El Mariachi (1992)
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Written by: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Carlos Gallardo, Consuelo Gómez, Jaime de Hoyos, Peter Marquardt, Reinol Martinez
EL MARIACHI (1992)
Written and Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Spanish Language with English Subtitles
Available on Arrow Video Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-Ray
A travelling mariachi arrives in town hoping to find work but instead finds himself fighting for his life when he becomes the target of a criminal gang.
When it comes to indie filmmaking, no film comes more praised or talked about than Robert Rodriguez’s EL MARIACHI. The film famously made for just $7000 and set up 23 year old writer/director Robert Rodriguez’s career as a major player in the film industry, EL MARIACHI is a dramatic action-thriller following the exploits of a travelling musician who accidentally finds himself in the firing line of a gang led by local druglord Moco.
When we meet the mariachi, we see a gentle soul who wants to make something of himself as a musician, just like his father and grandfather did. He acknowledges his skills aren’t quite there yet, but he’s a budding and determined young man, with guitar case in hand, ready to work his magic on every bar owner he comes across in the hopes of securing a regular gig and earning a wage from tips. It’s honest work but trying to find someone who’ll hire him is easier said than done. Domino, a local bar owner, eventually relents and lets the wandering musician play a gig at her saloon which is a resounding success, but the mariachi already has a target on his back after he’s mistakenly identified as rival criminal boss Azul. Entertaining crowds and earning a crust becomes the least of his worries when the bodies begin to pile up.
Focusing the plot on the simplistic idea of mistaken identity works very well for this type of movie, both in terms of keeping the budget low yet excitement level high. The real target, Azul, Moco’s former partner who he screwed over, is a legit badass who doesn’t think twice about getting his hands dirty and taking out a few of Moco’s henchmen single-handedly after Moco attempts a hit on him. So when Moco decides to strike back and our innocent, soda-drinking mariachi gets caught up in the cross-fire, the viewer is on the edge of their seat hoping he doesn’t get his insides splattered across the street.
The concept of mistaken identity in this case is also hilarious because, looking at them both, they’re worlds apart. Our Mariachi is slim, clean shaven and light skinned, wearing a white t-shirt with black trousers and jacket. Azul is a broad chap with darker skin, sporting a moustache, and wears a black t-shirt, trousers and a leather waistcoat. They couldn’t be any more different yet Moco’s men easily get their wires crossed when the only description they have on Azul is that he wears black and carries a guitar case (except Azul’s doesn’t carry a guitar). Moco is the only person to know what Azul actually looks like, but as he never leaves his compound and lets his men do his bidding, it’s up to a bunch of gun-toting henchmen to pick the culprit out themselves. It reminds me of the old adage, if you want something done right, you’re better doing it yourself. Not that this is any consolation to El Mariachi. No matter what he does, he can’t seem to shake the target from his back. What makes matters worse is that Azul is walking around the same town, receiving none of the flack the mariachi is experiencing. How long will it be before the henchmen realise they’ve got the wrong man and can he survive until then?
Right from the opening scene at the police station, director Robert Rodriguez pulls you into his world. His raw, low budget approach feels gritty and intimate, as though we’re right there, observing the entire film play out as a bystander. Every character movement feels full of purpose, whilst Rodriguez’s shooting style feels efficient, getting straight to the point of the heart of the action. This is backed up by the fascinating camera angles he uses. From dolly shots to extreme-closeups, each shot says something and captures something exciting from the film, whether it’s the Mariachi’s shoes sliding across the pavement as he stops dead in his tracks after spotting his pursuers, or the various camera angles as he’s fleeing the gang chasing him throughout the hotel. Given that Rodriguez was shooting with just one camera, the variety of angles shot to build each scene is mightily impressive and really adds depth to convey a living, breathing world where danger lurks behind every corner.
Despite the seriousness of the plot, EL MARIACHI isn’t without its humour. From one-man full mariachi band on standby in the corner of a bar to one of Azul’s henchmen thinking he can get a piece of his bosses’ ‘action’, there’s many comedic moments littered throughout, often accentuated by a sped up edit. Whilst these scenes stick out, both in mood and style, even just for a moment, things quickly get back on track when normal programming resumes. There’s other little, more subtle quips too throughout the movie, such as the way Azul likes to take his beer in a bottle, that raise a smile or two.
For an indie production, there’s some terrific acting on display, even from supporting characters that don’t have acting experience. Carlos Gallardo leads the way as the kind-hearted, innocent mariachi who proves he has the action chops when it matters. Reinol Martinez sizzles as the no-nonsense Azul, who doesn’t have many lines as Moco’s nemesis but whose smirk and furrowed brow speak volumes. Then there’s Moco himself, played by Peter Marquardt, who has a wonderful, pure emotion to him that really shines through as he spits venom as the psychotic drug lord. In the compound, he’s accompanied by Jaime de Hoyos, who adds a bit of comic flavour as Moco’s put-upon head henchman, Bigotón, with his facial stubble often being used to strike a match against when he’s not running around town trying to hunt down Azul.
EL MARIACHI is a very special movie for filmmakers everywhere. It manages to capture excitement, thrills, fear, romance, drama and action, yet does so in such a reserved way that doesn’t feel out of one’s reach. For budding filmmakers, this film is like a blueprint of how a great film can be made on next to nothing with Rodriguez’s Rebel Without A Crew the accompanying bible on how he did it. The film emanates the maverick energy where untamed ideas are pursued, risks taken and obstacles overcome without the financing or the constraints of modern day major league filmmaking – just friends making a movie and being creative in how they approach it.
Like the mariachi himself, this is a film with grit, determination and heart that still manages to reignite the passion and excitement for filmmaking over three decades after its first release
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Arrow Video have given El Mariachi its special treatment as it comes packaged as the Limited Edition MEXICO TRILOGY on 4K UHD and Blu-Ray, alongside Desperado and Once Upon A Time In Mexico. The four-disc limited edition release is furnished with an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Carlos Aguilar and Nicholas Clement, reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper and a collectable poster featuring Robert Rodriguez’s original poster concept for El Mariachi.
Robert Rodriguez introduces the movie as part of the opening of the disc of El Mariachi, which comes complete with a handful of new special features, original uncompressed Latin-American Spanish stereo audio, plus an English dub in lossless stereo.
Audio Commentary with writer-director Robert Rodriguez
For film fans, this audio commentary is everything you could dream of! Robert Rodriguez goes into immense detail about the making of the movie, breaking down the scenes.
Big Vision Low Budget – a newly filmed interview with writer/director Robert Rodriguez (14 mins 41 secs)
Rodriguez discusses the origins of El Mariachi and details his approach and techniques when making the film, as well as trying to sell the movie afterwards. He showcases some artwork he created for the release back in the 90’s which he’d never shared before, which is used for the poster which comes with this Limited Edition release.
The Original Mariachi – a newly filmed interview with producer/star Carlos Gallardo (15 mins 21 secs)
In this interview, Carlos Gallardo talks about his upbringing and friendship with Rodriguez. He discusses making El Mariachi and the number of favours he had to pull in his home town in order to get the film made, including meeting with the local mayor and military. It’s clear from this interview Gallardo was heavily involved in the making of the film, not only as the film’s lead star, but particularly with the locations, vehicles and the casting of the various roles in the movie.
The Music of ‘El Mariachi’ – a newly produced featurette on the music in the film, featuring interviews with composers Eric Guthrie, Chris Knudson, Alvaro Rodriguez and Marc Trujillo (12 mins 41 secs)
The musicians involved with scoring El Mariachi talk about collaborating with Rodriguez, their technique and approach for creating music for the film’s scenes, as well as how Rodriguez used their music in the final film.
Ten Minute Film School – an archive featurette produced and narrated by Rodriguez (14 mins 38 secs)
Rodriguez breaks down some of the filming and editing techniques in El Mariachi to show how you can produce scenes on a budget with just one camera. A scene involving Azul with the guitar case, showing the zoom-in and zoom-out segments in one take, really demonstrates how Rodriguez got so much out of a shot when it came to be edited.
Bedhead – a 1991 short film by Robert Rodriguez (9 mins 9 secs)
Starring Robert’s siblings, this short film tells the story of a young girl and her annoying brother who suffers from bedhead hair, and the abilities she gains after receiving a head injury.
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