Mexico Trilogy

{{Infobox film

| name = Mexico Trilogy

| image = Mexico Trilogy DVD cover.jpg

| alt = A man carrying a guitar case in one hand and a gun in the other

| caption = Official trilogy DVD cover artwork

| director = Robert Rodriguez

| producer = Robert Rodriguez
Carlos Gallardo
Elizabeth Avellan

| writer = Robert Rodriguez

| starring = Carlos Gallardo
Antonio Banderas

| music = Eric Guthrie
Chris Knudson
Álvaro Rodriguez
Cecilio Rodriguez
Mark Trujillo
Los Lobos
Robert Rodriguez

| cinematography = Robert Rodriguez
Guillermo Navarro

| editing = Robert Rodriguez

| distributor = Columbia Pictures
Dimension Films

| released =

| runtime = 289 minutes

| country = United States
Mexico

| language = English
Spanish

| budget = $36,007,000 (3 films)

| gross = $125 million{{cite web |title=El Mariachi Franchise Box Office History |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/El-Mariachi#tab=summary |website=The Numbers }} (3 films)

}}

The Mexico Trilogy (also known as the Desperado Trilogy on some released DVD products) is a series of American/Mexican contemporary western action films written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. The series' plot tells the continuing story of El Mariachi, a man who painfully lives alone after seeing all of his loved ones die. El Mariachi was portrayed by actors Carlos Gallardo and Antonio Banderas. The films were originally released in theatres from 1993 to 2003, and later on home video as a collection in 2010.

Development

The trilogy began with the 1993 ultra low-budget production of El Mariachi. The film was made on a budget of only US$7,000 using 16-millimeter film, was shot entirely in Mexico with a mostly amateur cast, and was originally intended to go directly to the Mexican home-video market (a process detailed in Rodriguez's book Rebel Without a Crew).{{cite news |last1=Citron |first1=Alan |title=A Big Trumpet for 'El Mariachi' : Columbia Budgets $1 Million to Sell $7,000 Spanish-Language Film |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-23-fi-1575-story.html |access-date=January 7, 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=January 23, 1993 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230107231306/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-23-fi-1575-story.html |archive-date=January 7, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Broderick |first1=Peter |title=A Film for a Song: Robert Rodriguez's Garage Movie |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/archives/issues/winter1993/film_for_song.php |access-date=January 7, 2023 |work=Filmmaker |publisher=Independent Filmmaker Project |date=Winter 1993 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129035526/https://www.filmmakermagazine.com/archives/issues/winter1993/film_for_song.php |archive-date=November 29, 2022}} Rodriguez got some funds for the film by serving as a human guinea pig to science labs. Other finances came in the form of prize money won by his short student film, Bedhead, at film festival competitions.{{cite book |last1=Kim |first1=S.J. |editor1-last=Luis Aldama |editor1-first=Frederick |title=Latinos and Narrative Media: Participation and Portrayal |date=November 7, 2013 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=New York |isbn=978-1-349-47415-8 |page=195}}

Executives at Columbia Pictures liked the film so much that they bought the rights to it for American distribution. They eventually spent several times more than the film's original production budget on 35 millimeter-film transfers, a marketing campaign, and the eventual distribution/release of the film.{{cite magazine |last1=Thompson |first1=Anne |title=The story behind El Mariachi |url=https://ew.com/article/1993/04/02/story-behind-el-mariachi/ |access-date=January 8, 2023 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=April 2, 1993 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112061503/https://ew.com/article/1993/04/02/story-behind-el-mariachi/ |archive-date=November 12, 2016}} It was so well received that they eventually chose to finance the second part of the trilogy, Desperado,{{cite news |last1=Leydon |first1=Joe |title=Cranking Up the Volume: Robert Rodriguez made 'El Mariachi' with a borrowed camera on a wheelchair doubling as a dolly. Now his second film has big stars, a big budget--and lots of really expensive equipment |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-11-27-ca-2155-story.html |access-date=January 7, 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 27, 1994 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101022823/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-11-27-ca-2155-story.html |archive-date=November 1, 2020}} and subsequently the final chapter, Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

Films

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center; margin=auto; width:100%;"
scope="col" rowspan="2" \| Film ! scope="col" rowspan="2" \| U.S. release date ! scope="col" rowspan="2" \| Directed by ! scope="col" colspan="2" \| Written by ! scope="col" rowspan="2" \| Produced by ! scope="col" rowspan="2" \| El Mariachi
scope="col" \| Screenplay by !scope="col" \| Story by
scope="row" style="text-align:left" \| El Mariachi \| style="text-align:center" \| {{Start date\|1993\|02\|26}} \| rowspan="3" \| Robert Rodriguez \| colspan="2" rowspan="3" \| Robert Rodriguez \| Robert Rodriguez and Carlos Gallardo \| Carlos Gallardo
scope="row" style="text-align:left" \| Desperado \| style="text-align:center" \| {{Start date\|1995\|08\|25}} \| Robert Rodriguez and Bill Borden \| rowspan="2" \| Antonio Banderas
scope="row" style="text-align:left" \| Once Upon a Time in Mexico \| style="text-align:center" \| {{Start date\|2003\|09\|12}} \| Robert Rodriguez, Carlos Gallardo, and Elizabeth Avellán

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center; margin=auto; width:100%;"

scope="col" rowspan="2" | Film

! scope="col" rowspan="2" | U.S.
release date

! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Directed by

! scope="col" colspan="2" | Written by

! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Produced by

! scope="col" rowspan="2" | El Mariachi

scope="col" | Screenplay by

!scope="col" | Story by

scope="row" style="text-align:left" | El Mariachi

| style="text-align:center" | {{Start date|1993|02|26}}

| rowspan="3" | Robert Rodriguez

| colspan="2" rowspan="3" | Robert Rodriguez

| Robert Rodriguez and Carlos Gallardo

| Carlos Gallardo

scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Desperado

| style="text-align:center" | {{Start date|1995|08|25}}

| Robert Rodriguez and Bill Borden

| rowspan="2" | Antonio Banderas

scope="row" style="text-align:left" | Once Upon a Time in Mexico

| style="text-align:center" | {{Start date|2003|09|12}}

| Robert Rodriguez, Carlos Gallardo, and Elizabeth Avellán

=''El Mariachi'' (1993)=

El Mariachi travels through Mexico as a musician. He arrives in a small town hoping to find work in the cantinas and clubs. Troubled locals mistake him for a recently escaped convict who has been hunting down his former associates, and killing them with weapons carried in his guitar case. El Mariachi falls in love with a woman who helps hide him, but he sees her killed by those hunting him. He seeks revenge for her death.

=''Desperado'' (1995)=

The unfortunate adventures of El Mariachi continue, following his quest for love and his thirst for revenge.

=''Once Upon a Time in Mexico'' (2003)=

A failed coup attempt on the President of Mexico is stopped by the heroic actions of El Mariachi. He sets out to avenge the murder of his wife and daughter, and discovers a connection between the marauders and their deaths.

Television series

{{Series overview

| width =

| infoA = Executive producer(s)

| network = y

| multiseries =

{{Series overview

| series = El Mariachi

| infoA = y

| color1 = #C42F25

| episodes1 = 71

| start1 = {{Start date|2014|3|10}}

| end1 = {{End date|2014|6|17}}

| network1 = AXN

| infoA1 = Daniel Ucros, Juan Pablo Posada, and Gabriela Valentán

}}

=''El Mariachi'' (2014)=

In August 2013, Sony Pictures Television announced a TV series adaptation of El Mariachi.{{cite web |last1=Patten |first1=Dominic |title=Sony TV To Produce 'El Mariachi' Series Based On Robert Rodriguez Pic |url=https://deadline.com/2013/08/sony-tv-to-produce-el-mariachi-series-based-on-robert-rodriguez-pic-567713/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=August 20, 2013 |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=January 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413044835/https://deadline.com/2013/08/sony-tv-to-produce-el-mariachi-series-based-on-robert-rodriguez-pic-567713/ |archive-date=April 13, 2015}} Filming took place in Mexico with Iván Arana as the lead and Martha Higareda and Julio Brancho in supporting roles.{{cite web |last1=Hecht |first1=John |title=Sony to Produce TV Version of Robert Rodriguez's 'El Mariachi' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sony-produce-tv-version-robert-609575/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=January 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109040159/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sony-produce-tv-version-robert-609575/ |archive-date=January 9, 2023 |date=August 20, 2013}} Initially set to premiere on Sony Entertainment Television, the Spanish-language series premiered on AXN across Latin America on March 20, 2014.{{cite web |url=http://la.axn.com/programas/el-mariachi |title=SOBRE EL MARIACHI |trans-title=ABOUT EL MARIACHI |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308092702/http://la.axn.com/programas/el-mariachi |archive-date=March 8, 2014 |language=es |access-date=January 1, 2021}} El Mariachi ran for one season consisting of 71 episodes—airing on MundoFox in the United States and MBC Action in the Middle East.{{cite web |last1=Clarke |first1=Stewart |title=Sony's El Mariachi hits the Middle East |url=https://tbivision.com/2014/09/29/sonys-el-mariachi-hits-middle-east/ |website=Television Business International |publisher=Informa |access-date=January 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020114024/https://tbivision.com/2014/09/29/sonys-el-mariachi-hits-middle-east/ |archive-date=October 20, 2020 |date=September 29, 2014}}

Cast and crew

=Principal cast=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! Character ! El Mariachi (1992) ! Desperado (1995) ! Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
"El Mariachi" \| Carlos Gallardo \| colspan="2" \| Antonio Banderas
Dominó \| colspan="2" \| Consuelo Gómez \| {{cEmpty}}
Mauricio "Moco" \| colspan="2" \| Peter Marquardt \| {{cEmpty}}
"Azul" \| Reinol Martínez \| colspan="2" {{cEmpty}}
Cesar "Bucho" \| {{cEmpty}} \| Joaquim de Almeida \| {{cEmpty}}
Carolina \| {{cEmpty}} \| colspan="2" \| Salma Hayek
Buscemi \| {{cEmpty}} \| Steve Buscemi \| {{cEmpty}}
CIA Agent Sands \| colspan="2" {{cEmpty}} \| Johnny Depp
Billy Chambers \| colspan="2" {{cEmpty}} \| Mickey Rourke
Ajedrez \| colspan="2" {{cEmpty}} \| Eva Mendes

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! Character

! El Mariachi
(1992)

! Desperado
(1995)

! Once Upon a Time in Mexico
(2003)

"El Mariachi"

| Carlos Gallardo

| colspan="2" | Antonio Banderas

Dominó

| colspan="2" | Consuelo Gómez

| {{cEmpty}}

Mauricio "Moco"

| colspan="2" | Peter Marquardt

| {{cEmpty}}

"Azul"

| Reinol Martínez

| colspan="2" {{cEmpty}}

Cesar "Bucho"

| {{cEmpty}}

| Joaquim de Almeida

| {{cEmpty}}

Carolina

| {{cEmpty}}

| colspan="2" | Salma Hayek

Buscemi

| {{cEmpty}}

| Steve Buscemi

| {{cEmpty}}

CIA Agent Sands

| colspan="2" {{cEmpty}}

| Johnny Depp

Billy Chambers

| colspan="2" {{cEmpty}}

| Mickey Rourke

Ajedrez

| colspan="2" {{cEmpty}}

| Eva Mendes

=Additional crew and production details=

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" width="99%"
rowspan="2" width=10% \| Film ! colspan="6" \| Crew/detail
Composer(s) ! Cinematographer(s) ! width=20%\| Editor(s) ! Production companies ! Distributing company ! Running time
El Mariachi \| Eric Guthrie, Chris Knudson, Álvaro Rodriguez, Cecilio Rodriguez, and Mark Trujillo \| Robert Rodriguez \| rowspan="3" \| Robert Rodriguez \| rowspan="2" \| Columbia Pictures Los Hooligans Productions \| Columbia Pictures \| 81 minutes
Desperado \| Los Lobos \| Guillermo Navarro \| rowspan="2" \| Sony Pictures Releasing \| 105 minutes
Once Upon a Time in Mexico \| Robert Rodriguez \| Robert Rodriguez \| Columbia Pictures Dimension Films Troublemaker Studios \| 102 minutes

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" width="99%"

rowspan="2" width=10% | Film

! colspan="6" | Crew/detail

Composer(s)

! Cinematographer(s)

! width=20%| Editor(s)

! Production companies

! Distributing company

! Running time

El Mariachi

| Eric Guthrie, Chris Knudson, Álvaro Rodriguez, Cecilio Rodriguez, and Mark Trujillo

| Robert Rodriguez

| rowspan="3" | Robert Rodriguez

| rowspan="2" | Columbia Pictures
Los Hooligans Productions

| Columbia Pictures

| 81 minutes

Desperado

| Los Lobos

| Guillermo Navarro

| rowspan="2" | Sony Pictures Releasing

| 105 minutes

Once Upon a Time in Mexico

| Robert Rodriguez

| Columbia Pictures
Dimension Films
Troublemaker Studios

| 102 minutes

Reception

=Box office=

All three films were made using Rodriguez's "Mariachi-style" of filmmaking in which (according to the back cover of his book Rebel Without a Crew) "creativity, not money, is used to solve problems." Made on low budgets, all three movies have been extremely profitable. El Mariachi was made for $7,000 and grossed more than $2 million in its theatrical release.{{cite web |title=El Mariachi (1993) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/El-Mariachi |website=The Numbers |access-date=January 14, 2023}} Desperado was made for $7 million and grossed over $25.5 million in US theaters.{{cite web |title=Desperado (1995) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Desperado |website=The Numbers |access-date=January 14, 2023}} Once Upon a Time in Mexico was made for $29 million and grossed over $56.3 million domestically, and an additional $41.0 million worldwide.{{cite web |title=Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Once-Upon-a-Time-in-Mexico |website=The Numbers |access-date=January 14, 2023}}

=Awards and critical reaction=

Each installment of the Mexico Trilogy has won various prestigious awards. El Mariachi won the Audience Award at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival and the 1993 Deauville American Film Festival,{{cite web |last1=D'Alessandro |first1=Anthony |title=Sundance Alums Elizabeth Avellán & Rana Joy Glickman Launch Tealhouse |url=https://deadline.com/2020/01/sundance-elizabeth-avellan-rana-joy-glickman-launch-tealhouse-entertainment-robert-rodriguez-1202843051/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=January 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127233656/https://deadline.com/2020/01/sundance-elizabeth-avellan-rana-joy-glickman-launch-tealhouse-entertainment-robert-rodriguez-1202843051/ |archive-date=January 27, 2020 |date=January 27, 2020}} as well as Best First Feature at the 1994 Independent Spirit Awards.{{cite web |last1=Fox |first1=David J. |title=Spirit Awards: A Hollywood Maverick Gets Tamed |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-21-ca-36773-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=January 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116051504/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-21-ca-36773-story.html |archive-date=January 16, 2023 |date=March 21, 1994}} Desperado saw Salma Hayek nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 1996 Saturn Awards, and was nominated for the Bronze Horse at the 1995 Stockholm Film Festival.{{cite book |last1=Aldama |first1=Frederick Luis |title=Critical Approaches to the Films of Robert Rodriguez |date=March 15, 2015 |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin, Texas |isbn=978-0-292-76355-5 |page=190}} Once Upon a Time in Mexico won two Imagen Foundation Awards for performances by Antonio Banderas and Rubén Blades.{{cite book |title=35th Annual Imagen Awards Program Book: The Power of Our Voices |date=September 24, 2020 |publisher=Imagen Foundation |location=Encino, CA |page=31 |url=https://issuu.com/imagenfoundation/docs/__imagen_program_2020-issuu |access-date=January 15, 2023}} The film was also nominated for two Satellite Awards, winning Robert Rodriguez an award for Best Song ("Siente Mi Amor") and recognizing Johnny Depp with a nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Comedy or Musical.{{cite web |title=2004 8th Annual SATELLITE Awards – Motion Picture Nominees and Winners |url=http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/ipa-satelliteawards-w2004film.html |website=International Press Academy |access-date=January 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040404031144/http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/ipa-satelliteawards-w2004film.html |archive-date=April 4, 2004}} The movie's impressive stunts landed it two Taurus World Stunt Awards nominations.{{cite web |title=2004 Taurus World Stunt Awards - Winners & Nominees |url=https://www.taurusworldstuntawards.com/awards/2004-winners-nominees/ |website=Taurus World Stunt Awards |access-date=January 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705064621/https://www.taurusworldstuntawards.com/awards/2004-winners-nominees/ |archive-date=July 5, 2022}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

! Film

! Rotten Tomatoes

! Metacritic

! CinemaScore

style="text-align:left;"| El Mariachi

| 91% (76 reviews){{cite web| title=Mariachi (1992)| url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/el_mariachi| website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media| access-date=January 14, 2023}}

| 73 (9 reviews){{cite web| title=El Mariachi Reviews| url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/el-mariachi| publisher=CBS Interactive|work=Metacritic| access-date=January 14, 2023}}

| –

style="text-align:left;"| Desperado

| 70% (53 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/desperado |title=Desperado (1995) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango |access-date=January 14, 2023}}

| 55 (18 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/desperado |title=Desperado Reviews |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=March 4, 2021}}

| B+{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/ |title= Home - Cinemascore |work= CinemaScore |access-date=January 14, 2023}}

style="text-align:left;"| Once Upon a Time in Mexico

| 66% (168 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/once_upon_a_time_in_mexico |title=Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango |access-date=January 14, 2023}}

| 56 (34 reviews){{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/once-upon-a-time-in-mexico |title=Once Upon a Time in Mexico Reviews |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=January 14, 2023}}

| B−

References

External links

{{IMDb title|qid=Q840297|title=El Mariachi}}
{{IMDb title|qid=Q465009|title=Desperado}}
{{IMDb title|qid=Q93853|title=Once Upon a Time in Mexico}}

Category:Columbia Pictures franchises

Category:Sony Pictures franchises

Category:Film series introduced in 1992

Category:Action film series