Desperado (1995)

Director:

Robert Rodriguez

Writer (WGA):

Robert Rodriguez (written by)

Release Date:

25 August 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

He came back to settle the score with someone. Anyone. EVERYONE.

Plot:

A gunslinger is embroiled in a war with a local drug runner.

Plot Keywords:

Mariachi | Drugs | Beautiful Woman | Drug Lord | Hitman

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Antonio Banderas	...	El Mariachi
Salma Hayek	...	Carolina
Joaquim de Almeida	...	Bucho
Cheech Marin	...	Short Bartender
Steve Buscemi	...	Buscemi
Carlos Gómez	...	Right Hand (as Carlos Gomez)
Quentin Tarantino	...	Pick-up Guy
Tito Larriva	...	Tavo
Angel Aviles	...	Zamira
Danny Trejo	...	Navajas
Abraham Verduzco	...	Niño
Carlos Gallardo	...	Campa
Albert Michel Jr.	...	Quino
David Alvarado	...	Buddy
Angela Lanza	...	Tourist Girl

Also Known As:

El Mariachi 2 (USA) (working title)
Pistolero (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong bloody violence, a strong sex sequence and language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

USA:R (No. 33717) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 | Italy:VM14 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (cut) | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Japan:PG-12 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R21 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Ciudad Acuña, Coahuíla, Mexico

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The bar in the beginning of the film where Steve Buscemi and Cheech Marin talk is an actual bar in Acuna, Mexico called the Corona Club. The bar is a lot cleaner and bigger in reality, but it's like walking right into the movie. They also have quite a few pictures of the stars and crew of the movie on the walls.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the rocket that Campa fires at the bullet proof car reaches the vehicle, if played in slow motion, the rocket can fairly clearly be seen to hit ground just under the front bumper, spin slightly to one side and then continue to burn, while the car explodes, marking the "rocket" as nothing more than a simple firework rocket of some kind.

Quotes:

El Mariachi: [right before a firefight] Back together again, huh?
Campa: Yeah.
El Mariachi: [cracks neck] Let's play.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in FLCL (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

Forever Night Shade Mary

Guitars, Guns and Salma Hayek!

A sequel to his promising debut "El Mariachi" of 1992, Robert Rodriguez' "Desperado" of 1995 may not be a masterpiece, but it is about as fun as it gets. Big guns, bloody shootouts, a cool score and particularly sexy Salma Hayek guarantee an immensely entertaining and action-packed film, to which the term 'cool' applies more than any other word. Carlos Gallardo, who played the Mariachi in the first film, is replaced by Antonio Banderas, and the character of the lone guitar player changes. When Gallardo's Mariachi was originally a nice, harmless and fun-loving guy who got drawn into violence against his will, the Mariachi played by Antonio Banderas is a lonesome, super-cool killing-machine who leaves an enormous body-count on his path of vengeance.

Legends have emerged in the Mexican underworld. Legends about a mysterious guitar player who looks for vengeance and brings death with him. This man is El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas). He is indeed looking for vengeance, and the body-count he leaves is enormous. He comes to town looking for a man, single-handedly wipes out entire armies of murderous thugs and, along the way, he takes the town's most ravishing beauty (Salma Hayek) and makes her his girl. No wonder the local crime-syndicate is not exactly amused...

"Desperado" may lack the originality of the foregoing "El Mariachi", but it has a load of other qualities in exchange. The Mariachi-character is cooler than ever in this second Mariachi film. The action sequences are excellent, and they always result in extremely bloody massacres. The score is great, with an ingenious theme song played by Los Lobos that Banderas sings himself. Juan de Almeida is well-cast as the villain, a sleazy drug-lord, and the supporting cast contains Steve Buscemi, Cheech Marin, the heavily tattooed Danny Trejo, who is stone-faced and super-tough as always, and Quentin Tarantino, who has a small and hilarious role. And then there's the major reason to watch "Desperado": Stunningly beautiful Salma Hayek is sexier than ever and makes this film a priority on every man's must-see list. This is a film for buddies and beers, and the romance also makes it a film for the girlfriend/wife/mistress/date. In short: cool music, non-stop action, gallons of blood and smoking Salma Hayek - If that's no recommendation I don't know what is.