70
Spanish lingo crime meller has a verve and cheekiness that's partly a smart wedding of such influences as Sergio Leone, George Miller and south-of-the-border noir.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
70
The New York Times by Elvis Mitchell
Mythic pulp has its allure, and it also has its limitations. El Mariachi displays no real emotion except a profound appreciation for the genre film making that has inspired it, and a delight in manipulating the elements of such stories.
80
This brilliantly naive, low-budget shoot-'em-up presents every action as if it were brand spanking new.
75
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
A gripping, tautly-paced action flick that outdoes most of Hollywood's similar output. This is clear evidence that film quality often has little to do with a production's budget.
80
Chicago Reader by Jonathan Rosenbaum
Juicy, adroit, and likable.
78
Austin Chronicle by Marc Savlov
While the story may be a common one (for the action genre, at least), Rodriguez, who wrote, produced, shot and edited the entire film himself, has a uniquely straightforward wit that makes what might otherwise have been just another shoot-'em-up something more than that.
75
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
Enormously entertaining.
67
Entertainment Weekly by Ty Burr
Rodriguez makes the same mistake as other first-time auteurs: The world of this movie exists only in relation to other movies, particularly the Sergio Leone-Clint Eastwood spaghetti Westerns of the early '60s.