Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Carlos Gallardo | ... | El Mariachi | |
Consuelo Gómez | ... | Domino | |
Jaime de Hoyos | ... | Bigotón (as Jaime De Hoyos) | |
Peter Marquardt | ... | Mauricio | |
Reinol Martinez | ... | Azul | |
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Ramiro Gómez | ... | Cantinero (as Ramiro Gomez) |
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Jesús López | ... | Viejo Clerk (as Jesus Lopez) |
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Luis Baró | ... | Domino's Assistant (as Luis Baro) |
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Oscar Fabila | ... | The Boy |
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Poncho Ramón | ... | Azul's Rat (as Poncho Ramon) |
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Fernando Martínez | ... | Azul's Rat (as Fernando Martinez) |
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Manuel Acosta | ... | Bodyguard |
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Walter Vargas | ... | Prisoner |
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Roberto Martinez | ... | Prisoner |
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Virgen Delgado | ... | Female Bodyguard |
El Mariachi just wants to play his guitar and carry on the family tradition. Unfortunately, the town he tries to find work in has another visitor...a killer who carries his guns in a guitar case. The drug lord and his henchmen mistake El Mariachi for the killer, Azul, and chase him around town trying to kill him and get his guitar case. Written by Josh Pasnak <chainsaw@intouch.bc.ca>
This movie put director Robert Rodriguez "on the map." He followed up with two sequels: "Desperado" and "Once Upon A Time In Mexico." Not surprising, the best of the three was this low-budget opening film. As Rodriquez had more and more money to spend on the sequels, the stories got more and more carried away with too many explosions and special-effects, losing the charm of this first effort.
Unlike the sequels, this Mexican-made, so it is in Spanish with English subtitles. Don't let that scare you away. There isn't a great deal of dialog so keeping up with the subtitles is very easy.
The movie has very interesting camera closeups and angles as Rodriquez showed he was going to be a stylish director. The story is simple but effective, suspenseful and even with some humor. Unnlike his subsequent films in this trilogy, the action is not overdone here.
The length is also is a plus. At 80 minutes you can be thoroughly entertained in less than an hour-and-a half. The only disappointment to me was the print quality on th DVD, but I got an early edition. There might be better editions out since. It's not fuzzy but it's not sharp, either.
Anyway: highly recommend for actions/crime buffs who like style in their photography, or saw the sequels and would like to know the history of this particular "Mariachi."