Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Graphic
- kinetic
- witty
- irreverent
- action movie night
- cult film night
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the film's kinetic action, visual invention, and Antonio Banderas's charisma while finding its story and characterization thin.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
El Mariachi is a former musician whose murdered girlfriend and injured fretting hand drive his violent pursuit of Bucho.
The film places a gunslinger showdown and outlaw justice within a seedy Mexican town ruled by a drug kingpin.
The guitar-case arsenal, ambushes, explosions, and rapid-fire shootouts form the film's defining visual grammar.
El Mariachi carries an arsenal concealed in his guitar case, making the instrument a recurring action device.
Films like Desperado, and why
El Mariachi
stylized contemporary western action, revenge-driven gunslinger narrative, and explosive violence
From Dusk Till Dawn
kinetic crime action, charismatic antihero, and heightened comic-book violence
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
spaghetti western influences, revenge themes, and hyper-stylized gunplay
Machete
Mexican borderland crime, flamboyant action choreography, and violent antihero storytelling
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Rodriguez
- Release Date
- 1995-08-25
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (3259)
Cast
- Antonio Banderas
- Salma Hayek Pinault
- Joaquim de Almeida
- Steve Buscemi
- Cheech Marin
- Carlos Gómez
- Quentin Tarantino
- Tito Larriva
- Angel Aviles
- Danny Trejo
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Desperado about?
- A wounded mariachi turns his guitar case into an arsenal while pursuing the drug lord who destroyed his life through a flamboyant border-town bloodbath.
- What is Desperado like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Desperado as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Desperado violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Desperado as graphic.
- What did critics think of Desperado?
- Critics broadly admired the film's kinetic action, visual invention, and Antonio Banderas's charisma while finding its story and characterization thin.
- Which films are like Desperado?
- Films with a similar feel include El Mariachi, From Dusk Till Dawn, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and Machete.
- How long is Desperado?
- Desperado runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch Desperado?
- In United States, Desperado is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
