This is the cheapest movie I have ever seen.
And that’s not a bad thing.
Robert Rodriguez managed to scrape together $9000, mainly from taking part in clinical studies for experimental drugs. He went with his friend Carlos Gallardo to Gallardo’s hometown of Acu?a, Mexico, specifically to make the first of three Spanish-language straight-to-VHS-in-Mexico films.
Talk about aiming high. El Mariachi, the first, was good enough that Columbia Pictures bought the rights, refinished the film (for distribution as a movie, not a VHS tape), and released it in the States.
In the movie, our guitar player hero has traveled to Acu?a in search of work. He wants to be a mariachi, like his forefathers. Instead, he’s mistaken for Azul, who’s just out of jail and exacting revenge on his old partner, Moco. With love for and support from the lady who owns the local bar, he tries to work out the misperception that he’s a killer on the loose, only in the end to see her gunned down, himself shot in the hand, and his future as a mariachi ended.
It sounds simple enough. But it’s a really good story, and it’s laid out very well. Yes, it’s incredibly cheap, and yes, there are a million little things you’ll spot in this movie. But it’s a very good movie.
And it’s a thought provoking one. If Rodriguez and (small) crew could make this for less than $8k, why the hell do the big budget movies like Bangkok Dangerous (at a cost of $45 million!) suck so much?
I’ll take El Mariachi over Bangkok Dangerous any day.
Oh, and if you do get a chance to see this move, plan on seeing it twice. Watch it once, and then watch it again with the bonus commentary from Robert Rodriguez. He explains in great detail how he made the movie, what worked and what didn’t, how he saved money and how to make a movie for $7k. I usually don’t go for these kinds of commentaries, but this one is good and it’s a perfect match for this little film.
September 9th, 2008 at 3:48 am
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