Mr-Fusion
Quentin Tarantino and John Woo. To a certain audience, that's a potent combination, and "Desperado" plays like a wickedly enjoyable B-movie; it's just got that rebellious streak, and a wealth of self-confidence. Deep down, I know this film was explosive back in '95, even if time and imitators have conspired to dull its edge.Banderas strolls into this like a ready-made myth, all scowl and jingly spurs. The stuff he gets away with in this movie is absurd, and that's exactly what people paid to see. That, and stunning beauty. If there's one thing that can distract from the balletic gun battles, it's Salma Hayek. This is a fun movie.7/10
Leofwine_draca
Solely responsible for the English-speaking market success of director Robert Rodriguez and Antonio Banderas, this outlandish, action-packed odyssey of adventure is a spicy thriller with plenty of passion and bullets as it charts the rise, fall and eventual return of a vengeful hit-man, played to the hilt by Banderas himself.As the guitar-playing, softly-spoken, floppy-haired hero, Banderas is excellent in what is his best performance to date and he is truly unforgettable as El Mariachi. The film starts off with style featuring two shaggy-dog stories from some of modern cinema's quirkiest characters; the inimitable Steve Buscemi sets the scene whilst Quentin Tarantino shares a joke with Cheech Marin's bartender.From then on the action is pretty much non-stop, with shoot outs in the bar, in the street and in various sleazy back alleyways. There's fun to be had from a super armoured car and from Danny Trejo's insane hit-man who's a sure-fire hit with a knife. An engaging thrill-ride that's packed with real thrills and sheened with style, Desperado is a top notch action flick.
Sandcooler
If you've ever had a boyhood dream of making a movie, it would probably have looked something like "Desperado". The entire structure is basically this: a fantastic B-actor does a long monologue, then a gunfight breaks out. It's 70s exploitation with 90s skill and 90s Steve Buscemi. While predecessor "El Mariachi" did have a more raw feel to it, this one stands through the comparison because it shows how much more creative Robert Rodriguez can still get with a higher budget. The change of actor from virtually unknown Carlos Gallardo to the more bankable Antonio Banderas isn't quite seamless, but after a while you do sorta buy him as a bad-ass. "Desperado" is the salt and pepper of cinema, the little extra spice that lives by some of Hollywood's rules but stands out by how it breaks all of the others. We need to cherish movies like these, movies that go purely for the entertainment value and don't care about anything else. "Desperado" is action as it should be: anything goes, no holds barred so you're completely caught up.
Ben Larson
Sure, Director Robert Rodriguez created one of the very best indie films with El Mariachi on a shoestring budget. Now, with bucks in his pocket and a name cast, there is room for excellence. Some may say that the low budget effort is better, and I won't totally disagree from an artistic standpoint, but from an entertainment standpoint, this venture with Antonio Bandaras and Salma Hayek is truly a cut above many other films.The state-of-the-art special effects and polished effort Rodriguez put into this film, make for an enjoyable and explosive ride. And did I mention Salma Hayek and her chesty chimichangas?
AD
