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Details El Mariachi/Desperado (R2)
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Details El Mariachi/Desperado (R2)
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Cast - El Mariachi |
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| Carlos Gallardo | El Mariachi |
| Consuelo Gómez | Domino |
| Peter Marquardt | Mauricio |
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Cast - Desperado |
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| Antonio Banderas | El Mariachi |
| Joaquim De Almeida | Bucho |
| Steve Buscemi | Buscemi |
| Salma Hayek | Carolina |
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Synopsis |
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A guitar player, the El Mariachi, is looking for work in a small town when he is mistaken for a gun-toting killer with a guitar case full of guns. He is forced to trade his guitar for a gun and play for his life. In the follow up film the El Mariachi has returned and this time he's left his guitar at home. He's out for vengeance against the men who murdered his girlfriend. |
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Film - El Mariachi |
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| The film basically centres around the El Mariachi as he is forced to fight for his life as various lowlifes attempt to kill him. This has only come about through a mix up as a killer has entered town with unfinished business. | |
| Looking for work El Mariachi enters a local bar but his services are rejected. Soon after leaving another stranger enters, also carrying a guitar case, laying waste to the customers. Frantically the bar owner telephones the local baron informing him of the gun wielding killer. All of his goons are sent out looking for the man with a guitar case and guess who they find first. Grab a girl and let the bullets fly! | |
| With Robert Rodriguez's film being on a low budget of $10,000 you can't expect a demo style picture or a soundtrack to rattle the picture frames. The film was initially created for the Spanish video market so there's no English soundtrack, although rather bizarrely there's a German one, so you'll need the subtitles active. | |
| However, this is not the point as this is an excellently directed picture, with a truly amazing commentary from the director. This has been especially recorded for the DVD and his enthusiasm for his work is evident. You'll learn some very interesting facts about how this film was made and filmmaking in general. There is so much information to absorb you'll need multiple viewings. Awesome stuff. | |
| Film - Desperado | |
| With essentially the same story as El Mariachi, the plot is changed slightly by making him the killer with the guitar case. Mind you, he is the good guy as he's out for revenge (try making that stand up in court!) Whilst dodging the bullets he still manages to grab the girl, and with a little help from his friends, lines up for the final shoot-out. | |
| With the bigger budget come better pictures and sound. The visuals are crisp and clean and the surround will have the pictures, plus plaster, falling off the walls as no expense is spared on the plentiful explosions and gun battles. Just keep looking out for the cameo roles from the previous film. | |
| Not many directors can claim to have had a Quentin Tarantino cameo in one of their films, but this is exactly what we have here. He even has the nerve of shooting him in the head! Robert Rodriguez's commentary is also available and you can tell that his enthusiasm for the film is still undiminished. | |
| Don't be swayed by the big star pulling of Banderas, make sure you watch the El Mariachi first. Your enjoyment of Desperado will be greatly increased as you can see the various transitions from low to big budget picture. | |
| I can't say anymore about this disc, it is an absolute gem. Just go out and buy it and find out for yourself. | |
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Extras |
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El Mariachi |
Desperado |
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| Reviewed by: Simon |
DD |
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