El Mariachi & Desperado

This double-feature DVD brings together two Robert Rodriguez films, El Mariachi and Desperado, charting the evolution of his guitar-carrying, gun-toting mariachi character.

El Mariachi follows a travelling musician who arrives in a small Mexican town carrying a guitar case, only to be mistaken for a wanted hitman whose case is filled with weapons. Hunted by criminals, he becomes caught up in a violent cycle of mistaken identity, revenge and survival. Rodriguez’s remarkably resourceful debut was made on a tiny budget and became a breakthrough example of independent filmmaking.

Desperado expands the story into a bigger, more explosive action film, with Antonio Banderas as the mysterious mariachi seeking revenge against the men who killed his girlfriend. Packed with gunfights, dark humour, stylised violence and Rodriguez’s distinctive visual energy, it also features Salma Hayek, Steve Buscemi, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo and Quentin Tarantino. The disc includes both films in widescreen, along with director commentaries, featurettes, music videos, trailers and Rodriguez’s short film Bedhead.