5 Star

Guitar cases and guns and a Very Big Mexican.

Arrow Video Brings you a four disc special edition of the trilogy that changed cinematic history, as El Mariachi was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. Robert Rodriguez (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Grindhouse) wrote, directed, filmed, edited and much more for the grand sum of $7,000, before Hollywood got involved, and the rest is history, as the big stars take Rodriguez‘s story to new heights. With a ton of special features (see below) this the definitive release of the Mexico Trilogy.

For those uninitiated, or if you have been living under a rock since 1992, The Mexico Trilogy is about the aspiring El Mariachi (Carlos Gallardo – Dead Hooker in a Trunk, Jazzed Up Hoodlums), who wants to be the fourth generation El Mariachi, but he is down on his luck, pesoless, and on foot, heading for the town of Acuna. He has eighteen miles to go, and no one is picking him and his guitar up.

With hopes of finding a steady gig, he is full of optimism when he enters the Corona bar, but one man and his guitar cannot compete with a guy and his synthesiser. So his search for a gig continues. Meanwhile, in the small jail on the outskirts of the town, Azul (Reinol Martinez) is serving his time for illegal doings that made Moco (Peter Marquardt , Spy Kids 3: Game Over, Deus Ex (Video Game)) a very rich drug lord, and Azul wants his cut of the money.

Moco being the man he is, he promises Azul his cut, but instead he sends three guys with guns to the jail, where they pay off the guards and head into the jail. But they are not ready for all the prisoners to be armed to the teeth and can leave their cells at any time. Moco and Azul are not men to be messed with, so when Azul phones Moco, and lets him hear his men being gunned down, it is war and Moco wants Azul dealt with. The thing is that Azul plies his trade of killing using a guitar case full of weapons, while being dressed all in black, you can see where I’m going here, while El Mariachi plies his musical trade carrying a guitar case whilst also dressed in black. Let the mayhem commence.

This mayhem flows through the two sequels, this time Rodriguez has access to a wider range of talent, with Antonio Banderas (Acts of Vengeance, Automata) taking on the role of El Mariachi.

If you are au fait with the Mexico Trilogy, this is the Special Edition you need to own, as Robert Rodriguez wants to tell you all about it. And if you know nothing about the Mexico trilogy and are an action fan this will be right up you street.

The Mexico Trilogy: Limited Edition is available on 4K UHD + Blu-ray, Special Edition

 

5027035026565 Arrow Video

 

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all three films
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of Desperado
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Carlos Aguilar and Nicholas Clement
• Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
• Collectable poster featuring Robert Rodriguez’s original poster concept for El Mariachi

DISC 1 – EL MARIACHI (BLU-RAY)

• Original uncompressed Latin-American Spanish stereo audio, plus an English dub in lossless stereo
• Optional English subtitles, plus English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Commentary by writer-director Robert Rodriguez
• Big Vision Low Budget, a newly filmed interview with Rodriguez
• The Original Mariachi, a newly filmed interview with producer/star Carlos Gallardo
• The Music of ‘El Mariachi’, a newly produced featurette on the music in the film, featuring interviews with composers Eric Guthrie, Chris Knudson, Alvaro Rodriguez and Marc Trujillo
• Ten Minute Film School, an archive featurette produced and narrated by Rodriguez
• Bedhead, a 1991 short film by Rodriguez
• Theatrical trailer and TV spot

DISCS 2 & 3 – DESPERADO (BLU-RAY / 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

• New 4K restoration from the original camera negative by Sony Pictures
• Original uncompressed stereo audio and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Audio commentary by writer-director Robert Rodriguez
• Lean and Mean, a newly filmed interview with Rodriguez
• Shoot Like Crazy, a newly filmed interview with producer Bill Borden
• Kill Count, a newly filmed interview with stunt coordinator Steve Davison
• Lock and Load, a newly filmed interview with special effect’s coordinator Bob Shelley
• Game Changer, a newly filmed appreciation by filmmaker Gareth Evans (The Raid)
• Ten More Minutes: Anatomy of a Shootout, an archive featurette narrated by Rodriguez
• Textless opening (“Morena de mi Corazón”)
• Theatrical trailers

DISC 4 – ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO (BLU-RAY)

• Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Commentary by writer-director Robert Rodriguez
• The Revolution Will Be Digitized, a newly filmed interview with Rodriguez
• Troublemakin’, a newly filmed interview with visual effects editor Ethan Maniquis
• Eight deleted scenes, with optional commentary by Rodriguez
• Ten Minute Flick School, an archive featurette narrated by Rodriguez
• Inside Troublemaker Studios, an archive featurette on Rodriguez’s studio in Austin
• Ten Minute Cooking School, an archive featurette in which Rodriguez shows you how to cook Puerco Pibil
• Film is Dead: An Evening with Robert Rodriguez, a presentation by the director given in 2003
• The Anti-Hero’s Journey, an archive featurette on the arc of the Mariachi
• The Good, the Bad and the Bloody: Inside KNB FX, an archive featurette on the film’s special effects
• Theatrical trailers