Robert Rodriguez is one of the year’s most prolific filmmakers. Less than two months after releasing Spy Kids 3D, the third installment of the “El Mariachi” trilogy has entered theaters. The trilogy, which began in 1992’s El Mariachi and continued in 1995 with Desperado, stars Antonio Banderas as a guitar-playing gunslinger with a penchant for killing people in amazing and interesting ways.
To be honest, I’ve never seen the first two films in the trilogy. I wasn’t even planning on seeing this film because of that. However, a friend told me that you really don’t need to see the first two films to understand what’s going on here. Everything you need to know is presented here in flashback form. That said, the plot is still kind of muddled and confusing. Still, this movie’s charm isn’t found in its storytelling ability. The plot merely seems to exist to chain some really fun and exciting gun battle sequences together.
El Mariachi has gone into a sort of exile following the death of his wife (Salma Hayek) and daughter. When a CIA agent named Sands (Johnny Depp) comes to town to stop an assassination plot against the president of Mexico, which is to be initiated by a ruthless drug lord (Willem Dafoe), he tracks down El Mariachi. Sands wants El Mariachi to kill the man who will carry out the plot. The target just so happens to be the man who killed El Mariachi’s wife. Along the way, there are double-crosses, a subplot involving a retired FBI agent (Ruben Blades), and a lot of interesting action sequences. The action sequences are really the only thing that require much attention. And they’re simply awesome.
Robert Rodriguez, who wrote, directed, shot, edited and scored this film, is a filmmaking machine. His methods might prevent him from excelling at any one of these aspects of making his films, but the fact that he puts so much energy into his projects makes it almost impossible for at least some of that energy to end up on the screen. Using a digital camera, Rodriguez is able to move around and catch his actors with a type of kinetic camerawork that really catches the viewer’s attention.
Depp, who was so great in this summer’s Pirates of the Caribbean, threatens to steal the show here. Banderas’ Mariachi, who is the focal point of the story, seems to be on-camera less than Depp’s Sands. I say seems to be because I’m not sure if that’s true but I know that I remember Depp’s scenes more than Banderas’. Mickey Rourke, who has been in an exile of sorts from Hollywood, looks like he’s put on some mileage since I’ve seen him last, but he’s kind of likable as one of Willem Dafoe’s henchmen.
It’s not the greatest film in the world and by Rodriguez’s own admission, he made the film to test the limits of digital photography, but it’s still an incredibly entertaining action romp. If you’re skeptical, wait for the video or at least until it hits the budget theaters, but don’t miss it.
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
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