In this grand case of mistaken identitythat is sometimes comedic and often leaves one gripping their chair in anticipation, a young musician whose only dream is to become a mariachi like his father and his grandfather before him, is mistaken for a cutthroat criminal and must rely on his wits, guitarcase, and Lady Luck to get him to safety. The path towards his dreams is littered with obstacles and he must endure the most wrenching of heartbreaks in this tale of two very different men who both carry the same guitar case.
Filmed on a very low budget in 1992 and entirely in Spanish, El Mariachi, which was dubbed in English for its debut at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, marked the first mainstream success for writer/director Robert Rodriguez and spawned two sequels: Desperado (1995) and Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003). While many are familiar with the latter two movies, it is El Mariachi that really put Rodriguez’s name on the map and piqued the interest of studio moguls everywhere. Riding on the coattails of this film, Rodriguez went on to direct a slew of other popular movies such as Sin City, Spy Kids, Machete, and, my personal guilty pleasure, From Dusk ‘til Dawn.
What I liked the most about this film, after reading up on it, was that many of the characters were just local people who were recruited to play these roles. Additionally, it was filmed on location which means that any money paid to the actors stayed in the local community. This also helps when looking at the actors portraying these characters because they do not fit into the archetypes that we are so used to seeing. The actors look like normal, everyday people that you could see in your town. I think that this helps lend some credibility to the grandiose plot of mistaken identities that has been seen in many films before this one. It should be noted, however, that while there is a “Ruthless Mexican Drug Lord” he does not physically fit into the box that has been molded by his predecessors and the “Latin Lover” is more of a timid musician than a dashing Casanova. What did make me laugh because it was so typical was when Moco yelled at the end about how El Mariachi “…ran off with my virgin!” From this I also gathered that the patriarchal mentality was still present, even in a film as progressive as this.
A scene that I found funny is when Moco and Azul are arguing over how many men were killed, neither realizing that the “other” man in black has unwittingly become a fighter. Moco assumes that Azul killed all 10, since he is the only one he knows who wears all black and carries weapons. To this, Azul laughs that Moco “…could never do math” since he is sure that he only killed 6 and is adamant about that fact. Although the viewer is aware that there are three different players in this game, neither villain knows this fact which makes this argument that much more comedic.
All in all, I found it be a mediocre movie with an open-ended finale that leaves room for interpretation. I was neither blown away nor disappointed by the cinematography and found that, while the plot was a bit cliche, the execution by all those involved was refreshing. I think that after watching other blockbusters directed by Rodriguez, I was impressed with his abilities to produce such a work with a budget that can be considered chump change to Hollywood hotshots.
