Rebel Without A Crew

[Mitch Allen]

Note: This is a copy of a book review that I originally wrote back in April 2005.

I decided to wait until I had seen Robert Rodriguez's film El Mariachi before writing a review of his book Rebel Without A Crew. The book chronicles how that film launched his career. Right after the El Mariachi ending credits, we toggled over to 60 Minutes II, just as Dan Rather was introducing a segment on - who else? - Robert Rodriguez and his new film Sin City (see: "'Sin City' Not A Hollywood Film"). Now, as then, he's still breaking new ground, still looking for ways to make good films for less.

The book contains excerpts of his diary, before he became famous, as he worked to produce and sell El Mariachi while still a student. You may have heard the stories of how he became a human lab rat to finance his vision, or how he made the original for $7,000 and sold it to Columbia for a lot more. All true.

I know there has been some grumbling that he really didn't make it for that little, that the studio helped him. If those grumblers had actually read the book, they'd know the whole story. His original intent was to create a film for practice, and try to sell it to Spanish direct-to-video distributors (El Mariachi is in Spanish). He shot the film in 16MM and to save money, had them print straight to video and edited it as a video feature, never intending to release it on film. It was after the studio wanted to release it that he had more support for turning it into a film release. The point is that with $7,000, he managed to put together a 90 minute film that wowed agents and studio heads and launched his career.

Another thing that he had going for him was that he had a short film, Bedhead, that was winning kudos and awards at festivals around the country. This gave him bragging rights and more bullets for his resume. When he'd hand out tapes, he'd put that at the front, as a lead to entice viewers to want to see more. He also put together a trailer for El Mariachi that he put at the head of some tapes. This was a very good plan. Realizing that busy executives may not have time to see the whole film, he gave them something to sink their teeth into. People would even say to him that they didn't have time to see the whole film, but based on the first 20 minutes, they were impressed enough to follow up.

The best part about this book is that it was written specifically to tell other filmmakers "You can do it too." It's very inspirational - especially if you are a guerilla filmmaker, trying to do more with less. I used to think the best way to get Hollywood's attention was to create a good short film. Now after reading this book and Down and Dirty Pictures, I'm wondering if maybe I should consider trying to put together my own 90 minute film, as well as a few shorts.

There are a couple of ways to get your hands on a copy of El Mariachi. I rented the version that comes with Desperado (with Antonio Bandera and Salma Hayek), Bedhead and a video version of Robert Rodriguez's 10 Minute Film School on Netflix. You can also find that version on Amazon.

There's also a couple of special editions. Search Amazon on "El Mariachi" and you will see your options. You may also want to look at the film, Once Upon a Time in Mexico. I found it on cable.

Remember, El Mariachi is a first film, written and directed by a student. It's not Grade A quality. Don't worry about that part. As you watch it, ask yourself what it was about the film that still sold people on the man behind it. Then ask yourself, can you do better? Then go for it!