A very entertaining directorial debut from one of the coolest directors currently working. **Robert Rodriguez** is known for his low budget efforts and for managing pretty much all of the production roles in his films (directing, writing, editing, and producing), and El Mariachi handles the low budget style very well. The gritty setting helped save money on set design, the obscure cast saved money on actors, and Rodriguez himself saves money by doing everything himself. I loved the musical segments and the performances, especially **Consuelo Gómez** as Dominó. If I had to think of any letdowns that the film has, it would be that the dream sequences felt pointless and did not build up to anything. Also, I didn't like the framing in certain close-ups, in which half of a characters' face would be cropped from the image. Aside from these minor issues, though, El Mariachi is a great directorial debut that brought credibility to one of my favourite directors.