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!

El Mariachi is a very cheap film. It was produced with a budget of $7000, starring a cast of amateurs, and directed by a then amateur Robert Rodriguez. Now I'm gonna make it clear, I'm not a Robert Rodriguez fan. I've only seen like a handful of his films(The Adventures of Sharkboy & Lavagirl, Spy Kids, Spy Kids 4D, and Machete) and none of them have particularly impressed me. But I have to say, I actually really enjoyed this film!The thing that makes this film work against the budget is the simplicity and tension. The film tells a very simple story about a mariachi who gets mistaken for a gangster so now, the gang that the gangster is going on a vendetta on now mistakens the mariachi for him because of his clothing and guitar case and now, he's on the run from them. It's very simple but that's what makes it work. It feels a lot like an Alfred Hitchcock plot with the regular, normal guy who gets himself into a wild goose chase. And it works because you connect and relate with him well rather than if he was like a cop, or an assassin, or something. The decisions he makes in this film are what a regular human being would make, he never decides to get revenge on them or anything like that which makes it feel all the more real and makes you feel like you are on this journey with him.The film also has a lot of tension and suspense. While El Mariachi is classified as an "action film", our protagonist never becomes an action hero during the entire film. He shoots a few guys here and there but the main reason why he manages to survive these chases is just because of luck. So we have a lot of scenes in this film where he has to protect himself from the gangsters and it's very suspenseful because he's just a regular guy who uses nothing but his own wit. And even when there's no action on screen, the film has a lot of tension going on because you don't always know what the characters are up to. For example, there's a scene in the film where Domino makes a call and while she's an ally in the film and the only real ally for El Mariachi, we don't see her make the call, it's all offscreen and it works because it makes you question her alleigance.But there are problems with this film, as I stated before it's a very cheap film and it shows with the cinematography because it just looks really cheap and gritty. I know that it's an action movie but it looks gritty in an ugly sense rather in a beautiful sense like Licence to Kill(1989). There's also some shots in this film that look out of focus and awkward. It's hard to describe but if you've seen the film, you'll know what I mean.There's practically no score in this film. All we hear the entire time is this 80's movie score that sounds like The Terminator and it's just generic and cheap.The film could also use a little more gore. There's some small shootouts in this film and sometimes there's a blood squib and other times, they just fall down. It's really inconsistent.Oh, and there's one line in this film I find ridiculously stupid. After he murders four guys, he goes to the bar looking really frustrated and then the bartender asks him "What's wrong? Had too much soda?" and he replies with "I just killed four guys." Who the hell would say that? I know that he's a really nice guy who doesn't like to kill but why would you say that? Next thing you know, he's gonna ask her "How's your sex life?", lol.But overall, it's a nice little independent film that has a nice, simple plot but also a lot of suspense and tension so I'll give it a 7/10.

For a movie that is so minimalist, 'El Mariachi' doesn't offer little and doesn't leave much to be desired. Generally speaking, the "minimalist philosophy" is practically omni-present in this movie. The story is simple, most actors are amateur, the scenario is real, and efficiency and the use of the brain replace any needless effects. Just about everything is authentic and economical. Not a bad way of thinking: makes it all the more realistic and at the same time keeps the costs lower.Nothing is overdone, even the action in it - although, I can't lie, this is a very violent movie at times and there is some disturbing content. But even the most shocking violence is kept in an acceptable league - that is, hardly more than the necessary. On the other hand, despite being a crime story, there is a good deal of clever humor (natural humor instead of bad taste humor or forceful humor).Time shows that this movie has gone down in history as a great success. And rightfully so. It has aged with dignity and is now old enough to be considered a little classic.The story of a good-natured mariachi who only wants to offer his music in exchange of very little money but is confounded with a violent criminal who looks nothing like him dressed in a similar style and carrying a guitar case just like his (however with guns and knives inside) is quite thrilling and involving.Peter Marquardt is great as Moco. Moco can be funny at times and yet he is so arrogant and cruel that you really hate him. But if he amuses you and at the same time fills you in hate that only means that the actor does his role very well. Carlos Gallardo is terrific as the mariachi. Consuelo Gómez is splendid as Dominó. Dominó is hot, sexy, beautiful and yet she has a strong personality: she has a devilish sense of humor, she can be aggressive in a sensual way, she has that exotic but severe look and she is obviously a powerful woman, a woman with guts. You gotta love her for all that. Dominó is one of the hottest women in cinema ever although, to be honest, the woman who manicures Moco's hands is just as hot.I find it cute and funny that the little turtle of the movie is credited. Not that it doesn't deserve. Why shouldn't animals deserve such honor? Tito Tortuga is great in its minor role as the turtle that crosses a road.All in all, an enjoyable movie. I only don't like the ending because Dominó is killed and the mariachi gets his hand shot. At least Moco gets what he deserves, but unfortunately too late for Dominó and the mariachi. Title in Portugal: 'El Mariachi'.

First of all,let's not look for the needle in the hay here,this movie was made with fistful of dollars and by a 23 years old kid,today man,with not crew and that inspires the hell out of me.If someone out there wants to play Roger Ebert and criticize this flick he better take the camera,and go by himself back to Mexico and do it for 7.500$.Robert Rodriguez's camera work,angles,authentic locations,authentic cast and great editing job at end deserve big 10 stars for his effort.Even that some actors were lacking on their skills,it is still great work cause story unites them well and it was a breath of fresh air to see movie done with amateurs better then many over 1mil. dollar films from Hollywood.Over all highly recommended movie,very aspiring and worth having in DVD home collection.Enjoy the Rodriguez's work folks.