In documenting the twisted, glorious saga of el Mariachi, the renegade guitar player, director Robert Rodriguez fuses innovative shotmaking, intelligent editing, and smart writing to hit viewers with a full-blast cinematic experience. Antonio Banderas plays the swarthy Mexican musician on a mission to find El Bucho, the infamous drug lord who killed his novia. Packing a guitar case with enough munitions to supply a small guerilla army, Banderas combs through local cantinas -- shooting anyone who doesn't respond to his gravelly queries within 10 seconds. As Rodriguez blows up Latin stereotypes, el Mariachi continues to blow up everything in sight, even though he has avenged his love's death 30 cantinas ago.

Laeleya Saludez