DESPERADO
A film review by Eric Grossman
Copyright 1995 LOS ANGELES INDEPENDENT
Robert Rodriguez is living the dream of the independent filmmaker. His first feature, EL MARIACHI, made for $7000, was picked up by a major studio and not only received tremendous critical acclaim, but it made some money too. From that success, Rodriguez, has now written, directed, produced and edited his first, relatively big budget ($6 million) picture, DESPERADO, which stars Antonio Banderas as El Mariachi, the guitar playing gunslinger from Rodriguez's breakthrough film.
It's not supposed to be a sequel but it feels like one, except this time the picture is less grainy, the actors and production values are much more polished, and the direction and editing far more slick. The story is pretty simple, too simple in fact. El Mariachi is out to avenge the death of his family and he can't stop until he finishes off Bucho (Joaquim De Almeida), the drug king-pin who is responsible. In the process, he meets a love interest, Carolina (Salma Hayek), who runs a book store and gives El Mariachi refuge after he is shot numerous times.
He has a friend, Buscemi, named appropriately for the favorite character actor of the latest wave of American auteurs (who's leader is Quentin Tarantino of PULP FICTION fame), Steve Buscemi. Buscemi's relationship with El Mariachi makes absolutely no sense and one gets the impression that Rodriguez put him in mostly because fans of the new directorial breed expect to see him there. And just in case Buscemi wasn't enough, Tarantino, who figured out the best way to get cast in a movie was to make your own and/ or become friends with other filmmakers who would cast you, also makes an appearance.
Rodriguez has talent, no doubt about it, although in his valiant attempt to be at least one of the leading auteurs of the 90s, he has spread himself too thin. When making a low budget film, it is often necessary to do everything yourself; after all, you are often the best you can afford. But Rodriguez has moved up to the big time and when you run a bigger ship, you need to delegate and you need extra perspective. David Lean and Alfred Hitchcock did not do everything themselves but no one doubts that they were the authors of their films and even Francois Truffaut, the man most responsible for the auteur theory (which, simply stated, is the idea that the director is the author of the film and responsible for its personal and world views), allowed others to fill key positions.
There are moments in this film where Rodriguez shows remarkable style. The gunfights, the shots of El Mariachi as he enters the bar with the deep bass and surround sound shaking the theater. "Cool stuff" as the film students who will no doubt notice this might say, but to what end? The script is thinner than the paper it was printed on and that makes the film seem almost interminable between the fight scenes. Being an auteur is not about moving your camera around, it's about moving your audience.
The characters in DESPERADO are intended to be complex, but how can they be in the cartoon world that Rodriguez creates? Banderas has presence and many women I know will see this movie just because he is in it, but his character is neither mysterious nor very charming (and if anyone really shot a pistol the way he does in this picture, they wouldn't be able to hit a barn).
The rest of the cast, Hayek and Almeida, are fine. They don't do anything wrong but the movie does not allow them to distinguish themselves. Although obviously talented, Buscemi, with his big eyes and fast mouth, isn't much more than a sight-gag this film. Ironically, one of the film's best performances was by Cheech Marin (from Cheech and Chong), who finds a relaxed, humorous tone for his role as the short bartender.
Long on style but short on story, DESPERADO misses, but if you are interested in following the early career of a promising filmmaker, go see it.
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