El mariachi (1992)

Director:

Robert Rodriguez

Writer:

Robert Rodriguez (written by)

Release Date:

26 February 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

With a guitar in his hand and a price on his head, he wasn't looking for trouble...but trouble came looking for him.

Plot:

A traveling mariachi is mistaken for a murderous criminal and must hide from a gang bent on killing him.

Plot Keywords:

Mariachi | Guitar | Guitar Case | Gun | Mexico

Awards:

4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Carlos Gallardo	...	El Mariachi
Consuelo Gómez	...	Domino
Jaime de Hoyos	...	Bigotón (as Jaime De Hoyos)
Peter Marquardt	...	Mauricio
Reinol Martinez	...	Azul
Ramiro Gómez	...	Cantinero (as Ramiro Gomez)
Jesús López	...	Viejo Clerk (as Jesus Lopez)
Luis Baró	...	Domino's Assistant (as Luis Baro)
Oscar Fabila	...	The Boy
Poncho Ramón	...	Azul's Rat (as Poncho Ramon)
Fernando Martínez	...	Azul's Rat (as Fernando Martinez)
Manuel Acosta	...	Bodyguard
Walter Vargas	...	Prisoner
Roberto Martinez	...	Prisoner
Virgen Delgado	...	Female Bodyguard

Also Known As:

El mariachi (Finland) [fi]
El mariachi (France) [fr]
El mariachi (Spain) [es]
El mariachi (Greece) [el]
El mariachi, suonatore di chitarra (Italy) [it]
Falsk mördare (Sweden) [sv]
Gitarim ve silahim (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
O Mariachi (Brazil) (TV title) [pt]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence.

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

Mexico | USA

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) (1999) | Brazil:14 | South Korea:18 | Australia:M | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R (Approval No. 31967)

Filming Locations:

Ciudad Acuña, Coahuíla, Mexico

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

To record the dialog and sound, the actors would do a shot for the camera and then immediately repeat their dialog and actions for the microphone. For the most part, the actors were able to do their dialog with the same words and pacing that would allow the two elements to appear to be in sync.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): There are two guitar cases at the bar, Azul's (filled with weapons) and El Mariachi's (with a guitar inside). When he leaves, Azul mistakenly takes El Mariachi's with him and leaves his own at the bar. But it should have been easy to notice the difference in weight between the two cases.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mauricio: Good morning, Azul. Know who this is?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Inside Troublemaker Studios (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Maldicion

Robert Rodriguez's feature film debut!!

El Mariachi (1992) was a fine debut for film maker Robert Rodriguez. He makes the most of his minuscule budget and makes a very entertaining action film. The story behind the making of the film is even more interesting than the movie itself. You can tell from this movie that Robert Rodriguez had a bright future in the movie business.

The story is about a musician who's trying to find work in a Mexican border town. None of the places he visits wants to hire a guitar player for their business. Meanwhile another man comes to town carrying a guitar case, he's no musician. He's a notorious hit man for a local gangster. When their paths cross, nothing but trouble lies ahead for the El Mariachi. Can the poor dude survive the week without being killed? Who is this guitar carrying killer? Why is he in town? What are the local crime boss' motives? To find out you'll have to watch EL MARIACHI!!!

An interesting debut that showed lots of promise. The movie was followed by a pseudo-sequel/remake a few years later with a bigger budget and a cast filled with a lot of named actors.

Highly recommended.