Desperado

Desperado is one of those movie that this blog was made for. Action movies filled with shootouts, sexy women, and good humor, are still one of my favorite kind of movies (along with comedies, and fantasy/sci fi movies). And Desperado, made in 1995, and directed by Robert Rodriguez delivers on all fields.

We follow the story of El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) as he embarks on the last stage of his revenge on the people who killed his wife some time ago. He is out to kill Bucho, and anyone who gets in his way will get killed. That's the basic plot, but don't let it fool you, the story has several subplots which fit in the story really well, not to mention that the movie itself is the second part of the „Mexico Trilogy“ (yeah, I started with the second installment).

Generally the movie bleeds awesomeness and manliness. El Mariachi is a major badass, not only he can play his guitar and win over the hearts of many women, but he can also walk in the bar and start a shootout in which everyone else dies and he exits unharmed. Sure, it may not be most realistic, but it's awesome as hell. From other characters I must single out Bucho (Joaquim de Almeida) a charismatic drug lord, who struggles to keep his thugs in line, as well as Danny Trejo as Navajas, a hitman sent by the Colombians, who gets accidentally killed by Bucho's men. Special appearances by Quentin Tarantino and Cheech Marin as the most awesome bartender ever are also noteworthy. And last but certainly not least, we have hot as hell Salma Hayek, one of the sexiest actresses ever.

Another thing also stands out, and that's the soundtrack. It's written and performed by the Los Angeles rock bands, Los Lobos and Tito & Tarantula, performing traditional Ranchera and Chicano rock music. Other artists on the soundtrack album include Dire Straits, Link Wray, Latin Playboys and Carlos Santana. Musician Tito Larriva has a small role in the film, and his band, Tito & Tarantula, contributed to the soundtrack as well. Just listen to „Morena de mi Corazon“ and say that it isn't the manliest love song you have ever heard.

There is not much else to say because the movie doesn't take itself too seriously and doesn't have any kind of higher message. It's simply a mindless action flick, and an excellent one.

Rating: 9/10

RATED PURE GENIUS

- review by Magnum

Last updated: 2010-05-07 13:00:02 by CoolAwesomeDuo

I guess I’m going backwards in this trilogy. A few months back, I watched Once Upon a Time in Mexico, the third part of what is often called the “El Mariachi” trilogy. Desperado is part two. I have yet to watch the original El Mariachi, but rest assured, I’ll get to it.
This is one of those films I’ve heard nothing but good things about and have seem bits and pieces of, but never actually sat down and watched the whole thing from beginning to end, for one reason or another until today. Although I pretty much knew that I wouldn’t be disappointed, I had no idea that I’d be blown away!
The good…two words…Salma…Hayek!!!! That’s it…I can stop this review right there. lol
Seriously, though, my obsession with Salma aside. The story is well written. You feel Banderas’conflict and want him to track this guy down and get his revenge. The little kid whom he takes under his wing, if you will, is an added element that initially I was skeptical about ,but given what happens to him, it makes sense. The gunfights are awesome and reminiscent of the good old westerns of yesteryear. This is a Robert Rodriguez film, so of course thee has to be lots of blood, but surprisingly, with the exception of one guy getting run over by a truck, there are no guts. I happened to like that. Certain genres call for blood and guts, while others don’t.
The bad…as much as I hate to say thins, Salma Hayek’s character crashed and burned, especially after she and El Mariachi had sex. What I mean by that is that when we first meet her she is smart and sexy, but something happens somewhere and she becomes basically one of those chicks that just attached on to the guy and screams at every little thing that happens to him. No, I’m exaggerating, but you get the picture about what happens to her character. They introduce this drug smuggling factor in, but never realy go anywhere with it, and after the one scene and a brief interrogation of Salma that leads back to the original plot, it isn’t mentioned ever again. To me, that seemed kind of pointless. I’m not sure what Steve Buscemi was supposed to be doing here, but his character didn’t quite fit. I’m not sure why. I mean, he has a purpose, but there is just something odd about a random white guy down in Mexico I suppose.
I have to say, with the past couple pieces of crap I’ve seen it was nice to see something that was actually worth watching. Desperado is one of those films that you just don’t want to end. It has a mix of old west flair and modern-day heroics and sex appeal. If you haven’t seen this yet, what are you waiting for?

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A long time ago when I was a high school student, I got sick and decided to go back home. I thought maybe of going to sleep after eating something because I won’t have any powers reading anything with this weakness I felt...but then another thought came to mind and changed things around.

I went to the kitchen, grabbed something to eat and put on a film I haven’t seen before. It was called Desperado. I didn’t know what to except but I hoped it will be a good film so it could cheer me up.

The movie went on and on and I forgot all about school, homework and my sickness. For that 106 minutes I was in Desperado and Desperado was in my living room, there was nothing else in the world, this was the world!

What can I say? A film that can cause me to forget about everything and just have fun even when I’m sick is a winner, and this film my friends is a winner.

The plot is very easy and not that interesting, but the film is produced and directed perfectly and you are pulled into this desert town with guns and different people and characters you won’t find in your own town or big city...like I said, Desperado is a different world and for 106 minutes it becomes you world...for good and for bad.

One thing I do notice today is that Robert Rodriguez (the director) loves death scenes in bars. Just like in From Dusk Till Dawn, here there is also a great scene with shooting, fighting and a whole lot of blood that takes place inside the town’s bar.

All in all, this is a fun film to watch and forget about everyday trouble and just be  part of this town and its interesteing dymanic...Desperado is a film for you to enjoy and I think you will.

Jessie