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DVD Desperado (Special Edition)
It's Sergio Leone meets Sam Peckinpah meets Quentin Tarantino in this ultraviolent, mythological shoot-'em-up by auteur Robert Rodriguez. In Desperado, Rodriguez creates larger-than-life, genre-tweaking stock characters and puts them through their paces. As they stride bravely through an Old West lightly dusted with camp humor, they're periodically called upon to nimbly dodge bullets and fireballs through outrageously choreographed displays of Hollywood pyrotechnics. In this bigger-budget semi-remake/semi-sequel to Rodriguez's indie sensation, El Mariachi (made, famously, for $7,000), Antonio Banderas is the darkly charismatic El Mariachi, the Mysterious Stranger in town; Steve Buscemi is perfectly cast as his weasely, motor-mouth Comic Sidekick, laying the groundwork for El Mariachi's entrance by spinning saloon stories to build up his legend; Cheech Marin is a standout as the Bartender, who really knows how to handle a toothpick; and gorgeous Salma Hayek is, well, the Girl--treated to the kind of full-blown, slow-mo introduction the movies traditionally lavish on beautiful new stars. It doesn't add up to much, but it's a kick. Be careful not to blow out your speakers with the DVD's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. --Jim Emerson
Salma Hayek, who is an awesome sight for sore eyes throughout, made her real breakthrough with this film. Robert Rodriguez script is snappy, funny and dark which some brilliant one liner's and a well structured narrative. But the multi-talented Rodriguez (who directed, wrote, edited and composed the music to name but a few things) shines especially in his framing of each shot, drawing the audience in and delivering exactly what they want to see. Banderas must of killed about 50 people in this film.
Death Plays a Guitar
I am reviewing the video version as I have only seen the movie, and cannot comment on any extra features on the DVD.
Open movie: a dusty saloon, down south of the border. The patrons heave and sweat and put down bitter foul smelling drinks. Then, everything gets much worse. Enter Antonio Banderas, and Robert Rodriguez's tribute to spaghetti westerns everywhere (close-ups on faces included) begins in a rain of blood and bullets.
Banderas, El Mariachi, is a man out for revenge in the classic style of everyone from Hamlet to Lee Van Cleef. He blasts his way through the film with a plethora of weapons from his handy guitar case. His mission is to take down the man who killed his beloved, a common thug at one point, the gangster kingpin Bucho now.
Rodriguez's direction is pretty darn good. The lighting and camera angles and such really instill a feeling, with the dust and filtered, orange sunlight, of the west as the the sixguns spout their lead.
Of course, there is a bit more than mindless action. Rodriguez infuses the story with brief flashes of humor; a prime example is the scene in which Cheech Marin's bar is totaled, which is perhaps my favorite moment in the film. Another is the discovery of Bucho's would be hired assassin.
However, the movie is mostly that mindless action. Don't go into this expecting much more; you will be disappointed. However, if you want a quick and satisfying updating of the spaghetti western genre, then this is the ultimate package for you.
"Hey, you missed me!"
Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Mariachi
This film is supposedly a sequel to Rodriguez's earlier hit, "The Mariachi". As a sequel, it only partially succeeds. Partly this is because Antonio Banderas is just such a different person in terms of physique, drive and tone that the original mariachi. It was hard for me to make the jump that he was supposed to be playing the same person.
Another failure, from the sequel point of view, is that not enough is brought forward to the current film from the original. We know that Banderas is seeking vengeance for the murder of his girlfriend but not much else. The continuity between the two films is minimal.
That being said, this is still an effective shoot 'em up flick with lots of action and a few catchy lines. The conflicts are dramatic and you do find yourself wondering how in the world he is going to get out of the situations he finds himself in.
The plot is minimal and can be summarized succinctly: The bad guys have killed Banderas' girfriend and he is going to kill them all. That pretty much sums it up. Along the way, he faces doubts and searching questions from his friend and his new girlfriend. These do no keep him from blowing away the opposition but they do make him think about it for a little bit. "What happens when you finally get them all?" is a question asked more than one.
There is no doubt that this moive is violent and sexual in nature. If that does not scare you away and you like shoot 'em ups, then this can be an entertaining film. If you're looking for something more cerebral, look elsewhere.
Guns, guns, guns! And a few explosions as bodies fly through the air and crash into tables and fruit stands. Once Upon a Time in Mexico, like all Robert Rodriguez movies, is all about the kinetic kick of high-velocity action. Johnny Depp, blase and whimsical, plays a CIA agent who's drawn guitar-playing gun-slinger Antonio Banderas (long black hair flopping over his face like the ears of a Labrador puppy) into a ridiculously convoluted plot to overthrow the Mexican government. Along for the ride are a craggy-faced rogue's gallery including Willem Dafoe, Mickey Rourke, Danny Trejo, Ruben Blades, and (to balance things out) the smooth, tantalizing complexions of Eva Mendes and Salma Hayek. For sheer trashy fun, Once Upon a Time in Mexico is a step down from its predecessor,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Antonio Banderas - Salma Hayek - Johnny Depp - Willem Dafoe Director(s): Robert Rodriguez DVD Release Date: Released the 20 January 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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It is interesting to observe the difference of opinion among reviewers regarding the relative merits of "El Mariachi" and "Desperado". I agree with those who prefer the low-budget "El Mariachi". Of course it's a fictional tale, but its atmospherics and characters just seem genuinely redolent of northern Mexico; whereas "Desperado" is an entirely deracinated cartoonish Hollywood product. The fact that the language of "Desperado" is English, whereas that of "El Mariachi" is Spanish, is telling. Something bad seems to happen to Spanish-speaking actors, like Banderas and Selma Hayek, who "go Hollywood". It's hard to be a good actor in a language you speak imperfectly. Banderas and Hayek are both pretty much embarrasing in "Desperado". The no-name actors of "El Mariachi" are decidedly not.... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Carlos Gallardo - Consuelo Gómez Director(s): Robert Rodriguez DVD Release Date: Released the 26 August 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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From a match made in heaven comes a movie spawned in hell! Young hotshot director Robert Rodriquez (El Mariachi, Desperado) teamed up with Pulp Fiction auteur Quentin Tarantino (offering his services as writer and co-star) to make this outrageous, no-holds-barred hybrid of high-octane crime and gruesome horror. QT plays Richard Gecko, a borderline psychopath who breaks his career-criminal brother, Seth (George Clooney), out of prison, after which they rob a bank and leave a trail of dead and wounded in their bloody wake. Then they hijack a mobile home driven by a former Baptist minister (Harvey Keitel) who quit the church after his wife's death and hit the road with his two children (played by Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu). Heading to Mexico with their hostages, the... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Harvey Keitel - George Clooney - Quentin Tarantino - Juliette Lewis Director(s): Robert Rodriguez DVD Release Date: Released the 03 October 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
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A lusty and rousing adventure, this calls to mind those glorious costume dramas produced so capably by the old Hollywood studio system--hardly surprising, in that its title character, a de facto Robin Hood in Old California, provided starring vehicles for Douglas Fairbanks and Tyrone Power, the '50s TV hit, and dozens of serials and features. Zorro, a pop-fiction creation invented by Johnston McCulley in 1918, is given new blood in this fast-moving and engaging version, which actually works as a sequel to the story line in the Fairbanks-Power saga, The Mark of Zorro. A self-assured Anthony Hopkins is Don Diego de la Vega, a Mexican freedom fighter captured and imprisoned just as Spain concedes California to Santa Ana. Twenty years later, he escapes from prison to face down his... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Antonio Banderas - Anthony Hopkins - Catherine Zeta-Jones Director(s): Martin Campbell DVD Release Date: Released the 25 September 2001 This item is currently not available.
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Ancient curses, all-powerful monsters, shape-changing assassins, scantily-clad stewardesses, laser battles, huge explosions, a perfect woman, a malcontent hero--what more can you ask of a big-budget science fiction movie? Luc Besson's high-octane film incorporates presidents, rock stars, and cab drivers into its peculiar plot, traversing worlds and encountering some pretty wild aliens. Bruce Willis stars as a down-and-out cabbie who must win the love of Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) to save Earth from destruction by Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman) and a dark, unearthly force that makes Darth Vader look like an Ewok. --Geoff RileyMore Info about this DVD Director(s): Luc Besson DVD Release Date: Released the 11 January 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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