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El Mariachi / Desperado [1996]


RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £2.95 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Before Robert Rodriguez' El Mariachi, Mexicans in North American action films were typically maids, drug dealers or prison inmates. Even if the Cisco Kid was a friend of yours, you handled a dust cloth or a Mac-10 if you lasted in Hollywood longer than a New York minuto.

But when El Mariachi crossed the border in 1992, things changed. Granted, it still involved a drug lord in a shoot-em-up but this time the good guy was a Mexican.

Austin-based Rodriguez made El Mariachi for a fistful of pesos and a little help from his friends. He wrote, directed, coproduced, edited and operated the camera. Plus, he assembled a cast that had never acted before to work por nada.

Desperado continues the outrageous action adventure. Working with a much bigger budget, Rodriguez returns the nameless mariachi to non-stop action. Again thrust into a world he never made, the hero takes his guitar-case arsenal deep into the criminal labyrinth of Bucho (Joaquim de Almeida), el gran chingon of the Mexican drug lords. With an amigo (Steve Buscemi) and a beautiful bookstore owner (Salma Hayek), el mariachi confronts an outrageous cast along the way, including a bartender (Cheech Marin), a drug-deal, pick-up guy (Quentin Tarantino) and the original mariachi (coproducer Carlos Gallardo) as a new-found compa'.

Antonio Banderas has the lead this time, and if he's not quite up to the challenge, it's probably because he's Spanish, not Mexican, a distinction not lost by anyone raised on what the popular media now calls "ethnic food."

That said, Desperado is not to be missed. Using intelligence, romance and humour--as well as plenty of explosive, surreal violence--Rodriguez again showcases the timeless struggle between the forces of darkness and light. And, in the process, he's recasting the mould for the contemporary action hero--kids now argue about who gets to play the Mexican. --Stephan Magcosta, Amazon.com


Fantastic entertainment
Review date: 2008-02-07 Rating: 8 out of 10

...and fun! Are these B films? I don't know, and I don't care. They display an enthusiasm and bravura (bravado?) rarely seen anymore in big-budget Hollywood and carry it off wonderfully. No deep meanings to be sought here -- there's a guy with a guitar, a girl with a dog, a rival, and gangsters all rolled together with cheap bars and motels thrown in in what begins as mistaken identity and ends in family blood somehow. You ignore the cheap sets and the occasional dodgy acting because you're too busy enjoying the films. Somehow "El Mariachi" and "Desperado" get the formula right.

Watch the one-on-one bar fight in "Desperado" -- is it the original inspiration for Neo and Agent Smith's mutual guns-to-the-head standoff?

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Reviews


Excellent Stuff - A Must For Emerging Filmmakers
Review date: 2005-04-18 Rating: 10 out of 10

A few years ago I watched 'Desperado' when it appeared on TV. At that time it was just another movie to me, but one that I really enjoyed. Then a few years later I became aware that 'Desperado' was actually a kind of half remake of this original low budget movie. When the movie starts you might well be thinking that this a dodgy, straight to video production but after a while you get into the swing of things. For myself as a filmmaker this was a truly inspiring movie. To see what you can do with an ant sized budget and a handful of people. The DVD extras are wicked too with a 10 minute gorilla guide to making films, a short programme about the cunning special effects and film tricks used in 'El Mariachi' and a copy of director Robert Rodriguez first short film which I think stars either his kids or nephews (they have the same surname). 'El Mariachi' may not be the best film in the world, due to some dodgy acting, but this can be forgiven to take into consideration the amount of money, time and creativity that went into creating this film without the help or backing of any film studio or distribution company. If you are interested in making films this would be one of those hidden gems worth checking out.

El Mariachi is a must watch...
Review date: 2003-10-15 Rating: 10 out of 10

...for fans of independant films. produced on a budget of $7,000 dollars in 7 days with one camera and people who had never acted before. in spite of all these it combines a good plot with good action scenes all shot with such style it looks like it must have cost way more than 10 times the price to make. if you dont like low budget films however steer clear of this film and go straight to desperado.

with banderas taking over as the main character the whole film goes up a level in terms of style and class but loses some of what made El Mariachi so damn good in the first place. links to Rodriguezes film From Dusk Till Dawn are apparent with the 'male organ' gun amongst banderases weapons.

so for the film enthusiast like myself El Mariachi is amazing and Desperado is quite good - for the casual film watcher El Mariachi may seen slow poorly acted and fairly short (about 76mins). the extras on both films are great with a wealth of different things such as a mini commentry by rodriguez on making a film cheap.

my only problem is the decision to make it a double sided disc rather than two discs. they are too easy to damage if viewed many times (as my copy is). well worth the low price though even for one of the films - my advice buy it...and buy another copy just in case something happens to your first.

desperado is cool
Review date: 2003-08-19 Rating: 8 out of 10

this is a great box set which shows both great films. El Mariachi is very low budget but still an excellent film wheras Desperado with Antonio Banderras is more stylish and makes better use of effects and the bigger budget.

for fans of good thrillers this has it all, lots of shooting and good music, a must for all film fans

Contrast & compare...
Review date: 2003-05-25 Rating: 10 out of 10

El Mariachi, especially with the director's commentary, is a case study in low-budget movie making. It belies it's tiny price-tag and manitains a tension throughout. As a pairing with Desperado, this is excellent - El Mariachi fills in the background to the main character in Desperado.

Desperado itself has a surreal edge to it that works wonderfully, a good sense of humour and in Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayack a leading couple who spark off each other just enough. The film is sheer quality entertainment and the soundtrack is to die for - buy this, and you won't regret it.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Antonio Banderas
Steve Buscemi
Cheech Marin
Joaquim de Almeida
Salma Hayek

Creators:
Antonio Banderas (Primary Contributor)
Salma Hayek (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
EAN: 5024165853221
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 1999-11-01
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 181 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1995-08-25
Language: Czech (Subtitled)
Language: Danish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Finnish (Subtitled)
Language: German (Subtitled)
Language: Greek (Subtitled)
Language: Hebrew (Subtitled)
Language: Hindi (Subtitled)
Language: Hungarian (Subtitled)
Language: Icelandic (Subtitled)
Language: Norwegian (Subtitled)
Language: Polish (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Subtitled)
Language: Turkish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: German (Dubbed)

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