174. El Mariachi (Robert Rodriguez, 1992)
Arguments and doubts exist over how much El Mariachi cost to make, Rodriguez says $7000 and who are we to argue? The American cinema prints may have had thousands of dollars spent on them but this is still a testament to ultra-low budget film-making. Carlos Gallardo is the Mariachi, a travelling guitar player who is mistaken for a rampaging killer who stores his guns in a guitar case. Cue the shenanigans as he falls for the local beauty, becomes a killer in self-defence and eventually faces the local criminal mastermind at the centre of the chaos.
There’s a raw urgency to everything in El Mariachi, fuelled by the budgetary constraints no doubt. It’s rough and ready viewing and served as the start of a faltering trilogy for Rodriguez with the excellent Desperado followed by the ultimately disappointing Once Upon a Time in Mexico. The process of making El Mariachi was described by Rodriguez as ‘practice’ and if it’s viewed as such then it can only be looked at as a success.
Note: El Mariachi is listed in the Neon book 1000 Essential Movies on Video under Really Cheap Movies.
Love this film, Brother Jim let us watch it in class, well just Jim now I guess.
Excellent tortoise, looks a lot like mine.
This film would be nothing without that tortoise.
This is my favourite of your many aliases (aliai?) used so far.
Any film with a tortoise or turtle in it gets immediate bonus points from me. Except for Cannibal Holocaust where they actually killed one on-screen during the filming. Use special effects you bastard!