El Mariachi (1992) [Arrow Video 4K + Blu-ray Limited Edition] 

Part of The Mexico Trilogy box set from Arrow Video out 8/27/2024. 

A man hunted by bad guys because he carries a guitar case must protect and defend himself. 

Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez, El Mariachi marked the start of a fantastic career for a fun new voice in cinema. Here, his story is one of revenge and man against man, trying to survive while being the top of the pack. His work here is that of someone with a much more practiced hand at filmmaking when he was in fact presenting his very first feature film which had been preceded by only 2 short films. This $7,000 film is one that shows what passion and talent can do and how to bring a story to the screen properly with the right folks involved. This is the start of Rodriguez’s career really and it’s a banging start. The writing here is very good, the direction is great, which lead to a film that is entertaining while modernizing Westerns and giving new characters to fans of the genre. This film is the basis for not only the Mexico trilogy but also a long career filled with high points.  

The lead here is what this film is all about, El Mariachi, a musician with no name, a man with a past who is trying to make more of his future. This part here is played by actor (and producer on this film) Carlos Gallardo who is fantastically great in the part. He sells the movie. Yes, there are others involved, but this is his movie, and he proves it over and over again giving a great performance that sticks with you once the film is over. Of course, other come into play here and Consuelo Gómez as well as Peter Marquardt and Reinol Martinez make quite the impression here.  

This new release shows the gritty side of the film, the image quality being as good as it is going to get for El Mariachi, going high res as much as the original material will allow. The presentation of the film is solid with the original look of the film kept. The new high-res release here doesn’t go overboard trying to make the images more modern or anything like we’ve seen with a few films recently. This film here looks good and appropriate for the era it was produced in as well as its budget.  

This set is basically the set for fans of the Mexico trilogy and, until further notice, the set for Robert Rodriguez fans. It is packed with extras that are great watches with fascinating information on his process, behind the scenes work, each film, and even episodes of 10-Minutes Film School which is always a great watch. The inclusion of his 1991 short film Bedhead is a great move here as short films are often underseen. The set also includes interviews with some of his collaborators such as original Mariachi Carlos Gallardo and stunt coordinator Steve Davison, audio commentaries with Rodriguez, delete scenes, a featurette about the music of El Mariachi, a cooking video, new and archival materials, and a whole lot more. A dedicated fan could spend a full week going through these and be entertained.