The Mexico Trilogy

Making movies should be fun.  But, as most directors will admit, once you’re called up to the major leagues a lot of the camaraderie and spontaneity goes out the window at the expense of big budgets and tight schedules.  Robert Rodriguez hit the jackpot with El Mariachi (1992), a run-and-gun labor of love shot in Mexico that caused such a stir on the festival circuit Columbia Pictures ponied up for a major release and fast-tracked a sequel/remake. While none of Rodriguez follow-up films were quite as handmade as his first feature, his work for the major studios always retains a certain joie de vivre, as if deep down he’s still just that guy making short films with a video camera in the backyard.

 

El Mariachi was a legendary success story that came at the height of the post-modern indie film movement.  Sharing buzz with his competition and collaborator Quentin Tarantino, Rodriguez created Hong Kong-style action for pennies on the dollar, working with non-professional actors but crafting an exciting “wrong man” scenario that essentially opened the floodgates for anyone with a camera, no crew and a dream.  30 years later, it’s still a bravura piece of filmmaking, full of John Woo energy and silent cinema humor that is more charming than amateurish.  

 

Three years later, Desperado would cover much the same ground with a better-looking cast (Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek) but the same rebellious attitude.  The opening sequence capitalizes on a Tarantino intro that doesn’t shy away from the “Man With No Name” references.  But Banderas adds a playful edge to the character, mowing down opponents with almost balletic grace.  You can tell Rodriguez is having just as much fun behind the camera as Banderas is having in front of it.

 

Put together quickly before a writer’s strike, Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) completes the trilogy and ups the ante with a complicated plot involving corrupt CIA agents, dirty cops, old grudges and a coup d’état…most of which has nothing to do with our lead character.  In attempting to elevate his little-film-that-could into The Good, The Bad & The Ugly territory, Rodriguez loses the mojo that made the series too-cool-for-school to begin with.  Famous faces pop up (Johnny Depp, Eva Mendez, Willem Dafoe and Mickey Rourke) but quickly get lost in the shuffle.  Depp brings some extra mojo, but a side plot involving a secondary character played by Ruben Blades is the only one that resonates.  Shot on digital video during the technology’s infancy, it also has the blandest look of the series.

 

No matter which film is your favorite, they all look terrific in Arrow’s new 4K + Blu-ray limited edition set, which gathers them all into one comprehensive package.  There a new interviews and extras included for each title, with Rodriguez providing concise little histories that don’t overstay their welcome.  This is not merely a rebranding; Arrow has tracked down a ton of cast and crew to record new material than enhances the archival stuff tossed in.  You even get Rodriguez’s 1991 short Bedhead that set the stage for his whole family business, Troublemaker Studios.  A superb set from beginning to end.

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