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No consensus yet.
All Critics (41) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (25) | Rotten (16) | DVD (12)
Rodriguez's second feature may be a rambling, derivative exercise in gratuitous violence, but its determination to proceed as if the word 'restraint' never existed makes for gleeful entertainment. Jan 26, 2006 | Full Review…
Rodriguez's second feature may be a rambling, derivative exercise in gratuitous violence, but its determination to proceed as if the word 'restraint' never existed makes for gleeful entertainment.
Geoff Andrew
Mr. Rodriguez may be good enough to make a film about anything, but Desperado would collapse if its characters had to do anything but play with guns. May 20, 2003 | Rating: 2.5/5
Mr. Rodriguez may be good enough to make a film about anything, but Desperado would collapse if its characters had to do anything but play with guns.
Janet Maslin
What Rodriguez has essentially done in Desperado is make a slicker, more expensive copy of what came before. And what looked promising for $7,000 looks tiresome for a whole lot more. Aug 15, 2002 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…
What Rodriguez has essentially done in Desperado is make a slicker, more expensive copy of what came before. And what looked promising for $7,000 looks tiresome for a whole lot more.
Kenneth Turan
The routine gets tiresome for the Mariachi, and for the audience, too, after about an hour. Jun 18, 2002 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…
The routine gets tiresome for the Mariachi, and for the audience, too, after about an hour.
Mick LaSalle
Desperado is best when Rodriguez lets his playful side cut through the blare of a born filmmaker indulging his first chance at high-end Hollywood fireworks. May 12, 2001
Desperado is best when Rodriguez lets his playful side cut through the blare of a born filmmaker indulging his first chance at high-end Hollywood fireworks.
Peter Travers
Desperado, which is nothing but set pieces, snoozes between its scenes of carnage. Jan 1, 2000 | Rating: 2/4
Desperado, which is nothing but set pieces, snoozes between its scenes of carnage.
Mike Clark
Rodriguez edited the film himself, and his shot rhythms get better as the film goes along. His writing may fail him from time to time, but all is right again when he lets cinema do the talking. Aug 28, 2018 | Full Review…
Rodriguez edited the film himself, and his shot rhythms get better as the film goes along. His writing may fail him from time to time, but all is right again when he lets cinema do the talking.
Pat Padua
Although expensive and shiny-looking, the movie is irritatingly fragmented into bite-size, or MTV- size, segments. Jun 8, 2018 | Full Review…
Although expensive and shiny-looking, the movie is irritatingly fragmented into bite-size, or MTV- size, segments.
Owen McNally
Within Rodriguez' pulp formula stories are little pockets of ingenuity. Jul 30, 2007 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…
Within Rodriguez' pulp formula stories are little pockets of ingenuity.
Rob Gonsalves
Rodriguez's follow-up is unquestionably formulaic but mercifully free of the flat dialogue and arch one-liners that undermine so many action films. Mar 13, 2007 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
Rodriguez's follow-up is unquestionably formulaic but mercifully free of the flat dialogue and arch one-liners that undermine so many action films.
A slicker, more expensive version than El Mariach, except that what was promising and charming for $7,000 now looks tiresome and repetitious for $7 million Jun 20, 2006 | Rating: B | Full Review…
A slicker, more expensive version than El Mariach, except that what was promising and charming for $7,000 now looks tiresome and repetitious for $7 million
Emanuel Levy
An incredibly violent and infinitely entertaining shoot-'em-up. Dec 5, 2004 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…
An incredibly violent and infinitely entertaining shoot-'em-up.
Michael Dequina
Super Reviewer
A shoot-em-up (and there's a lot of shooting) with attitude (likewise). Now some might confuse attitude with style, but shooting a gun while pumping your fists like one was throwing punches (unnecessary, duh) is not style. And Antonio Banderas practically does Zoolander's "I'm sooo hot" pout through the whole movie embarrassingly. Luckily Salma Hayek's youth and extravagant DNA save the efforts from total unwatchable-ness. Well that and watching Quentin Tarantino get his head blown clean off.
This is a very wild, cool, and stylish film, even if it ends up being style over substance and story (with a messy and scattershot narrative to boot). In a way, this is more of a remake than a loose sequel or spin off. The original mariachi from El Mariachi does make an appearance, but this film is essentially the same story as the first, but with a different guy who knows the first guy. Make sense? Well, if not, don't worry. It's of no real consequence anyway. The action and stunts are inventive, done well, and a joy to watch. Buscemi and Tarantino ham it up in some fun supporting roles, and both Banderas and Hayek (especially Hayek, *wink* *wink*) are great to watch. I have a big attachment to this movie as I saw it at a young age and it introduced me to Rodriguez's work. It also kinda made me wanna make action movies, too. Like I said, it's got some flaws, but for solid action spectacle entertainment, this is a good film to turn to.
Antonio Banderas takes up the mantle of the wandering mariachi hunting the drug dealer who murdered the woman he loved and ruined his life. Although Desperado continues from where El Mariachi left off, it's more a bigger budget re-invention of the original than a true sequel, in a similar vein to Evil Dead II. With more resources at his disposal, Rodriguez fulfills all the potential of the idea, with some fantastic John Woo influenced action sequences which have a kind of ultra violent dance choreography and employs his now familiar ensemble cast including Cheech Marin, Quentina Tarantino, Steve Buscemi and Danny Trejo. Banderas has never been cooler, Salma Hayek never more gorgeous and it's a sexy, stylish and hugely entertaining left-field shoot-'em up with just the right amount of tongue in cheek humour. Still one of my favourite Robert Rodriguez films.
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