Joaquim-De-Almeida Movie Reviews

Roberts plays a down on his luck alcoholic American would-be writer, stuck in a dirt-poor Mexican town. When given the chance of making some quick money to "do a favor" for the local crime boss, his life begins a wild downwards spiral.

Despite the subject matter, this film is far from depressing - it's more like a black comedy film noir. Too bad no one ever saw it, otherwise Roberts would be back making Oscar-caliber films instead of toiling in B movies and in sitcoms. The entire cast is teriffic, and the director does a stellar job on a miniscule budget. Buy this film and enjoy it, and tell someone else about it. It's that good!

Roberts is perfect as Walter Poole, a down on his luck would-be writer languishing in an alcoholic haze in Mexico, who, by a series of chance circumstances, finds a strange new purpose to his life. Unlike some recent indies, this film never substitutes mood for substance. The story is well written, the characters are memorable, and the direction and production are near perfect. The DVD is also visually teriffic, although I agree with previous reviewers that it should have been released in wide-screen.
If you like original, engaging movies that aren't like all the rest, then grab this one. Now if Eric Roberts would just keep making them like this, he'll be nominated for another Academy Award someday!

Roberts plays a down on his luck alcoholic American would-be writer, stuck in a dirt-poor Mexican town. When given the chance of making some quick money to "do a favor" for the local crime boss, his life begins a wild downwards spiral.

Despite the subject matter, this film is far from depressing - it's more like a black comedy film noir. Too bad no one ever saw it, otherwise Roberts would be back making Oscar-caliber films instead of toiling in B movies and in sitcoms. The entire cast is teriffic, and the director does a stellar job on a miniscule budget. Buy this film and enjoy it, and tell someone else about it. It's that good!

Roberts is perfect as Walter Poole, a down on his luck would-be writer languishing in an alcoholic haze in Mexico, who, by a series of chance circumstances, finds a strange new purpose to his life. Unlike some recent indies, this film never substitutes mood for substance. The story is well written, the characters are memorable, and the direction and production are near perfect. The DVD is also visually teriffic, although I agree with previous reviewers that it should have been released in wide-screen.
If you like original, engaging movies that aren't like all the rest, then grab this one. Now if Eric Roberts would just keep making them like this, he'll be nominated for another Academy Award someday!

The movie begins with Faith as a girl, playing with a Ouiji board. She asks who her soulmate is, and it gives her the name Damon Bradley. All her life, she waits to find him, but is unsuccessful. Marisa Tomei does an excellent job portraying the naive dreamer, Faith. When a phone call turns out to be a lead on discovering her soulmate, Faith and Kate fly to Venice, hoping to find him...ten days before Faith is supposed to marry the wrong man. In Venice, Faith runs into Peter Wright *literally* who chases her down to return her shoe. The moment she bumps into him, he falls in love with her! Seeing it as his only opportunity to get to know her, Peter (played by Robert Downey Jr.) pretends to be Damon.

I won't spoil the ending, but I will say this movie really made me smile. It's a great chick flick for those of us who love romance movies.

The movie begins with Faith as a girl, playing with a Ouiji board. She asks who her soulmate is, and it gives her the name Damon Bradley. All her life, she waits to find him, but is unsuccessful. Marisa Tomei does an excellent job portraying the naive dreamer, Faith. When a phone call turns out to be a lead on discovering her soulmate, Faith and Kate fly to Venice, hoping to find him...ten days before Faith is supposed to marry the wrong man. In Venice, Faith runs into Peter Wright *literally* who chases her down to return her shoe. The moment she bumps into him, he falls in love with her! Seeing it as his only opportunity to get to know her, Peter (played by Robert Downey Jr.) pretends to be Damon.

I won't spoil the ending, but I will say this movie really made me smile. It's a great chick flick for those of us who love romance movies.

• Skin tone! Wow! In the Superbit version there's a dramatic difference in skin tone, it looks a lot richer and is a much truer color.
• As the camera pans over to Selma's face you can see much more detail in her face and on her skin.
• The colors of El Mariachi's guns are much different and they glimmer in the Superbit version. In the original version they are a dull metallic color.

The DTS audio track is as dramatic a difference as the picture. Most noticeably is when El Mariachi jumps backward from the top of the building firing his pistols. In the DTS audio track you hear a thud as he lands, something I didn't hear in either the old or new Dolby Digital tracks. Of all the Superbit Titles, Desperado is the easiest to recommend as a 'replacement' DVD for someone who already owns the original version. The improvements in the Superbit version are significant enough to warrant a purchase and you don't give up anything going to Superbit, as the original release didn't have any special features. However, there was also a double feature release (yep, Superbit makes release #3), which had Desperado on one side and El Mariachi on the other, so that's a pretty huge special feature to give up (and the only way to own El Mariachi on DVD).

[Geoffrey Kleinman, DVDTalk.com]

What gives this movie an edge over other action flicks, in my opinion, is that it doesn't pretend to be anything else. Sure, there is a little romance, but the girl (Salma Hayek) never distracts from the action scenes... in fact, she participates to a limited degree in some of them. Sure, there's humor, but it's not Schwarzenegger-style cheesy one-liners, it's actually funny, and again, it doesn't distract from the action.

Now, the action. Pure, unadulturated, edge-of-your-seat action. Top notch. Eye-candy galore.

This movie gets 4 stars instead of 5 for two reasons: #1, it's entirely one-dimentional, and #2, the gun-battles, as is typical in most action movies, stretch the bounds of reality to the breaking point. Yes, Antonio Banderas *does* reload, but still, I think 5 guys with machine guns can take one guy with 2 hand guns. Don't watch it for reality, or for complexity, watch it for gorgeous action scenes.

And it's beautifully realized. Somewhere between John Woo and Sergio Leone with a little Coppola and Tarantion thrown in for luck, this movie is a miracle of story-telling and style.

This time, the Mariachi-Man(with a small arsenal in his suitcase) is played by Antonio Banderas(THE MASK OF ZORRO). Every scene that he's in is filled with violence and dangerous sexuality that makes him one of the most sought-after male leads in Hollywood. In the opening, Steve Buscemi(CON-AIR, FARGO, THE BIG LEBOWSKI) tells the story of a mysterious shadowy stranger who goes from bar to bar, looking for the man who destroyed his life. In the process, he shoots up everybody, including the bartender, much to the unease of 'tender, Cheech Marin(T.V.'s NASH BRIDGES, TIN CUP).

You see he's part of the front for Bucho, played by Joaquin Del Alameida (ONLY YOU, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER), the man who killed Mariachi's woman. And Alameida is wonderfully cast as the baddie, being shadowy and sexy at the same time with a gruff voice and commanding eyes that you can read like a book.

And so, the story rages on, and so does the mythology. Mariachi goes from place to place, trying to avoid being shot at in action scenes that look borrowed from the Universal Studios Western Stunt Show. In the process, Banderas meets Carolina, played by the beautiful Salma Hayek(54, THE FACULTY, FOOLS RUSH IN). She's eye candy, but instead of just looking pretty like most models in film(see CINDY CRAWFORD in FAIR GAME), she actually ACTS. Her character is complex, in that she is part of the Bucho's Front, so she understands the violence and the drugs. That's how she is able to fall in love with Banderas in the first place.

And there's many contradictions that hide in this film(the Mariachi has one spur, not two; the movie is in the present, but there's a lack of any technology; the love scene with Banderas and Hayek is beautiful, whereas the cut to his enemy having sex is slutty and whore-ish, you are able to make out the contrast between good and evil) and in these scenes, Rodriguez handles things beautifully.

Again, the love scene with Banderas and Hayek is a gorgeous standout. There are, what seems like a hundred lit candles in the room and the beautiful "Bella" by Santana is played in the background. It's filmed slowly, passionately, and so romantically that you're almost hypnotized by it. It's the best love scene since the Snipe' neck-bite in BLADE.

There are many surprises in this film that are worth mentioning, but I won't go into them. See this film for yourself, then rent "From Dusk Till Dawn" and you'll have yourself a great American-Mexican Western-Fest in your own living room.

--Matt

• Skin tone! Wow! In the Superbit version there's a dramatic difference in skin tone, it looks a lot richer and is a much truer color.
• As the camera pans over to Selma's face you can see much more detail in her face and on her skin.
• The colors of El Mariachi's guns are much different and they glimmer in the Superbit version. In the original version they are a dull metallic color.

The DTS audio track is as dramatic a difference as the picture. Most noticeably is when El Mariachi jumps backward from the top of the building firing his pistols. In the DTS audio track you hear a thud as he lands, something I didn't hear in either the old or new Dolby Digital tracks. Of all the Superbit Titles, Desperado is the easiest to recommend as a 'replacement' DVD for someone who already owns the original version. The improvements in the Superbit version are significant enough to warrant a purchase and you don't give up anything going to Superbit, as the original release didn't have any special features. However, there was also a double feature release (yep, Superbit makes release #3), which had Desperado on one side and El Mariachi on the other, so that's a pretty huge special feature to give up (and the only way to own El Mariachi on DVD).

[Geoffrey Kleinman, DVDTalk.com]

What gives this movie an edge over other action flicks, in my opinion, is that it doesn't pretend to be anything else. Sure, there is a little romance, but the girl (Salma Hayek) never distracts from the action scenes... in fact, she participates to a limited degree in some of them. Sure, there's humor, but it's not Schwarzenegger-style cheesy one-liners, it's actually funny, and again, it doesn't distract from the action.

Now, the action. Pure, unadulturated, edge-of-your-seat action. Top notch. Eye-candy galore.

This movie gets 4 stars instead of 5 for two reasons: #1, it's entirely one-dimentional, and #2, the gun-battles, as is typical in most action movies, stretch the bounds of reality to the breaking point. Yes, Antonio Banderas *does* reload, but still, I think 5 guys with machine guns can take one guy with 2 hand guns. Don't watch it for reality, or for complexity, watch it for gorgeous action scenes.

And it's beautifully realized. Somewhere between John Woo and Sergio Leone with a little Coppola and Tarantion thrown in for luck, this movie is a miracle of story-telling and style.

This time, the Mariachi-Man(with a small arsenal in his suitcase) is played by Antonio Banderas(THE MASK OF ZORRO). Every scene that he's in is filled with violence and dangerous sexuality that makes him one of the most sought-after male leads in Hollywood. In the opening, Steve Buscemi(CON-AIR, FARGO, THE BIG LEBOWSKI) tells the story of a mysterious shadowy stranger who goes from bar to bar, looking for the man who destroyed his life. In the process, he shoots up everybody, including the bartender, much to the unease of 'tender, Cheech Marin(T.V.'s NASH BRIDGES, TIN CUP).

You see he's part of the front for Bucho, played by Joaquin Del Alameida (ONLY YOU, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER), the man who killed Mariachi's woman. And Alameida is wonderfully cast as the baddie, being shadowy and sexy at the same time with a gruff voice and commanding eyes that you can read like a book.

And so, the story rages on, and so does the mythology. Mariachi goes from place to place, trying to avoid being shot at in action scenes that look borrowed from the Universal Studios Western Stunt Show. In the process, Banderas meets Carolina, played by the beautiful Salma Hayek(54, THE FACULTY, FOOLS RUSH IN). She's eye candy, but instead of just looking pretty like most models in film(see CINDY CRAWFORD in FAIR GAME), she actually ACTS. Her character is complex, in that she is part of the Bucho's Front, so she understands the violence and the drugs. That's how she is able to fall in love with Banderas in the first place.

And there's many contradictions that hide in this film(the Mariachi has one spur, not two; the movie is in the present, but there's a lack of any technology; the love scene with Banderas and Hayek is beautiful, whereas the cut to his enemy having sex is slutty and whore-ish, you are able to make out the contrast between good and evil) and in these scenes, Rodriguez handles things beautifully.

Again, the love scene with Banderas and Hayek is a gorgeous standout. There are, what seems like a hundred lit candles in the room and the beautiful "Bella" by Santana is played in the background. It's filmed slowly, passionately, and so romantically that you're almost hypnotized by it. It's the best love scene since the Snipe' neck-bite in BLADE.

There are many surprises in this film that are worth mentioning, but I won't go into them. See this film for yourself, then rent "From Dusk Till Dawn" and you'll have yourself a great American-Mexican Western-Fest in your own living room.

--Matt

• Skin tone! Wow! In the Superbit version there's a dramatic difference in skin tone, it looks a lot richer and is a much truer color.
• As the camera pans over to Selma's face you can see much more detail in her face and on her skin.
• The colors of El Mariachi's guns are much different and they glimmer in the Superbit version. In the original version they are a dull metallic color.

The DTS audio track is as dramatic a difference as the picture. Most noticeably is when El Mariachi jumps backward from the top of the building firing his pistols. In the DTS audio track you hear a thud as he lands, something I didn't hear in either the old or new Dolby Digital tracks. Of all the Superbit Titles, Desperado is the easiest to recommend as a 'replacement' DVD for someone who already owns the original version. The improvements in the Superbit version are significant enough to warrant a purchase and you don't give up anything going to Superbit, as the original release didn't have any special features. However, there was also a double feature release (yep, Superbit makes release #3), which had Desperado on one side and El Mariachi on the other, so that's a pretty huge special feature to give up (and the only way to own El Mariachi on DVD).

[Geoffrey Kleinman, DVDTalk.com]

What gives this movie an edge over other action flicks, in my opinion, is that it doesn't pretend to be anything else. Sure, there is a little romance, but the girl (Salma Hayek) never distracts from the action scenes... in fact, she participates to a limited degree in some of them. Sure, there's humor, but it's not Schwarzenegger-style cheesy one-liners, it's actually funny, and again, it doesn't distract from the action.

Now, the action. Pure, unadulturated, edge-of-your-seat action. Top notch. Eye-candy galore.

This movie gets 4 stars instead of 5 for two reasons: #1, it's entirely one-dimentional, and #2, the gun-battles, as is typical in most action movies, stretch the bounds of reality to the breaking point. Yes, Antonio Banderas *does* reload, but still, I think 5 guys with machine guns can take one guy with 2 hand guns. Don't watch it for reality, or for complexity, watch it for gorgeous action scenes.

And it's beautifully realized. Somewhere between John Woo and Sergio Leone with a little Coppola and Tarantion thrown in for luck, this movie is a miracle of story-telling and style.

This time, the Mariachi-Man(with a small arsenal in his suitcase) is played by Antonio Banderas(THE MASK OF ZORRO). Every scene that he's in is filled with violence and dangerous sexuality that makes him one of the most sought-after male leads in Hollywood. In the opening, Steve Buscemi(CON-AIR, FARGO, THE BIG LEBOWSKI) tells the story of a mysterious shadowy stranger who goes from bar to bar, looking for the man who destroyed his life. In the process, he shoots up everybody, including the bartender, much to the unease of 'tender, Cheech Marin(T.V.'s NASH BRIDGES, TIN CUP).

You see he's part of the front for Bucho, played by Joaquin Del Alameida (ONLY YOU, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER), the man who killed Mariachi's woman. And Alameida is wonderfully cast as the baddie, being shadowy and sexy at the same time with a gruff voice and commanding eyes that you can read like a book.

And so, the story rages on, and so does the mythology. Mariachi goes from place to place, trying to avoid being shot at in action scenes that look borrowed from the Universal Studios Western Stunt Show. In the process, Banderas meets Carolina, played by the beautiful Salma Hayek(54, THE FACULTY, FOOLS RUSH IN). She's eye candy, but instead of just looking pretty like most models in film(see CINDY CRAWFORD in FAIR GAME), she actually ACTS. Her character is complex, in that she is part of the Bucho's Front, so she understands the violence and the drugs. That's how she is able to fall in love with Banderas in the first place.

And there's many contradictions that hide in this film(the Mariachi has one spur, not two; the movie is in the present, but there's a lack of any technology; the love scene with Banderas and Hayek is beautiful, whereas the cut to his enemy having sex is slutty and whore-ish, you are able to make out the contrast between good and evil) and in these scenes, Rodriguez handles things beautifully.

Again, the love scene with Banderas and Hayek is a gorgeous standout. There are, what seems like a hundred lit candles in the room and the beautiful "Bella" by Santana is played in the background. It's filmed slowly, passionately, and so romantically that you're almost hypnotized by it. It's the best love scene since the Snipe' neck-bite in BLADE.

There are many surprises in this film that are worth mentioning, but I won't go into them. See this film for yourself, then rent "From Dusk Till Dawn" and you'll have yourself a great American-Mexican Western-Fest in your own living room.

--Matt

• Skin tone! Wow! In the Superbit version there's a dramatic difference in skin tone, it looks a lot richer and is a much truer color.
• As the camera pans over to Selma's face you can see much more detail in her face and on her skin.
• The colors of El Mariachi's guns are much different and they glimmer in the Superbit version. In the original version they are a dull metallic color.

The DTS audio track is as dramatic a difference as the picture. Most noticeably is when El Mariachi jumps backward from the top of the building firing his pistols. In the DTS audio track you hear a thud as he lands, something I didn't hear in either the old or new Dolby Digital tracks. Of all the Superbit Titles, Desperado is the easiest to recommend as a 'replacement' DVD for someone who already owns the original version. The improvements in the Superbit version are significant enough to warrant a purchase and you don't give up anything going to Superbit, as the original release didn't have any special features. However, there was also a double feature release (yep, Superbit makes release #3), which had Desperado on one side and El Mariachi on the other, so that's a pretty huge special feature to give up (and the only way to own El Mariachi on DVD).

[Geoffrey Kleinman, DVDTalk.com]

What gives this movie an edge over other action flicks, in my opinion, is that it doesn't pretend to be anything else. Sure, there is a little romance, but the girl (Salma Hayek) never distracts from the action scenes... in fact, she participates to a limited degree in some of them. Sure, there's humor, but it's not Schwarzenegger-style cheesy one-liners, it's actually funny, and again, it doesn't distract from the action.

Now, the action. Pure, unadulturated, edge-of-your-seat action. Top notch. Eye-candy galore.

This movie gets 4 stars instead of 5 for two reasons: #1, it's entirely one-dimentional, and #2, the gun-battles, as is typical in most action movies, stretch the bounds of reality to the breaking point. Yes, Antonio Banderas *does* reload, but still, I think 5 guys with machine guns can take one guy with 2 hand guns. Don't watch it for reality, or for complexity, watch it for gorgeous action scenes.

And it's beautifully realized. Somewhere between John Woo and Sergio Leone with a little Coppola and Tarantion thrown in for luck, this movie is a miracle of story-telling and style.

This time, the Mariachi-Man(with a small arsenal in his suitcase) is played by Antonio Banderas(THE MASK OF ZORRO). Every scene that he's in is filled with violence and dangerous sexuality that makes him one of the most sought-after male leads in Hollywood. In the opening, Steve Buscemi(CON-AIR, FARGO, THE BIG LEBOWSKI) tells the story of a mysterious shadowy stranger who goes from bar to bar, looking for the man who destroyed his life. In the process, he shoots up everybody, including the bartender, much to the unease of 'tender, Cheech Marin(T.V.'s NASH BRIDGES, TIN CUP).

You see he's part of the front for Bucho, played by Joaquin Del Alameida (ONLY YOU, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER), the man who killed Mariachi's woman. And Alameida is wonderfully cast as the baddie, being shadowy and sexy at the same time with a gruff voice and commanding eyes that you can read like a book.

And so, the story rages on, and so does the mythology. Mariachi goes from place to place, trying to avoid being shot at in action scenes that look borrowed from the Universal Studios Western Stunt Show. In the process, Banderas meets Carolina, played by the beautiful Salma Hayek(54, THE FACULTY, FOOLS RUSH IN). She's eye candy, but instead of just looking pretty like most models in film(see CINDY CRAWFORD in FAIR GAME), she actually ACTS. Her character is complex, in that she is part of the Bucho's Front, so she understands the violence and the drugs. That's how she is able to fall in love with Banderas in the first place.

And there's many contradictions that hide in this film(the Mariachi has one spur, not two; the movie is in the present, but there's a lack of any technology; the love scene with Banderas and Hayek is beautiful, whereas the cut to his enemy having sex is slutty and whore-ish, you are able to make out the contrast between good and evil) and in these scenes, Rodriguez handles things beautifully.

Again, the love scene with Banderas and Hayek is a gorgeous standout. There are, what seems like a hundred lit candles in the room and the beautiful "Bella" by Santana is played in the background. It's filmed slowly, passionately, and so romantically that you're almost hypnotized by it. It's the best love scene since the Snipe' neck-bite in BLADE.

There are many surprises in this film that are worth mentioning, but I won't go into them. See this film for yourself, then rent "From Dusk Till Dawn" and you'll have yourself a great American-Mexican Western-Fest in your own living room.

--Matt

• Skin tone! Wow! In the Superbit version there's a dramatic difference in skin tone, it looks a lot richer and is a much truer color.
• As the camera pans over to Selma's face you can see much more detail in her face and on her skin.
• The colors of El Mariachi's guns are much different and they glimmer in the Superbit version. In the original version they are a dull metallic color.

The DTS audio track is as dramatic a difference as the picture. Most noticeably is when El Mariachi jumps backward from the top of the building firing his pistols. In the DTS audio track you hear a thud as he lands, something I didn't hear in either the old or new Dolby Digital tracks. Of all the Superbit Titles, Desperado is the easiest to recommend as a 'replacement' DVD for someone who already owns the original version. The improvements in the Superbit version are significant enough to warrant a purchase and you don't give up anything going to Superbit, as the original release didn't have any special features. However, there was also a double feature release (yep, Superbit makes release #3), which had Desperado on one side and El Mariachi on the other, so that's a pretty huge special feature to give up (and the only way to own El Mariachi on DVD).

[Geoffrey Kleinman, DVDTalk.com]

What gives this movie an edge over other action flicks, in my opinion, is that it doesn't pretend to be anything else. Sure, there is a little romance, but the girl (Salma Hayek) never distracts from the action scenes... in fact, she participates to a limited degree in some of them. Sure, there's humor, but it's not Schwarzenegger-style cheesy one-liners, it's actually funny, and again, it doesn't distract from the action.

Now, the action. Pure, unadulturated, edge-of-your-seat action. Top notch. Eye-candy galore.

This movie gets 4 stars instead of 5 for two reasons: #1, it's entirely one-dimentional, and #2, the gun-battles, as is typical in most action movies, stretch the bounds of reality to the breaking point. Yes, Antonio Banderas *does* reload, but still, I think 5 guys with machine guns can take one guy with 2 hand guns. Don't watch it for reality, or for complexity, watch it for gorgeous action scenes.

And it's beautifully realized. Somewhere between John Woo and Sergio Leone with a little Coppola and Tarantion thrown in for luck, this movie is a miracle of story-telling and style.

This time, the Mariachi-Man(with a small arsenal in his suitcase) is played by Antonio Banderas(THE MASK OF ZORRO). Every scene that he's in is filled with violence and dangerous sexuality that makes him one of the most sought-after male leads in Hollywood. In the opening, Steve Buscemi(CON-AIR, FARGO, THE BIG LEBOWSKI) tells the story of a mysterious shadowy stranger who goes from bar to bar, looking for the man who destroyed his life. In the process, he shoots up everybody, including the bartender, much to the unease of 'tender, Cheech Marin(T.V.'s NASH BRIDGES, TIN CUP).

You see he's part of the front for Bucho, played by Joaquin Del Alameida (ONLY YOU, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER), the man who killed Mariachi's woman. And Alameida is wonderfully cast as the baddie, being shadowy and sexy at the same time with a gruff voice and commanding eyes that you can read like a book.

And so, the story rages on, and so does the mythology. Mariachi goes from place to place, trying to avoid being shot at in action scenes that look borrowed from the Universal Studios Western Stunt Show. In the process, Banderas meets Carolina, played by the beautiful Salma Hayek(54, THE FACULTY, FOOLS RUSH IN). She's eye candy, but instead of just looking pretty like most models in film(see CINDY CRAWFORD in FAIR GAME), she actually ACTS. Her character is complex, in that she is part of the Bucho's Front, so she understands the violence and the drugs. That's how she is able to fall in love with Banderas in the first place.

And there's many contradictions that hide in this film(the Mariachi has one spur, not two; the movie is in the present, but there's a lack of any technology; the love scene with Banderas and Hayek is beautiful, whereas the cut to his enemy having sex is slutty and whore-ish, you are able to make out the contrast between good and evil) and in these scenes, Rodriguez handles things beautifully.

Again, the love scene with Banderas and Hayek is a gorgeous standout. There are, what seems like a hundred lit candles in the room and the beautiful "Bella" by Santana is played in the background. It's filmed slowly, passionately, and so romantically that you're almost hypnotized by it. It's the best love scene since the Snipe' neck-bite in BLADE.

There are many surprises in this film that are worth mentioning, but I won't go into them. See this film for yourself, then rent "From Dusk Till Dawn" and you'll have yourself a great American-Mexican Western-Fest in your own living room.

--Matt

• Skin tone! Wow! In the Superbit version there's a dramatic difference in skin tone, it looks a lot richer and is a much truer color.
• As the camera pans over to Selma's face you can see much more detail in her face and on her skin.
• The colors of El Mariachi's guns are much different and they glimmer in the Superbit version. In the original version they are a dull metallic color.

The DTS audio track is as dramatic a difference as the picture. Most noticeably is when El Mariachi jumps backward from the top of the building firing his pistols. In the DTS audio track you hear a thud as he lands, something I didn't hear in either the old or new Dolby Digital tracks. Of all the Superbit Titles, Desperado is the easiest to recommend as a 'replacement' DVD for someone who already owns the original version. The improvements in the Superbit version are significant enough to warrant a purchase and you don't give up anything going to Superbit, as the original release didn't have any special features. However, there was also a double feature release (yep, Superbit makes release #3), which had Desperado on one side and El Mariachi on the other, so that's a pretty huge special feature to give up (and the only way to own El Mariachi on DVD).

[Geoffrey Kleinman, DVDTalk.com]

What gives this movie an edge over other action flicks, in my opinion, is that it doesn't pretend to be anything else. Sure, there is a little romance, but the girl (Salma Hayek) never distracts from the action scenes... in fact, she participates to a limited degree in some of them. Sure, there's humor, but it's not Schwarzenegger-style cheesy one-liners, it's actually funny, and again, it doesn't distract from the action.

Now, the action. Pure, unadulturated, edge-of-your-seat action. Top notch. Eye-candy galore.

This movie gets 4 stars instead of 5 for two reasons: #1, it's entirely one-dimentional, and #2, the gun-battles, as is typical in most action movies, stretch the bounds of reality to the breaking point. Yes, Antonio Banderas *does* reload, but still, I think 5 guys with machine guns can take one guy with 2 hand guns. Don't watch it for reality, or for complexity, watch it for gorgeous action scenes.

And it's beautifully realized. Somewhere between John Woo and Sergio Leone with a little Coppola and Tarantion thrown in for luck, this movie is a miracle of story-telling and style.

This time, the Mariachi-Man(with a small arsenal in his suitcase) is played by Antonio Banderas(THE MASK OF ZORRO). Every scene that he's in is filled with violence and dangerous sexuality that makes him one of the most sought-after male leads in Hollywood. In the opening, Steve Buscemi(CON-AIR, FARGO, THE BIG LEBOWSKI) tells the story of a mysterious shadowy stranger who goes from bar to bar, looking for the man who destroyed his life. In the process, he shoots up everybody, including the bartender, much to the unease of 'tender, Cheech Marin(T.V.'s NASH BRIDGES, TIN CUP).

You see he's part of the front for Bucho, played by Joaquin Del Alameida (ONLY YOU, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER), the man who killed Mariachi's woman. And Alameida is wonderfully cast as the baddie, being shadowy and sexy at the same time with a gruff voice and commanding eyes that you can read like a book.

And so, the story rages on, and so does the mythology. Mariachi goes from place to place, trying to avoid being shot at in action scenes that look borrowed from the Universal Studios Western Stunt Show. In the process, Banderas meets Carolina, played by the beautiful Salma Hayek(54, THE FACULTY, FOOLS RUSH IN). She's eye candy, but instead of just looking pretty like most models in film(see CINDY CRAWFORD in FAIR GAME), she actually ACTS. Her character is complex, in that she is part of the Bucho's Front, so she understands the violence and the drugs. That's how she is able to fall in love with Banderas in the first place.

And there's many contradictions that hide in this film(the Mariachi has one spur, not two; the movie is in the present, but there's a lack of any technology; the love scene with Banderas and Hayek is beautiful, whereas the cut to his enemy having sex is slutty and whore-ish, you are able to make out the contrast between good and evil) and in these scenes, Rodriguez handles things beautifully.

Again, the love scene with Banderas and Hayek is a gorgeous standout. There are, what seems like a hundred lit candles in the room and the beautiful "Bella" by Santana is played in the background. It's filmed slowly, passionately, and so romantically that you're almost hypnotized by it. It's the best love scene since the Snipe' neck-bite in BLADE.

There are many surprises in this film that are worth mentioning, but I won't go into them. See this film for yourself, then rent "From Dusk Till Dawn" and you'll have yourself a great American-Mexican Western-Fest in your own living room.

--Matt