Robert Rodriguez's glorious climax to his Mariachi trilogy ends the series in a whirlwind of amphetamine-fuelled, high-camp grand guignol. Antonio Banderas' death-dealing minstrel takes on Barillo (Willem Dafoe), a deranged mob boss intent on bringing down Mexico's El Presidente himself. Along the way, our noble hero crosses sawn-off shotguns with hordes of murderous Latino gangsters and hooks up with Johnny Depp's wacko CIA agent. Depp's wildly idiosyncratic portrayal of the amoral Sands would almost steal the entire film where it not for a poignant, ravaged cameo from Mickey Rourke as Barillo's sad-eyed enforcer, Billy. Relentless slam-bang violence, audacious performances and a rich vein of sardonic humour make this movie an instant must-have classic for the thinking action fan. Pull up your guitar case, sit back and enjoy.
Robert Rodriguez’s glorious climax to his Mariachi trilogy ends the series in a whirlwind of amphetamine-fuelled, high-camp grand guignol. Antonio Banderas’ death-dealing minstrel takes on Barillo (Willem Dafoe), a deranged mob boss intent on bringing down Mexico’s El Presidente himself. Along the way, our noble hero crosses sawn-off shotguns with hordes of murderous Latino gangsters and hooks up with Johnny Depp’s wacko CIA agent. Depp’s wildly idiosyncratic portrayal of the amoral Sands would almost steal the entire film where it not for a poignant, ravaged cameo from Mickey Rourke as Barillo’s sad-eyed enforcer, Billy. Relentless slam-bang violence, audacious performances and a rich vein of sardonic humour make this movie an instant must-have classic for the thinking action fan. Pull up your guitar case, sit back and enjoy.
