"That morning was just like any other. No love. No luck. No ride. Nothing changes."

Year: 1992

Directed & Written by: Robert Rodriguez

A town has two visitors, both dressed in black, both carrying guitar cases. One is a travelling mariachi, another is killing drug lord's men for revenge. Of course the innocent one is mistaken for the killer.

I realised I haven't watched anything during October yet. I was going through Netflix and couldn't find anything to watch. Eventually I just thought I'd keep watching From Dusk Till Dawn, which made me think of Robert Rodriguez's movies. Again, Netflix couldn't really offer me anything interesting, but thankfully my dad has the whole trilogy: El Mariachi, Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. So, don't be surprised if I'll write about the last two also.

One very notable thing about El Mariachi is the excellent cinematography. The visual side of the movie gives strong Tarantino vibes, but there was something else too. The shots may not be exactly beautiful, but they are close to perfect. There's something enchanting about how they shot the film. And together with the narrating in the beginning, the movie reminded me of some kind of 60's or 70's art films, which is quite far from how the film really is. Also Rodriguez has used some very interesting effects in the movie, but very skilfully. They weren't used too little or too much, just the right amount.

The music in El Mariachi is weird. It's weird and it shouldn't suit to any film - but it does. The soundtrack is a spot-on. It's different and weird, which is a good thing. All action movies tend to have one kind of soundtrack, so it's great seeing (well, hearing) something other for a change.

The editing is also great. The movie is not very long, but it doesn't feel too short. El Mariachi also uses both speed and slowness as interesting and effective stylistic devices, without disturbing the pace of the movie.

The story of El Mariachi is as simple as a plot can be. However, usually action films make the mistake of wasting extra subplots to the movie to make the story seem deeper. El Mariachi has one story, and it sure as hell is short, but it still is thrilling and as interesting as it can be. It's good enough.

It's admirable how a movie like this can be heavy and bloody, and yet still have that weird, light humour that is caused by the weirdest things. They aren't always even that funny, but like certain effects used in the filming make you smile, even if you're afraid for the main character's life. 

El Mariachi is simple and almost modest, yet it is skilfully made and one of the best action movies I've seen. I had high hopes for Robert Rodriguez, and I'd like to think he met my expectations. Well, we'll see about that when I see at least one other movie.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

9 / 10