Pelis and Popcorn: 'El Mariachi'

By Michael Lopez

This is it, the movie that put legendary director Robert Rodriguez on the map and reinvented the modern shoot-em-up Western. Yup, this week's P and P flick is none other than El Mariachi! Made for a meager budget of $7,000, this 1992 classic isn't just fun to watch, it’s a piece of history.

Anyone out there with dreams of becoming a movie director should use El Mariachi as an inspiration. Rodriguez created this masterpiece when he was just 24-years-old and looking at the way he intricately laid out each scene, you can see his promise as a filmmaker.

Originally intended for the Spanish straight-to-video market, El Mariachi wound up competing at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival. With its fast-paced action, intricate storyline, and dynamic visuals, it caught the eye of execs from Columbia Pictures and soon got Robert a multi-picture deal.

But enough about the backstory, let's get into the specifics of why this movie rocks! For one thing, it's got a very engaging lead in Carlos Gallardo (who would be replaced by Antonio Banderas in the sequel). There is also some intense gun battles, evil drug lords, and an ending that'll make your jaw drop.

The story itself involves a down-on-his-luck musician who gets entangled in a gang war simply because of his black guitar case. El Mariachi, as he's called, soon finds himself falling in love with a lady bartender and mistakenly labeled an escaped assassin.

Sure Rodriguez carried out the scenario with a much bigger budget in 1995's Desperado. But on many levels, this modest movie comes off better. You can tell El Mariachi was done with a lot of heart and it basically became the blueprint for some of Robert's more action-heavy projects.

Do yourself a favor. Turn on Tr3s this weekend, break out your acoustic guitar, and get ready to have a blast!

What’s your favorite Robert Rodriguez movie? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Carlos Gallardo, El Mariachi, Movies & CineMás, Pelis and Popcorn, Robert Rodriguez