Bravo

When Robert Rodriguez made Once Upon a Time in Mexico, certainly his best film, he ripped off ideas from two other films: Gallardo's own "Single Action" and this film, "Bravo". I thought that was more widely known; but in any event, it ought to be.

Gallardo plays a professional bodyguard to the President of Mexico, who gets fired for having an affair with the president's daughter. We later find him having to make a living as a member of a mariachi trio. Meanwhile, a major drug boss has hired a corrupt general to throw a coup, but his timing is off, because he's still waiting for his most profitable shipment to come in from Columbia. So he has to hold the President hostage until the delivery is made. This makes time for the mariachi to pick up his guns again and try to stop the coup....

Sound familiar, hey? And four years before OUTIM.

This is a B-action film, but it doesn't pretend to be otherwise, except that it also makes a very broad comment on Mexican politics. But not knowing anything about those politics should not prevent one from enjoying this film. It is occasionally slow, and there are occasional missteps in direction and editing, but the cast is pretty solid, the story pulls us along, most of the action is well-done. I enjoyed watching more than once.

And no, it's not "El Mariachi." It doesn't need to be.