The 90s were full of iconic action films, thrills of Speed to badassery mixing genres of Blade And The matrix. A 90s film that definitely deserves its flowers is Robert RodriguezIt is Desperado, which is now available to stream for free on Tubi. The second part of Rodriguez’s “Mexican Trilogy” finds the mysterious El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) seeking revenge on crime lord Bucho (Joaquim de Almeida), which leads to many bloody shootouts along the way.
30 years later, “Desperado” is still an overlooked action cinema masterpiece
When Robert Rodriguez did The Mariachisthe first part of the “Mexican Trilogy”, he did so with only $7,000, but still managed to turn that into intense fight sequences and a $2.6 million box office bonanza. Desperado makes things rise in all directions, starting with one of Bucho’s thugs (Steve Buscemi) sitting in a bar to tell the rest of his compatriots how he narrowly survived a shootout with El Mariachi. This scene is twofold; it sets the stakes and also shows how El Mariachi became a truly deadly force.
Rodriguez then follows up with a bloody shootout in the same bar, featuring an appearance by none other than his fellow filmmaker and friend. Quentin Tarantino as one of El Mariachi’s victims. This is the first of many bloody, bullet-filled confrontations to come, and it’s a great excuse for Rodriguez to flex his increased budget – especially in the last moments of Desperadowhich features a massive explosion. Banderas would later describe how dangerous this explosion was in a retrospective with Weekly Entertainment:
“Here we were out there playing with our lives, literally…I mean, the heat behind us was so intense it burned my hair a little.”
Despite a larger budget, Rodriguez encountered problems during the first cut of Desperado was slapped with a dreaded NC-17 rating. To bring it into R-rated territory, he cut the final shootout from the filmwhich culminates in the iconic “fade to white” ending with the theatrical montage of Desperado. This gives the film an air of finality; even though this was followed by Once upon a time in Mexico, the audience feels like they’ve heard a complete story.
“Desperado” helped Salma Hayek become a celebrity
Desperado it’s not just shootings and bloodshed. During his quest for revenge, El Mariachi falls in love with a bookseller named Carolina, who is involved in Bucho’s criminal operations. Carolina is played by Salma Hayek, which has one of the most iconic entrance sequences in cinematic history. When we first meet Carolina, she literally causes a traffic accident by driving in front of her. It’s completely ridiculous, and yet believable because of Hayek’s presence. Hayek even talked about how people talked about Desperado every time they meet her:
“What they tell me is that a lot of people have seen it multiple times, and they watch it again over the years. I’ve had young guys come up to me and say, ‘That was my dad’s favorite movie, and then it became my favorite movie.’ It’s funny how many people still talk about it today.”
Thanks to Desperado, Hayek’s career would skyrocket as she landed a wide range of roles, even joining Rodriguez on several projects. Banderas would also see his own career change, as he tended to play more swaggering badasses like Zorro or Puss in Boots. 30 years may have passed, but Desperado remains one of the defining films of the 90s.
Desperado is available for streaming on Tubi.
- Release date
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August 25, 1995
- Runtime
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1h 44min
- Director
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Robert Rodriguez
