In depth alnalysis of El Mariachi - Essay Example

It is all about a young mariachi (a wandering musician or a singing guitar player) who gets caught in a web of mistaken identity. The plot of mistaken identity has been used in many films, like in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. Rodriguez again uses this plot in El Mariachi. El Mariachi arrives in a small dusty town of Mexico to start a new life. His only interest and his dream is his music. But he soon realizes that this is not easy when he gets mistaken for a criminal named Azul, a drug lord who is being chased by a rival named Moco, as both wear black and carry a guitar case.

The only difference is that while one carries a guitar in his case the other carries a machine gun. The mistaken identities result in the rivals trying to kill El Mariachi. In the meantime El Mariachi falls in love with Domino. Moco is also in love with this woman. By the time the true identities are known, Moco comes to know that Domino and El Mariachi are in love. In a fit of rage Moco kills Domino and shoots off the hand of the mariachi. After this when Moco laughs in El Mariachis face, El Mariachi kills him.

The story is set in a small Mexican town and the director shows how drug dealers can control a small town. The movie has a well-written script. It is full of action, but not very flashy. Hal Hinson (1996) in Washington Post has rightly said, "Rodriguez has boiled the art of filmmaking down to its visceral, kinetic essence. In "El Mariachi" everything is expressed in terms of action, pure and simple." The plot is simple, but universal at the same time. The story may be fictional but the characters and also the atmosphere is typical of Northern Mexico.

From the scene of the turtle walking across till the end all the scenes are fascinating and enjoyable. Through a series of fierce gun battles and astonishing car chases, Rodriguez does manage to maintain a fast and furious pace. The bullets fly thick and fast and the action does not let up one