a El Mariachi: Collector's Edition [Blu-Ray] (1992)
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ARROW

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Robert Rodriguez
Cast:
Carlos Gallardo, Consuelo Gómez, Jaime de Hoyos
Writing Credits:
Robert Rodriguez

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

MPAA:
Rated R.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio:
Spanish LPCM Stereo
English LPCM Stereo
Subtitles:
English
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
None

Runtime: 81 min.
Price: $99.95
Release Date: 8/27/2024

Available Only in “Mexico Trilogy” 3-Film Set

Bonus:
• Audio Commentary with Director Robert Rodriguez
Bedhead Short
• “10-Minute Film School” Featurette
• “Big Vision, Low Budget” Featurette
• “The Original Mariachi” Featurette
• “A Band of Misfits” Featurette
• Trailer & TV Spot


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RELATED REVIEWS


El Mariachi: Collector's Edition [Blu-Ray] (1992)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (August 7, 2024)

Some filmmakers hit the big time with a small-budget release and then quickly vanish from sight. The guys behind Blair Witch Project fell into that category, as we never heard bupkus from them after their big break.

However, quite a few others capitalized on their early cheap-o hits to establish real careers. Both John Carpenter and Kevin Smith started that way, and we can also add Robert Rodriguez to the list.

While his debut feature didn’t make a boat of money, it did put Rodriguez on the map. He made 1992’s El Mariachi for a remarkably low budget of $7000, and it launched him on a fairly successful career.

Set in Mexico, the film starts with a confrontation between Moco (Peter Marquardt) and a former member of his gang named Azul (Reinol Martinez). Azul went to jail, where he runs some simple criminal operations out of his cell.

Moco owes him many, which he attempts to claim after he offs the three men his former friend sent to kill him. Azul gets out of jail and takes his trademark guitar case full of weapons with him to get his pesos.

In the meantime, a wandering mariachi (Carlos Gallardo) arrives in town, where he tries to get work but fails to nab a job at a local bar. Immediately after he splits, Azul comes in on the trail of Moco and shoots up the place.

When he hears of this, Moco brings in Bigoton (Jaime de Hoyos) and his gang to nail Azul. Armed only with a loose description of Azul, the table is clearly set for misunderstanding, as it’s obvious the goons will mistake one guitar case carrier for the other.

The rest of the movie follows what happens after that misidentification occurs. Mostly the Mariachi attempts to stay alive and rectify the problem. He connects with barkeep Domino (Consuelo Gomez) along the way.

She takes pity on him and gives him a place to stay until things blow over, but inevitably, romance blossoms. We watch what happens as things head toward a violent climax.

El Mariachi brought Rodriguez to prominence partly due to its budget. Indeed, it’s almost impossible to believe this thing only cost $7000.

Technically, it didn’t. The final product on this disc got some post-production work that occurred after Columbia picked up the flick.

However, that little layer of polish doesn’t alter the mind-bendingly cheap nature of the original production and the fact Rodriguez delivered so much for the money. Not that one should expect a terrifically professional affair.

Mariachi definitely bears the scars of a low-budget film. The non-professional actors seem stiff and unconvincing at times, and the whole thing has the feel of a project made on the go.

Nonetheless, those qualities almost never become negatives. The quality of the acting doesn’t rise above a level of basic competence, but it doesn’t often need to do so. Mariachi presents a rapid-fire action flick, and tremendous acting talent doesn’t seem necessary for that sort of movie.

However, an eye for style is important for such a tale, and Rodriguez has that in droves. The flick becomes cartoony and hyper-stylized at times.

For instance, this occurs when the Mariachi meets the one-man band. After a rapid zoom, Rodriguez delivers an auditory screeching of tires plus the insanely loud cracking of knuckles.

Those moments could become irritating, but the director only sporadically unleashes them, and the film’s general energy keeps things moving well. Rodriguez displays a great eye for action staging, and these pieces usually come across as exciting and creative. He also uses well placed humor to defuse – and occasionally extend – tension, such as during the chase sequence at the hotel.

Parts of El Mariachi seem predictable. Heck, the entire plot is easy to read since as I already alluded, it’s not exactly a shock when the mistaken identity thread develops. The movie also moderately peters out as it heads toward an inevitable confrontation at its climax.

Nonetheless, El Mariachi displays the strength of a filmmaker with nothing to lose. Shot for almost no money and made with very low aspirations, the flick plays out as a charged and exciting piece. Despite a mix of flaws and some cheesy production values, the film resonates with energy and remains an impressive – and entertaining – movie.


The Disc Grades: Picture C+/ Audio B-/ Bonus B

El Mariachi appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Due to budgetary issues, El Mariachi demonstrated a lot of iffy visuals, but it looked reasonably good given those restrictions.

For the most part, the film showed the various issues often connected with 16mm movies. Sharpness usually looked pretty solid.

Some of the shots came across as a bit soft and tentative, but most of the movie was acceptably detailed and distinctive. I saw no issues related to jagged edges or shimmering, and edge haloes remained absent.

Given the 16mm source, the movie tended to look very grainy. I also noticed more than a few examples of specks and marks, though these decreased as the film progressed.

Colors favored a somewhat yellow/red tone to match the arid settings, and these fared fine. While the hues didn’t dazzle, they managed to offer reasonable range and punch.

Black levels were fine, as they showed good depth, and low light shots offered reasonably clarity. Outside of the print flaws, this turned into a good representation of a 16mm source.

Via an LPCM stereo soundtrack, the film came in its original Spanish, though it also included an English dub. The soundfield didn’t dazzle me, but it seemed appropriately engaging.

Music showed nice stereo imaging and the effects helped create a modest but useful sense of atmosphere. Much of the audio remained pretty centered, but a mix of elements popped up in the side speakers, and they meshed together reasonably well.

Audio quality seemed positive from start to finish. Speech sounded natural and lacked any issues connected to intelligibility or other flaws.

Music was warm and dynamic, as the score presented crisp highs and warm lows. Effects came across as accurate and tight.

They didn’t show any prominent distortion as they captured the original elements well. Overall, the soundtrack of El Mariachi satisfied given the restrictions of the source.

How did this 2024 Arrow Blu-ray compare to the prior release from 2011? Though it went from DTS-HD MA to LPCM, both offered very similar audio.

I also thought the two provided visuals without a lot to differentiate them. That said, I felt the Arrow Blu-ray showed mildly superior shadows and colors, so it got the nod.

The 2024 Arrow release mixes old and new extras, and we open with an audio commentary from director Robert Rodriguez, who offers a running, screen-specific piece. A chatty participant, he gives us a nice look at the creation of his film.

Rodriguez clearly remains proud of the fact he made El Mariachi on a nearly non-existent budget, and this track mostly lets us know how he did so. He covers all the ins and outs of no-budget movie-making and provides a concise and lively discussion of the processes.

The emphasis remains on the technical elements – and how to avoid paying much money for them – but he never gets bogged down in dull minutiae. At times Rodriguez repeats himself, and his tendency to refer to actors by their character names gets a little old at times, but overall the commentary seems informative and entertaining.

Someone alert the false advertising folks: the disc’s Ten-Minute Film School actually runs 14 minutes, 38 seconds! It packs scads of information into that span, as we get a great look at how Rodriguez shot Mariachi on the cheap.

He narrates the program as we watch raw film footage, a few behind the scenes shots, and finished clips. Rodriguez touches on many techniques he utilized during the production. He already chatted about more than a few of these in his commentary, but the fact we can watch them as well makes “School” valuable. It’s a briskly paced and very informative piece.

Made in 1990, we find a short film called Bedhead. It runs nine minutes, none seconds and tells a tale of a tormented girl who gets psychic revenge on her awkwardly-coiffed brother.

The movie seems rough and amateurish but shows enough style to become somewhat interesting. Even if it stunk, however, it’d make a nice historical addition to the set.

From here, we come to extras not on the 2011 Blu-ray. Big Vision, Low Budget spans 14 minutes, 41 seconds and provides a new interview with Rodriguez.

We hear what interested Rodriguez in filmmaking as well as aspects of the Mariachi shoot. A little repetition occurs after the commentary and “School” but Rodriguez nonetheless delivers a good collection of new notes.

The Original Mariachi goes for 15 minutes, 21. It delivers notes from actor/producer Carlos Gallardo.

We find info about Gallardo’s relationship with Rodriguez as well as his work on the film.

Mext we go to A Band of Misfits. This reel occupies 12 minutes, 41 seconds and provides remarks from Rodriguez and composers Eric Guthrie, Chris Knudson, Alvaro Rodriguez and Marc Trujillo.

As expected, “Band” examines the movie’s music. We get an interesting examination of the film’s unconventional score.

Finally, the disc delivers two ads. We get a trailer as well as a TV spot.

Shot on the shoestringiest of shoestring budgets, El Mariachi rarely totally overcomes its financial restraints. However, the movie usually surpasses expectations and actually allows us to forget its amateurish roots. It seems lively and exciting and remains much more entertaining than most blockbusters. The Blu-ray presents decent picture plus positive audio and quality supplements highlighted by an excellent audio commentary. El Mariachi provides a memorable ride.

Note that this 2024 Arrow release of El Mariachi comes only as part of a three-movie “Mexican Trilogy” package. It also includes new Blu-rays of Desperado and Once Upon a Time In Mexico as well as a 4K UHD for Desperado.

To rate this film visit the prior review of EL MARIACHI

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