El Mariachi

Low-budget filmmaking creates many challenges, which can lead to distractions for the viewer. Out-of-focus shots, bad acting and cobbled-together scenes are just some of the flaws common in films made on the cheap. True filmmaking talent, however, can shine through in spite of these problems. "Clerks" showed Kevin Smith's trademark wit and working class pride despite being filmed on security cameras. "The Puffy Chair" captured the Duplass brothers' penchant for genuine emotional moments despite using an amateur cast. "Primer" featured a dazzlingly complex plot despite its $7,000 budget.

Alas, "El Mariachi" cannot match the creative sparks which ignite these three films. The debut feature of Robert Rodriguez, "El Mariachi" was famously shot in Mexico for $7,000, much of which was money Rodriguez raised by subjecting himself to medical experiments. But despite the charming backstory, "El Mariachi" is no more than a mediocre B-movie.

The singer of the film's title arrives in a small town in Mexico looking for work in a bar. Unfortunately for him, there happens to be a drug dealer in town, Azul, who dresses in a similar fashion and carries his gun in a guitar case. Azul is going on a rampage against the henchmen of Moco, the town's kingpin, who cheated him out of some money. Moco's men mistake the mariachi for Azul and try to kill him. Even more unfortunately for the mariachi, he falls in love with Domino, Moco's kept woman.

"El Mariachi" suffers from all the aforementioned low-budget flaws, but these are not what sink the film. The biggest problem here is the poorly constructed story. Every plot twist here is either totally predictable--the mariachi falling for Domino, for example--or inexplicable--the mariachi has a penchant for showing his face around town even when he knows there are armed men hunting for him.

The film has mixed success on a smaller level. There isn't a single memorable line of dialogue in the film. But Rodriguez does occasionally show some humor and charm, as when Domino playfully threatens to castrate the mariachi before he explains himself. Rodriguez also proves competent with the camera, providing some interesting framing and effective quick cuts (though he also has a penchant for rather lame, in-your-face close ups).

However, Rodriguez's subsequent career shows "El Mariachi" was a harbinger of things to come. Despite some limited successes--his segment of "Four Rooms," "Spy Kids," and "Sin City"--he has largely peddled schlock. "From Dusk Till Dawn," "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl," and "Planet Terror" all confirm that on balance, we would have been better off if Rodriguez had foregone those medical experiments and stuck to watching bad movies instead of making them.