Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi Trilogy or Mexico Trilogy is now available in a new Blu-ray collection, which includes a 4K transfer of Desperado, courtesy of Arrow Video. The first movie was never truly intended to be a franchise starter. It was actually Rodriguez practicing how to make a movie. El Mariachi would put him on the map for film studios, but it was the sequel, Desperado, that brought him into the mainstream. It would also make Antonio Banderas an action star and introduced audiences to Salma Hayek. And it’s this manic film that we take a look at in this episode of Reel Action.

If you’re into movies, chances are you’ve heard the inspirational story behind Robert Rodriguez’s debut feature film. But if you aren’t up to speed, 1995’s Desperado is actually a sequel to a small film from 1992 called El Mariachi. And when I say small,...