User reviews

There are so many adjectives one could use describing this film, I wouldn't know where to begin to start. I'll just try to limit them to a few. The headline here states one of them. Others could be "ludicrous," "fun," "amusing," "stupid," etc. You get the idea.

Robert Rodriguez took the profits from his first film, "El Mariachi," and continued on with the story now with more funds, so he made it glossier, more explosive, added some name actors and, of course, way overdid it, making it almost a cartoon it is so outrageous. He continued this with the third film, "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" which is even more of the same.

If something worked subtly the first time, filmmakers think that to improve on it is by bombarding the audience with it the next time. They don't know when enough is enough and, boy, does that apply to Rodriguez. He does keep you entertained, though, once you check your brains at the door and begin watching the show. However, all this excess makes it lose any credibility "El Mariachi" might have built up with the first show in this trilogy.

Whether the movie is really dumb or its just tongue-in-cheek humor by Rodriguez, it has super-style and fun to watch. Talk about stylish! No wonder Quentin Tarantino and he are good friends and the latter has a guest appearance in the film. They both love having fun with the cameras.

The first eight minutes let you know what you are in for: outrageousness. It's an 8-minute scene at a bar involving a story told by Steve Buscemi. It's one of the highlights of the movie.

Antonio Bandaras and Selyma Hayek are the "good guys" but they aren't exactly Billy Graham and Mother Teresa. If they are the good guys, you can imagine how evil the "bad guys" are? Speaking of them, two of the toughest- looking hombres in the business are chief among the villains: Joaquim de Almeida and Danny Trejo.

Some of the action scenes are so outrageous you laugh out loud. My favorite was a guy shooting rockets out of his guitar case! As that tells you, it's just a wild ride: 103 minutes of south-of-the-border Rodriguez-Tarantino lunacy and despite what may sound like a bunch of insults, I always have fun watching this movie.

A true 90's cowboy movie, everyone who saw El Mariachi could foresee that this picture would take the concept to the top. Fast-paced, greatly shot, incredibly edited, this movie refuses to take itself seriously and is well-succeeded in so. Antonio Banderas is the perfect Mariachi, adding a new depth to the first movie's main character. He seeks revenge. Revenge for all the things they did to him. And he will get it, the easy way or the hard way. Fellow portuguese Joaquim de Almeida is Bucho, the villain, whose relationship with El Mariachi turns out quite surprising near the end. Until they both meet, there will be much gun-slinging action to fill the screen with anthological scenes, like the bar fight, the "Quedate Aqui" song and the final showdown. The movie is a comedy, even in the action scenes. I guarantee it, it's two hours of fun and a visible influence of the Westerns and B-Movies in someone's talent. Cracking good fun, which becomes addictive. Memorable movie.

Desperado (1995) was a fun and big budgeted version of Desperado. Robert Rodriguez has fun with the film and the characters from El MARIACHI. Antonio Banderas stars as the mythical El Mariachi whilst Salma Hayyek co-stars as his love interest. Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, Steve Buscemi and Quentin Tarantino are among the other stars who make guest star appearances.

El Mariachi is hiding out in another small desert town. He's become a legendary vigilante who's still seeking out justice for his dead girlfriend. He has a companion (Steve Buscemi) who helps him out find those who were connected to the boss from the first film. During one of his hits, a hired gun from another crime family comes into town (Danny Trejo). He also fits the description of El Mariachi (somewhat). A local book dealer (Salma Hayek) crosses paths with the legendary crime fighter. Who is the man behind all of El Mariachi's sorrow? Why is he so desperate to single handedly trying to crush the crime in the area? How does he do it by himself? Is he that good? To find out the answers for all of these questions you'll just have to watch DESPERADO.

A fun second parter to EL MARIACHI. Unlike most sequels, you don't need to watch the first film to enjoy this one. It's just another entertaining film that'll burn some time. Enjoy!

Highly recommended.

Rodriguez follows up 'El Mariachi' with 'Desperado'. Many seem to have preferred the raw look that 'El Mariachi' had and while 'Desperado' is more 'sophisticated' in the making and more polished, that doesn't prevent it from being an awesome action entertainer. For me, it was just as much fun as 'El Mariachi'. Rodriguez does what he does best. He already mentioned that his Mariachi films are a tribute to the western cinema that names like Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood defined and 'Desperado' works perfectly with its comic book story, quirky characters and over-the-top action sequences. Moving at a rapid pace, the direction and editing are top notch. The cinematography is brilliant too. Antonio Banderas does a good job taking over the role from Carlos Gallardo (who sort of plays his sidekick in this one). However, it is Salma Hayek that steals the show even though the story is dominated by El Mariachi. As Carolina, she is sensual, witty, charming and quite clever too. Hayek delivers a very natural performance and owns each and every one of her scenes. In addition, there are some wonderful cameos by Cheech Marin, Quentin Tarantino, Steve Buscemi and Danny Trejo. Overall, 'Desperado' is full throttle entertainment. This is what an action entertainer is supposed to be.

This is allegedly the sequel to "El Mariachi", but let's be honest, this is actually the same film made with more experience, a higher budget, better actors and better technology... and phenomenal music.

7/10

Sharp knives, big guns, awesome fights, great dialog, wonderful characters and Selma Hayek looks better then ever. These are just a few reasons why I like this movie.

"Desperado" is more than an action movie. It has tons of fun in it which makes the movie extremely likable to watch. The action is way over the top but it works very well since the movie obviously doesn't take itself serious. It's fun and cool to watch at the same time.

"Desperado" is a kind of movie that really needs no story and basically there isn't really any. All the fun characters, dialog and action sequences make you forget that there isn't really a story. The Quentin Tarantino cameo is especially entertaining and so are almost every Mexican bad guy that are all in one way or another over the top.

A must see, in my opinion.

9/10

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After watching El Mariachi, it was easy to see the improvement in production values between the two. Not surprising, considering the difference in the price tag of the two films. But, as I pointed out in my El Mariachi review, money isn't everything.

Although better visually, Desperado benefits from better actors who bring more life to the characters. The overall effect, given another reasonable plot, is to make a much more polished looking film that deservedly did as well as it did at the box office.

The aforementioned plot is, essentially, the same as the first film when you boil it down - the Mariachi ends up killing a lot of no-good drug-dealers and warlords etc. - and there's the obligatory love interest. But although very similar, this movie was more enjoyable due to it's overall finish and style.

I originally watched this movie some years ago, long before I got to see the original El Mariachi, so I suppose I am a little biased in preferring this one to the the first in that Banderas IS the Mariachi as far as I was concerned. But not to knock the first movie, which tells us the early history of the Mariachi, and is a worthy film in its own right.

Desperado is good, if sometimes a little gory, fun. Nothing to analyse too much, just enjoy. If you have the opportunity, watch the original, then this one and things will make a lot more sense. Desperado has enough back history woven into it to make it a standalone film, but the overall experience is better watching the two back to back.

I've heard many people say that they couldn't follow the plot of this flick.I think they totally missed the point of this movie.ITS AN ACTION MOVIE.thats the whole plot.Its called lets find the bad guy,and his henchmen,and kill them.I thought it was absolute genius.Skip the plot,and go straight to the action.Banderas was pure fire.All his emotions smouldering just beneath the surface.The stunts and effects were first rate and extremely entertaining.Even the extras did great work.I would recommend this film to anyone who is wanting some great entertainment.Mark me don't go looking for some Oscar winning dramatic performances.But it is fun,pure unadulterated fun.Also the photography is absolutely first rate.As is the almost Kubrickesque atmosphere of the film.Ydnar

Some movies are just brimming with potential, and it's not hard to see that they are a very short distance from being fantastic. I'm a big fan of stylish violence and over-the-top gun-play, but I can't help but wish that Desperado had more than that to offer. 

Well...it has that and ample helpings of Salma Hayek looking her absolute best, but thats not quite enough to make up for the fact that this movie doesn't hold up well to subsequent viewings. The first time around it's a blast, but the second time it could barely hold my attention in most scenes. File Desperado into the category of movies that start of really strongly, and then slowly lose steam as they go along. Some more humor, clever dialogue, or a stronger story, would have greatly helped to fill in the slow areas between the action scenes.

Robert Rodriguez's Desperado is the original south of the border shoot em up bloodbath, bar none. I'm aware it's a sequel/remake of Robert's breakout debut El Mariachi, but the now legendary style and brutality he cultivated started to blossom here in the Mexican desert with scowling Antonio Banderas and his guitar case packed with heavy artillery. The aesthetic coalesced into something measurable here, whilst in Mariachi we only saw fits and starts. Here the tone is solidified and paves the way for the magnum opus that is Once Upon A Time In Mexico, my favourite Rodriguez flick. It all starts with the image of Banderas sauntering into a scumbucket cantina, full of sweaty machismo and smouldering angst, laying waste to the place with more phallic firepower than the entire wild Bunch. It's a time capsule worthy sequence that demonstrates the pure viscerally intoxicating effect that the action film has on a viewer, when done as well as it is here. Narrated by wisecracking sidekick Buscemi (Steve Buscemi, naturally), Banderas positively perforates the place, fuelled by the internal furnace of revenge, shrouded in the acrid scent of gunpowder and awash in tequila delirium. As soon as this sequence blows past, the credits roll up and we're treated to a Mariachi ballad sung by Antonio himself, belted out with his band to ring in this hell-beast of a movie. Together, those two scenes are some of the very, very best opening sequences you can find out there, timelessly re-watchable. The rest of the film pulls no punches either, as we see El leave a wanton gash of carnage in his wake across Mexico, on a vision quest of violence as he works his way up the ranks of organized crime, starting with slimy dive bar owner Cheech Marin. Quentin Tarantino has a spitfire cameo, rattling off a ridiculous joke before El steps into yet another bar and the sh*%#t (as well as the blood) hits the fan. His endgame target is crime boss Bucho, played with terrifying ferocity by Joaquim De Almeida. It's hard to picture an angrier performance than Banderas's before Almeida shows up, but this guy is a violent livewire who's not above capping off his own henchman like ducks in a row, puffing on a giant cigar and casually blowing the smoke in his concubine's face mid coitus. El has a love interest of his own too, in the form of ravishing, full bodied Carolina (Salma Hayek). Hayek is a babe of the highest order, and their steamy candle lit sex scene is one of the most full on 'jizz your pants' rolls in the hay that 90's cinema has to offer. This is an action film to the bone though, and they've scarcely mopped up and caught their breath before he's forced to dispatch another horde of Bucho's degenerates in high style. One has to laugh a bit when a guitar case becomes a full on rocket launcher during the earth shattering finale, but such are the stylistic dreams of Rodriguez, a filmmaker who is never anything short of extreme in his work. As if the guns weren't enough, Danny Trejo shows up as a mute assassin who like to hurl throwing knives at anything that moves, and it's this Baby Groot version of his Machete character years later that comes the closest to punching El's ticket. The stunt work is jaw dropping as well, a tactile ballet of broad movements, squib armies that light up the screen, accompanied by gallons of blood that follows the thunder clap of each gunshot wound like crimson lightning. It's a perfect package for any lover of action, romance, action, darkest of humour, action, oh and action too. When discussing films that have held up in years or decades since release, this one is not only a notable mention, it's a glowing example and a classic that has just aged gorgeously.

Nice movie with a bit of everything....action/thriller/suspense and romance Good movie

In this edition of "Sequels Better than the First" we have "Desperado" which was definitely better than "El Mariachi." It had better lighting, sound, picture, script, actors, etc. "Desperado" joins movies such as "Godfather II," "The Empire Strikes Back," "T2," and "Robocop 2" just to name a few sequels better than their predecessors.

The no-named Mariachi player is now being played by Antonio Banderas. He is after Bucho (Joaquim de Almeida), the big boss who was pulling the strings when his old flame was killed. He will go from town to town and bar to bar leaving a trail of dead bodies in order to find Bucho.

Helping him is his friend played by Steve Buscemi. Also helping him is his new flame, Carolina (Salma Hayek). Like I said, upgrades all around.

This is a shoot 'em up action flick with a Mexican flare. It's somewhat of a throwback to Spaghetti Westerns, yet in modern day. Looking purely at body count and bullet count, this movie could be virtually indistinguishable from your typical Hollywood action movie. But, just the subtle change of location, accents, and substituting white faces for brown faces and suddenly the new packaging makes the entire product better.

Robert Rodriguez ridiculous action from the first scene. Love me some male fantasy adventure. But not as good as the first movie due to failing to set up the full over arching plot.

A bad ending takes away from the movie, heard he took it out due to try and get the rating down. :( If you like crazy action this movie provides it.

I enjoyed the first half of this film. Great cast with many well know actors. I lost interest in the film towards the end. The twists felt lame and did not make much sense. Non stop shoot outs, also became a bit repetitive.

Sinking us back into the gritty life of a tormented guitar player, Rodriguez sets the stage for an amazing film. This time, Antonio Banderas steps into the role of the troubled Mariachi as he continues his quest to rid Mexico of the corrupted drug lord that destroyed his life. Using friends like Steve Buscemi, he finds the town that is harboring his villain named Bucho. The Mariachi's form of questioning normally leads to several dead, a cinematic gun fight, and some classic Sergio Leone verbiage. Unfortunately, our hero does not escape unscathed and finds himself being healed by the likes of Carolina, a bookstore beauty played by Selma Hayek. Together they build a steamy relationship that will help our Mariachi reach his final destination.

As more gunfights, explosions, and blood rock this independent blockbuster, we soon discover a hidden secret about our hero, one that could change the course of his destination.

This was an impressive second outing by director Robert Rodriguez. While I was worried that Hollywood would have drained too much of his imagination, it was instead the direct opposite. Hollywood gave him the tools to build an amazing 'sequel'. While different, yet the similar to his independent feature 'El Mariachi', Rodriguez sets the stage for a roller coaster film that makes you hold your breath and pray for more. He has taken elements from his first film and expanded them to new levels. Banderas is perfect as our 'new' Mariachi and the chemistry between him and Selma Hayek cannot be contested. Banderas' ability to control this enraged man was spectacular. They worked as our two main focuses of this film. Coupled with some humorous moments with Steve Buscemi and Quentin Tarantino, this film successfully stood on its own two feet thanks not just to the action, but the actors in their respective roles.

Finally, Rodriguez is a genius behind the camera. He is able to give us exactly the right amount of action, drama, and comedy for our liking. He is the proverbial salad bar of cinema. While giving us this deeply rooted character hell-bent on destroying this drug lord, he also lets our imaginations wander with his comical and cartoonish action sequences. The scenes of men flying through the air after being shot are somewhat comical, yet completely Rodriguez. He has successfully created this world that is all uniquely his own. Rodriguez has done this by giving the world depth and outside characters. He builds suspense and also suspicion all at the same time.

Overall, an amazing film (in case you haven't noticed) that should be found in nearly everyone's film collection.

Grade: ***** out of *****

This movie first showed me how much a good action director can actually do with one of the smoothest actors in hollywood. No complex plot you say? That's not why this movie was made. It's the attitude, the ambiance and the style. This is an amazing movie that can be watched over and over and over...

Desperado almost comes off as a spoof of typical shoot em up movies, but it works. Banderas has the perfect disposition, badass yet lighthearted and comical. Hayek brings the chemistry. Decent action and some fun moments.

I'd like to state up front that this is one of my favorite movies of all time. If you love Quentin Tarantino, westerns, or movies where a lone character absolutely decimates an entire population of villains (à la Atomic Blonde, The Equalizer, or John Wick), you will love Desperado. Written and Directed by Robert Rodriguez (recently known for directing Alita: Battle Angel), this is definitely his best movie. It's an original story, written produced and directed by RR himself. Interestingly enough Desperado is the second in Rodriguez's El Mariachi trilogy, which all more or less have the same premise: musician's love interest is killed at the hands of a gangster, and "the mariachi" goes on a quest for revenge. No one saw the first movie of the trilogy because no one memorable was in it, and the third entry Once Upon A Time In Mexico was too ambitious for it's own good, with a massive cast of characters that frankly diluted the fun out of the whole movie. Aside from a few memorable lines from Johnny Depp, it's mostly forgettable.

BUT NOT DESPERADO! It's the perfect blend of cinematography, music, and great script, made even better by the smooth yet seething Antonio Banderas as El Mariachi (EM), and the sexy-as-all-heck Salma Hayek as Carolina the librarian love interest. The opening 8 minutes sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Steve Buscemi walks into a seedy bar and proceeds to emphatically and with great showmanship tell the story of the "biggest Mexican I've ever &*$#%! seen" who massacred a bar full of low-lifes a few towns away. His story is aided by frequent cuts to said bar where the titular character performs physically impossible feats of execution. Half the fun of the movie is watching the characters learn about the terror of El Mariachi and watching their reactions when he finally arrives. And when he does, the heavy guitar music ramps up, and the set pieces provide an extremely fun backdrop for some great shoot outs.

Yet despite everyone painting EM as an immortal demon and an omen of death, the audience knows he is just a man, and seeing him get battered and bruised keeps the tension high through the entire hundred and seven minute running time. The concept of plot armor doesn't seem to exist, at least based on how much he gets injured, and this serves to keep the stakes high. In addition, the witty and frankly sizzling banter between EM and Carolina will make you laugh, and probably wish you knew how to play an acoustic guitar. Their relationship serves to give EM's character more depth than the average movie assassin, and is why he is one of Robert Rodriguez's better written movie characters.

At the core of the film is a sad tale of how a man with a love of life and a talent for music fell onto a path of darkness and death. Themes of family, love, and self-forgiveness are used to give the story some emotional weight, but only enough to drive the story and not enough to depress the viewer. It's a little harder to empathize with John Wick because he was originally an assassin, but EM was a simple guitarrista who had so much potential, but became consumed by a desire for revenge. This becomes even more poignant in the final act after he learns a shocking (some might argue obvious) secret, and is forced to make a hard decision.

The music is really one of the highlights of the movie. As the film takes place in a rural Mexico town, the genre of music employed is appropriately Ranchera, which originated in the rural ranches of the country. Think Carlos Santana meets traditional mariachi music. The fast paced shoot outs are riddled with as much music as they are bullets, and the fact that the music is actually tied into the plot makes it even better.

The cinematography also matches the gritty tone of the film nicely. Half the movie is an experiment to see how many epic brooding shots Robert Rodriguez can squeeze out of Antonio Banderas. It's a visual feast that makes me wish I could be half as cool.

The movie's other characters have much less screen time, which for some is fine and for others is a shame. Cheech Marin and even Quentin Tarantino himself make fun cameos, but the movie's villain is pretty standard fare. We don't see him commit any terrible atrocities, which makes him seem much less intimidating. Honestly it doesn't matter too much, as he is mostly a vehicle for the plot and for EM to participate in the bloodiest bar crawl in the history of cinema. As far as I know. At least in Mexico.

What I do know is that Desperado is a fun ride from start to finish. At minimum, you'll pick up some smooth pick up lines. At most, you'll have a new favorite movie to watch again again. I'm at 20 viewings and counting.

The fact that it's a mix of Rodriguez and Tarantino makes the movie more appealing. One of the most beloved classics of old. Antonio's acting and charisma are crumbling.

This is the story of a man known only as El Mariachi, played by Antonio Banderas. He is hell bent on finding a man known as Bucho, who he blames for murdering the love of his life and injuring his guitar hand, preventing him from enjoying the second love of his life, music. El Mariachi tracks Bucho to a small town and we are introduced to Carolina, played by Salma Hayek. Carolina runs a book store and she too has no love for Bucho. She teams up with El Mariachi in the quest to bring Bucho to justice. There are many great secondary characters as well, from the man known as Buscemi, played and written exclusively for Steve Buscemi, to a bartender played by Cheech Marin.

This movie introduced me to both Banderas and Hayek, as well as director Rodriguez. I was unaware that it was supposed to be a sequel and was never lost during it, as it does work as a stand alone film. This movie is almost non-stop action and funny one liners. This is one of the best action films ever.

Despite literally having about a thousand times more money behind it than Rodriguez's debut feature 'El Mariachi (1992)', 'Desperado (1995)' is still considered a low-budget affair - especially for an all-out action movie. It's a sequel to the aforementioned micro-budget film, with Banderas taking on the title role (and the original Mariachi actor moving to an extended cameo). Although it can be enjoyed without having seen its predecessor, it wholly works as a follow-on and represents a major improvement by a filmmaker who always stretches the cash as far as it can possibly go. Basically, the picture does everything its predecessor did not only bigger, but better. It's an energetic, stylish and slightly self-aware shoot-'em-up that constantly pushes itself to provide the most enjoyable and unique action sequences it possibly can. Of course, the plot isn't exactly deep and there isn't really a proper thematic through-line. Yet, there doesn't really need to be. The flick achieves exactly what it sets out to. It's actually really enjoyable right the way though. Sadly, its ending is sort of rushed, primarily because the final shootout is missing due to pressure from the MPAA. Personally I don't see how one final set-piece - in essence, more of the same - could have pushed things too far. Still, the finale doesn't ruin the overall experience. It's an entertaining time that isn't meant to be taken wholly seriously. 7/10

I haven't seen "El Mariachi" but I understand this is a continuation of the same story.

And that's about all I could understand about "Desperado".

When you make a small budget movie that strives to look big budget, a lot of times things will mesh and make it a hit, like "El Mariachi" did. BUT when a big budget movie strives for small budget charm, usually it ends up flat on its face. ...like "Desperado" does.

I know; Rodriguez is aping directors like Woo and Peckinpah, trying to make a ballet of death with such instruments as guns, explosives, blood and emotions (loss, regret, revenge, pride). But whereas Woo and Peckinpah had great scripts to work with that made the flashy direction icing on the cake, Rodriguez thinks his cake should be all icing. Which it is.

There are great things to be had here: Buscemi is always worth watching and Marin is good for a few scenes. And as the "Desperado" of the title, Banderas is effectively glowering and avoids death quite convincingly. And what can anyone say about Salma Hayek? She would cause traffic accidents in real life too, I imagine.

But the story is as fitful and explosive as the special FX; there's nothing of any real substance here to get your claws into and when it's all over and done with, nothing's really been said that wasn't made a point of in "The Wild Bunch" or "Hard Boiled".

When you're given bigger toys to demonstrate your storytelling prowess with, sometimes you play so much that the story is forgotten. Rodgriguez, play time is over.

Three stars. Nice explosions and acrobatics. Nice Salma, too.