Knowing that this was made with under $7,000 budget made it worth while. Very creative with angles, shading/lighting, zoom, handheld vs stable cam, etc. You need to know the why for making this film to appreciate it... Also loved the "Score" character with his digital keyboard.
14 Reviews
What's Wrong With The Ratings?
cahidi15 June 2022
This is a pretty great movie with a sick plot twist. It doesn't deserve rating below 5! What's wrong with you people?! I've seen much much worse movie. They have no sense, no decent plot, no story line, and none of the actors can act. Those kind of movies you rate below 5. Not a movie like this. Watch it to the end before you give harsh rating. And maybe I should remind you that this is a low budgeted movie? Can you imagine what Robert Rodriguez can make with some serious budget? No you can't!
Fictional account of how Rodriguez earned $7000 to make 'El Mariachi.'
TxMike20 June 2022
Back then it was fairly well known that Rodriguez's first movie, 'El Mariachi' in 1992, when he was only 24. I will not repeat that he made it for only $7000. In today's money that would be almost $15,000, still a small amount for a feature film, and a very good one at that. I really like 'El Mariachi.'
This movie, "Red 11", might be based on how he earned that $7000, I'm not sure. He enters a medical test group sorted by colors of the shirt they are assigned, his is red and he is number 11. He is "Red 11". But as this fictional story unfolds things get stranger and stranger. Too strange often.
I considered abandoning this, free on streaming, at about the half-way point but persisted because in general I really like some of his movies. Spy Kids and Sin City are a couple. But as he has gotten older his movies have gotten stranger, like Machete (which I rate '4') and a few others.
I can't rate 'Red 11' very highly, it just isn't that good a story even though there is a 'twist' reveal at the end. I found myself thinking "so what?" A nice experiment and perhaps really good to illustrate some film school film-making points, but for the general audience I'd have a hard time recommending it to anyone I know.
This movie, "Red 11", might be based on how he earned that $7000, I'm not sure. He enters a medical test group sorted by colors of the shirt they are assigned, his is red and he is number 11. He is "Red 11". But as this fictional story unfolds things get stranger and stranger. Too strange often.
I considered abandoning this, free on streaming, at about the half-way point but persisted because in general I really like some of his movies. Spy Kids and Sin City are a couple. But as he has gotten older his movies have gotten stranger, like Machete (which I rate '4') and a few others.
I can't rate 'Red 11' very highly, it just isn't that good a story even though there is a 'twist' reveal at the end. I found myself thinking "so what?" A nice experiment and perhaps really good to illustrate some film school film-making points, but for the general audience I'd have a hard time recommending it to anyone I know.
Wow. Please no.
SSJAWSUM25 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Acting is beyond bad, it's cringy. It hurt, I had to look away. Production quality is garbage, which would be fine if they worked with the low budget, like UNSANE, but no. Wow no. I thought the storyline would be the savior; the redeeming quality. Not. Even. Close. Nothing makes sense about this sour diaper of a film, from the guy composing the score with his iPad (yes, a character superimposes music from a keyboard app, even during shot / scene transitions) to the firing live invisible rounds from "finger guns". This cold lump of turd hurt me. It hurt me and I felt dirty for not looking away sooner.
You've been advised.
You've been advised.
Really?
dongillette2 December 2023
My Dad was a chemist.
He never decided that I'd be a chemist and he never took me into the lab and tried to convince me that I was a chemist.
I flunked Chemistry and Robert Rodriguez's kid flunked basic acting.
This is a really sad exercise in Hollywood nepotism and I'm surprised nobody told Rodriguez how bad it actually is.
The story is awful, the acting is horrendous, the camera angles and direction is excellent--and that makes me wonder who was in charge of what.
I confess that I only made it half-way through this piece of garbage so the second-half might have been Citizen Kane, but I wasn't getting that vibe.,
He never decided that I'd be a chemist and he never took me into the lab and tried to convince me that I was a chemist.
I flunked Chemistry and Robert Rodriguez's kid flunked basic acting.
This is a really sad exercise in Hollywood nepotism and I'm surprised nobody told Rodriguez how bad it actually is.
The story is awful, the acting is horrendous, the camera angles and direction is excellent--and that makes me wonder who was in charge of what.
I confess that I only made it half-way through this piece of garbage so the second-half might have been Citizen Kane, but I wasn't getting that vibe.,
A low budget creative movie
anaissiller12 June 2022
I really liked it and I don't understand why this movie got only a 4, this rating works better for Annabelle crappy movies. Red 11 was clever, creative and it was made with less than $7,000! How crazy is that? The actors were really good. Kudos to all of you !
Good Low Budget Movie/Educational Film
jburtonprod-802-75902920 June 2022
Given the fact that this movie was made for $7,000 dollars as a way to show the viewer how they can make a low budget movie, it's quite good. The entire movie is very tongue in cheek, a fact that seems to be missed by the (I'm guessing) Millennial viewers.
The movie is meant to be paired with the Robert Rodriguez Film School series of videos. Still, the movie stands on its on as enjoyable low budget fun. The acting, story and production are good enough to the carry the film. It has a good twist and a satisfying ending. You won't feel ripped off for sitting through the very quick, under an hour and a half run time. If you're an aspiring film maker you may find it inspiring!
The movie is meant to be paired with the Robert Rodriguez Film School series of videos. Still, the movie stands on its on as enjoyable low budget fun. The acting, story and production are good enough to the carry the film. It has a good twist and a satisfying ending. You won't feel ripped off for sitting through the very quick, under an hour and a half run time. If you're an aspiring film maker you may find it inspiring!
A "what if" situation on a true story. I love it!
theenigma12914 July 2022
Red 11 is one of the greatest movies Robert Rodriguez ever made so far.
I love it that it was (sort of) based on a true story of when Rodriguez became a lab rat for medical drug tests, just to finance his first feature movie "el mariachi"., truthfully. I believe it was worth it!. Also enjoy, that the rest of red 11, was exaggerated. But I believe its a "what if" story. What if the whole incident at the lab, happened THAT way. One more its one of the best original movies I've watched so far. Very funny moments, great directing & cinematography, etc. I give the movie 8/10.
I love it that it was (sort of) based on a true story of when Rodriguez became a lab rat for medical drug tests, just to finance his first feature movie "el mariachi"., truthfully. I believe it was worth it!. Also enjoy, that the rest of red 11, was exaggerated. But I believe its a "what if" story. What if the whole incident at the lab, happened THAT way. One more its one of the best original movies I've watched so far. Very funny moments, great directing & cinematography, etc. I give the movie 8/10.
And this is why you never trust ratings on these sites
paulcarr130225 June 2022
Clearly someone had an agenda here. 300+ ratings of this movie keeping the movie in the 4 range, but only 5 reviews from people who actually watched it and it gets mostly 7's (which it deserves). This was a creative, nicely done movie used as much as teaching tool for young filmmakers to once again show you how to do everything yourself so that you do not need large amounts of money in order to follow your dreams of being a filmmaker. As the intro that most versions of this film contain, Rodriguez tells us there is an accompanying documentary shot as he filmed it so that you can literally see how to film, light, edit, etc, on a budget and still come away with something good. It doesn't hurt to be able to write a good script to go along with all that but that's a whole other learning experience. Don't look at the ratings and pass. Give this movie a chance. It's fun, it's clever, it's creative and I've seen worse acting from larger budget films. And if you're into that kind of thing, definitely stick around for the documentary if it's available on your version.
I hope this inspires more filmmakers.
miinty12 June 2022
$5000 bucks??! This was made for $5000. WOW. I think that knowledge added to the movie, but even still, the story was engrossing, mysteries abound, the actors were great, and who can possibly forget the SCORE! It was just so entertaining.
Yes, it's mostly for the love of the craft.
themixtapecritic13 January 2023
This would be like Tarantino and Avary writing a fictional film based on two guys working in a movie geek video store. Since we will never have that, I'm glad there is the Video Archives podcast. This fictional piece is based on the research hospital where Robert Rodriguez sold his body to finance his first feature, El Mariachi. This production is a fun one, purely for the same reason one would watch EL MARIACHI. You want to see how he does it. Writer, Director, Cinematographer, AND Editor. Usually, he's also the score composer. Also, I'm happy to see the deluge or ridiculous hater ratings deleted from this page. If you hate Rodriguez, then you clearly hate filmmaking.
Sure low budget but AWESOME
bethsgem-136936 August 2022
Ok so you watch the trailer not read reviews first. That's my advice . This movie is fresh, fast paced, exciting and just a really enjoyable film. Great Effort from the cast..and kept me in suspense right up to end. Again low budget but hey they did well!
Great and Intriguing Story
icocleric19 September 2023
This is an excellent example of it the story is good enough, it doesn't matter if it is a low budget film. I knew it was a $7000 film going in, so I was honestly shocked how good it actually was. The script was very solid, and didn't feel awkward at any point.
The story is a bit out there in places, but it kept me intrigued throughout, and I found it fun. The acting is good, much better than you'd expect from an average low budget film. I had a lot of fun watching this film. It has a very horror comedy styling.
I thought the subject matter of selling your body, and what you can loose was really interesting as well.
The story is a bit out there in places, but it kept me intrigued throughout, and I found it fun. The acting is good, much better than you'd expect from an average low budget film. I had a lot of fun watching this film. It has a very horror comedy styling.
I thought the subject matter of selling your body, and what you can loose was really interesting as well.
Watch the docu series first...
alien-5216 April 2023
This is less an isolated indie flick, but more an inspirational creative journey. Robert Rodriguez goes back to his roots, making a movie on a dime with the simplest means possible to show, what can be done, with just a few thousand bucks. The messages is clear: if you want to create, start with what you got.
Rodrigues therefore revisits memories from his time as being a lab rat to get enough money to fund his first movie "El Mariachi" as the base scenario for this small Twilight Zone like episode.
For me it worked best being watched with the acompaning series "a rebel without a crew - the robert rodriguez filmschool". Generally I would recommend this movie to all inspiring creatives, who wants to get started on their creative journey.
Rodrigues therefore revisits memories from his time as being a lab rat to get enough money to fund his first movie "El Mariachi" as the base scenario for this small Twilight Zone like episode.
For me it worked best being watched with the acompaning series "a rebel without a crew - the robert rodriguez filmschool". Generally I would recommend this movie to all inspiring creatives, who wants to get started on their creative journey.
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