El Mariachi

A travelling mariachi is mistaken for a murderous criminal, in Robert Rodriguez’s infamous ‘no budget’ exemplar of DIY action cinema.

El Mariachi is a humble guitar player looking to make a living by performing music while travelling around Mexico. When he stops to find work in a small town, local hitmen mistake him for a murderous criminal known for hiding his guns in a guitar case. Caught in the crossfire of mob warfare, El Mariachi is forced on the run, shooting his way out of the town to try and survive.

Filmed with a mostly amateur cast of actors, and famously made on a budget of just $7,000, El Mariachi put its auteurist creator on the filmmaking map. It became a key film in the 1990s boom of American indie cinema. The film was followed by two sequels starring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, forming part of Rodriguez’s ‘Mexico trilogy’.