What makes it different from others?

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

I like it. Good example of independent filmmaking. And Rodriguez is one of my favourites. Definitely worth a watch. I watched it many times now and still keeps inspiring me. Story is good and it's well shot by a single man. Would recommend to anyone trying to break in into the industry. Such a nice archivement.

I have loved some of Robert Rodriguez's later works like Sin City, so I was pretty excited to see this movie.The movie is extremely small budget and it really feels like it is more expensive than that. I mean, Robert Rodriguez makes this movie look like it had much more money spent on it, and that is because of his creativity and resourcefulness.The directing is really good. I loved many of the shots and scenes in this movie and the way they are edited.My problem with the film or at least my dilemma is... I just find this movie OK. The main actor and character itself is pretty lousy, the movie is too long for its own good, and the story is just OK.Many people argue that this might be justified because of the low budget. But I do believe that all of the story problems don't have anything to do with the budget. It is not as if I don't like low-budget films, I LOVE "The Evil Dead" and other low-budget films. I just find this movie uneventful, and sometimes boring.I think this film is the kind of film you should only watch once and move on with your life. I do recommend you to watch it though.

A simple story about mistaken identities and lost idealism, "El Mariachi" gets high marks from me for its authentic visuals and absence of big-name movie stars. The film was shot in a real town on the Mexican border, enhancing realism. There are lots of hand-held camera shots, fast cutting, and pleasant lack of CGI. Images look grainy, possibly intentionally so. When the movie was made, none of the actors were well known. As a result, you see characters, not actors playing script roles. Despite the lack of professional actors, overall acting quality is fine.Ambient sounds are amplified, probably for dramatic effect. I really like the guitar score; it's appropriate for the Mexican setting, and it's slightly mysterious. Effective editing masks minor mistakes, such as mismatched lighting and poor lip-sync.The main weakness is the script, originally only 40 pages in length. A guitar-playing musician comes to town looking for work. Unbeknownst to him, a man wearing similar clothes and also carrying a guitar case is involved with a drug kingpin.Except for some violence at times, the story itself is fairly low-key; gore is minimal, thankfully. Though the story could be construed as serious, the tone is decidedly tongue-in-cheek.This film is a pleasant change from splashy, over-hyped, big-budget Hollywood productions that cost millions of dollars. Though I found the story a bit boring and contrived, the overall production offset the script's weaknesses. "El Mariachi" is a good film to watch at least once for its authentic visuals and its ability to convey a credible story at a very low budget.

(Credit IMDb) El Mariachi just wants to play his guitar and carry on the family tradition. Unfortunately, the town he tries to find work in has another visitor...a killer who carries his guns in a guitar case. The drug lord and his henchmen mistake El Mariachi for the killer, Azul, and chase him around town trying to kill him and get his guitar case.Boring, low-budget, and poorly acted came to mind while I was viewing this movie. Yes. I mentioned the word overrated with this infamous Robert Rodriguez trilogy, but I did enjoy Desperado to some extents. I can see why people love this movie. It has a sense of style; they did what they could with the budget they had, but for this to have 7.0 rating baffles and befuddles me to the extreme.The Acting Carlos Gallardo is OK as Mariachi, but he doesn't have the presence of Banderas, and I didn't feel the qualities needed for him to help make this movie successful.Bottom line. I'll be honest with you. I watched this one over a month ago, and I'm struggling to remember things about it. Probably tells you the impact it had on me. Perhaps this one is for you, it clearly wasn't for me.3/10