping up with the subtitles is very easy.

The movie has very interesting camera closeups and angles as Rodriquez showed he was going to be a stylish director. The story is simple but effective, suspenseful and even with some humor. Unnlike his subsequent films in this trilogy, the action is not overdone here.

The length is also is a plus. At 80 minutes you can be thoroughly entertained in less than an hour-and-a half. The only disappointment to me was the print quality on th DVD, but I got an early edition. There might be better editions out since. It's not fuzzy but it's not sharp, either.

Anyway: highly recommend for actions/crime buffs who like style in their photography, or saw the sequels and would like to know the history of this particular "Mariachi."