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A lively, entertaining story about a traveling minstrel (a Mariachi) who is
mistaken for a notorious gangster. In an unfamiliar city where he knows no one, a
beautiful young barmaid befriends him, and tries to help him escape the ruthless outlaws
who are pursuing him.
Poor but proud, the precious thing about this film is that it was made on a
budget of $7000. Robert Rodriguez, the chief cook and bottle-washer, took part in a
laboratory study in order to raise part of the money. He co-wrote, directed, edited,
co-produced and filmed the entire project, using a broken hospital wheel-chair for moving
camera shots. While the film feels "low-budget" and
"independent", all of the elements required to tell a story are intact; the
chase scenes are exciting, the gags are funny and the romantic interludes are sincere.
A delightful surprise at the Sundance Film Festival, Robert Rodriguez was
presented with the Audience Award for El Mariachi (1993).
Runtime: 81 minutes

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