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Desperado: Muy Bueno

© Kaisha Green

There's a moment in Desperado when the hero staggers down a street in a small town, leaning heavily on the stucco wall that lines the street. As he walks along, pretending that he is not badly injured for the sake of the small boy walking ahead of him, a line of blood lingers on the wall behind him. At that moment, if you haven't before, you realize that Desperado is a beautiful film.

Desperado, directed by Robert Rodriguez, is the second in a trilogy about a mariachi (loosely translated, that's a guitarist) who finds himself sucked into a violent, weapon filled life after being mistaken for someone else. Unlike the first film, made with a lower budget in Spanish, this film maintains a distinct latin flavor while being performed in English. In Desperado, the hero, always unnamed but played by Antonio Banderas, is bent on revenge. Along the way, he meets up with the delicious Salma Hayek.

Having become familiar with other works of Banderas, Hayek, and Rodriguez before seeing this film, it is surpising how this film showcases their strengths and allows them the freedom to shine. Salma Hayek is at her most beautiful in this film-I have yet to see another film where she is as stunning-she is both playful and emotional. Antonio Banderas is absolutely sublime as the mariachi, passionate and conflicted as he seeks out the man who wronged him. He also does all of his own stunts. His performance in this film made him a bonafide American star.

Desperado, being from Rodriguez, a colleague of Quentin Tarantino (who has a bit part in the film), is of course very violent. If its any solace for you violence-phobes, they are beautifully filmed in a way that is somewhat similar to John Woo's work in "MI:2". The fight scenes are exciting and unexpected in their choreography, and serve a purpose to the plot, which has more than a few twists and turns.

Rodriguez and Banderas have become very close friends since making this film-they also worked together on both "Spy Kids" films (as well a third), and have filmed the last of the Mariachi trilogy. Salma is on board for the third, as are Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe, among others.

Desperado is not often remembered as a great film these days, but it truly is. The highest praise I can give this film is that it kept me awake at 4 in the morning because I simply had to see how it ended. Though, I must say Antonio wasn't that difficult to watch.

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