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El Mariachi / Desperado (Widescreen)
 
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El Mariachi / Desperado (Widescreen)

Antonio Banderas (Actor), Salma Hayek (Actor), Robert Rodriguez (Director) | Format: DVD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)

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Before Robert Rodriguez's 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, bang-bang, 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. All for a paltry $7,000, a milagro without a beanfield war.

Desperado continues the outrageous action adventure. Working with a much bigger budget, Rodriguez returns the nameless mariachi to nonstop 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 humor--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 mold for the contemporary action hero--kids now argue about who gets to play the Mexican. --Stephan Magcosta

Additional Features

The double-disc box of Desperado and El Mariachi offers a number of worthwhile features: interesting commentary tracks by director Robert Rodriguez on both films, his short film "Bedhead," and two 10-minute featurettes. Note, however, that they're almost exactly the same as those on the previously released two-sided disc; the only differences are the addition of a four-minute preview for the follow-up, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and a new transfer of El Mariachi presented in a slightly wider aspect ratio (1.85 instead of 1.66). The new transfer has richer colors, but hasn't gotten rid of scratches and fuzziness. If you don't already have the two-sided disc, this box is worth the purchase because of the slightly improved quality and significantly lower price, but if you have the other there's no compelling reason to upgrade. Those who don't care about the features and just want Desperado in the best picture and sound should opt for the Superbit DVD. --David Horiuchi

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Customer Reviews

40 Reviews
5 star:
 (28)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (40 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4.0 out of 5 stars Mindless but Entertaining, Jun 9 2004
By 
Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME)    (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Desperado (Special Edition)/El Mariachi (Special Edition) Collector's Box Set (DVD)
As I watched this film for the first time, my two reactions were (a) I'll bet they all had fun making it and (b) is this a parody of the so-called "Spaghetti Westerns"? Essentially, there is no plot. El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) seeks revenge from Bucho (Joaquim de Almeida) in a town which the drug dealer controls. EM enlists the support and assistance of Carolina (Selma Hayek) who owns and manages the local book store. (I'm not making this up.) No one eats or sleeps in this film. All of the action occurs during the day. There are a few crowd scenes but no one in the crowd seems to have any interest whatsoever in the fact that the street scenes are being filmed. There is one bar of special note. Cheech Marin is its host and bartender. (If you think the bar in Star Wars is unfriendly, this one makes it seem like the Palm Court at The Plaza in New York.) At one point, Quentin Tarantino briefly appears. Apparently he is involved in a drug deal which goes bad. Steve Buscemi also makes a brief appearance. Prudently, he decides not to become involved in the plot. (Where is Harvey Keitel?) EM is a one-man-army. Credit Rodriguez with brilliantly choreographing his creative and relentless carnage which leads up to the inevitable showdown with Bucho. Although most of this film makes no sense whatsoever, I found it thoroughly entertaining. It is on my Top Ten list of films to watch while consuming buttered popcorn, a box of Dots, and a cold beverage...or two.
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3.0 out of 5 stars ====ripped off some of john woo's movies====, May 2 2004
By 
C. soriano "CRS Houston" (h-town) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Desperado (Special Edition)/El Mariachi (Special Edition) Collector's Box Set (DVD)
====most of the scenes are reminicense or like john woo's films but this movie was a good copy=====
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5.0 out of 5 stars Mexican Heat!!! READ ME, April 27 2004
This review is from: Desperado (Special Edition)/El Mariachi (Special Edition) Collector's Box Set (DVD)
Wow, must see, Antonio has done it again, and with his new movie Once upon a Time in Mexico, SWEET!!! He faces of a challeng where Bucho has killed his family and he wants revenge. Making blood banks all over. But really what makes you want to go crazy for, the guitar, or guitar case. He is a mexican mariachi looking for Bucho with a guitar case full of wepons. Now i don't want to spoil it, and you can also find once Upon a Time in Mexico with Antonio.
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