The third and final film of the El Mariachi trilogy.
Starring Antonio Banderas, Johnny Depp, Willem DaFoe, Michey Rourke, Salma Hayek
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Written by Robert Rodriguez
2003
Product Description
Robert Rodriguez returns with the mythic guitar-singing hero, El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas), in the third installment of the El Mariachi/Desperado trilogy. The saga continues as El Mariachi makes his way across a rugged landscape on the trail of Barrillo (Willem Dafoe), a kingpin who is planning a coup against the president of Mexico. Enlisted by Sands (Johnny Depp), a corrupt CIA agent, El Mariachi demands retribution, and the adventure begins. The character, made famous by Banderas, remains a slinger of guitars and guns, a tragic and bloodied hero, but a survivor forever.
DVD features
It's obvious that Robert Rodriguez has as much fun putting together a DVD as he does making a film. Start with his rapid-fire commentary track in which he spills forth everything from his overview of the
Mariachi series to how he partly wanted to make the film just so he could use high-def cameras after he saw footage from
Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Then listen to the score and sound effects in full bloom on the isolated track, supplemented by Rodriguez sharing stories, identifying themes, and playing demos. His comments are intermittent, but he tells you where to skip to if you just want to listen to him. His "Ten Minute Flick School," continuing a feature from the first two films, is a terrific, fast-moving glance at the filmmaking process that's much more interesting than most making-of documentaries. Riffing on that theme, the "Ten Minute Cooking School" (OK, it's only six minutes) shows how to make the slow-roasted pork dish that Johnny Depp's character loves. Picture and sound quality are very good, though not up to the high standards set by the
Superbit version of Desperado.
--David Horiuchi
