DISSECTING THE DIRECTOR: Robert Rodriguez

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

“ROBERT RODRIGUEZ”

When I want to watch a film that has action, horror, fun and Danny Trejo, I’ll put on a Robert Rodriguez film. The man has made a career out of action/horror films and kids/family films. He seems to do either or, and personally I actually enjoy both. Making his low-budget debut with El Mariachi, Rodriguez easily made a name for himself with his explosive action. 18 years after his debut, the man is still going strong, making films for us grown-ups and the little guys. I’ve been a fan of his for as long as I can remember, his films have a proud place on my DVD shelves. Say what you will about the man, but he manages to deliver the goods, no matter what he does. He sticks to what he knows, and I love him for it. Whether I am on the ride of fighting crazy vampires or in the junior spy world, I am having a blast with Rodriguez.

BEST WORK

GET THE SIN CITY DVD HERE
GET THE SIN CITY BLU RAY HERE

Choosing which film I consider to be Rodriguez’s best was a no-brainer, Sin City hands down. This is a brilliant film, from start to finish. It is such a unique film, the panels from the graphic novels just come alive on screen. Rodriguez worked hand in hand with Frank Miller on the film, and insisted Miller be credited as a co-director. As a pairing these two crafted something amazing; the use of black and white visuals, mixed with a particular use of a colour, make this such a stunning piece of film to look at. While the film does boast quite the large cast, Rodriguez manages to get stellar performances out of everyone, I don’t think anyone involved put out a bad performance. The combination of all the different story lines, all tangled together, works extremely well. While you think certain things are unrelated, they all turn out to have something to do with each other. I remember first seeing this film in a packed theater, my jaw was almost on the floor the entire time because I couldn’t believe just how amazing the film was.

There is such a great blend of storytelling and violence, each bit has a meaning and a purpose. This film boasts some fantastic scenes of gore, used in such a disgusting way. As a horror fan, I appreciated every second of it. A major part of this film are the women, there are a lot of them. Not only do they look hot as anything, and have some of the most unique and gorgeous costumes, but some of them kick some serious ass. Just look at Rosario Dawson, the warrior woman, she is a strong female character, something not seen nearly enough. Rodriguez has that trend in his films, he has strong female characters, this film they shine. Then there’s the action, it is fantastic; from Marv’s antic’s to those of little Miho and her sword, it really is incredible. Speaking of Marv, I give full credit to Rodriguez as being the force behind the resurrection of Mickey Rourke. Without this role, without Rodriguez as his guide, Rourke would never have gone on to The Wrestler and to achieve the amazing critical success he has gotten. That is the power of Rodriguez and this film, so many chances were taken, and they paid off big time. Sin City remains one of my all time favourite films, it is something I love to watch, and a film I am proud to say is excellent.

WORST WORK

GET THE ONCE UPON IN MEXICO DVD HERE

I really don’t think Rodriguez has made many weak films, aside from Sharkboy and Lavagirl which is easily his lowest point. But family films aside, there are a few titles which I think don’t quite live up to their potential. Those would be Once Upon A Time In Mexico and Machete, however I think Mexico falls a little lower than Machete. The major problem with Mexico does lie pretty much with Rodriguez, not only as a director but as the writer as well. The film is the third in his ‘mariachi trilogy’, which brings back Antonio Banderas as our protagonist. But that seems to be one of the only things that make sense, the plot is all over the place and confusing. There are quite a few flashbacks, and half the time I had to wonder why? The performances didn’t quite have that magic charm from his previous film. In fact the only actors who seem to actually be enjoying themselves are Mickey Rourke and Johnny Depp. In turn they make the film worth a watch despite its flaws, but even they can’t save it from mediocrity. While his other films had some substance to them, I felt this was really missing that. It had the potential to be a great action film, but there were too many flaws which kept it from going that way.

TRADEMARKS

Rodriguez is a man full of trademarks, but none of them are as well known as Danny Trejo. When you think of a Rodriguez film, you think of Danny Trejo, the two go hand in hand. He’s appeared in most of Rodriguez’s films, including a great turn as Uncle Machete in the Spy Kids franchise. Which brings me to another well known trademark, the machete! Its such a huge trademark, it is even the title of his latest film. Whether it is the word machete that gets used, the item itself, you’ll find it somewhere in his work. His films often contain over the top action scenes and explosions, and he always makes them look so damn awesome. He likes to director his own written work, as well as edit and produce his films. He works cheap, and often on his DVD releases he’ll include a film school segment and how he achieves what he does. Aside from his constant use of Danny Trejo, he frequently works with other actors including Cheech Marin, Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Salma Hayek and Jessica Alba. You can also find references to John Carpenter, as Rodriguez is a big fan. And I can’t forget to mention his constant collaborations with Quentin Tarantino on such films as From Dusk Till Dawn and Grindhouse.

HIDDEN GEM

GET THE FACULTY DVD HERE
GET THE FACULTY BLU-RAY HERE

One of my favorite films to come out of the horror/high school era of the late 90’s is The Faculty. I think this film went under the radar then, and it continues to do so. Whenever I bring this film up, people either didn’t know or had forgotten it was a Rodriguez film. It is quite different than the other films he has done, it is like a modern take on Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (Which they even mention in the film). It is a smart film, it doesn’t take the audience for fools, we know what is going on and that is exactly how Rodriguez intended. This is a fun film as well, the cast all play to their high school stereotype to perfection. The teenagers in the film are all great, I loved Josh Hartnett as Zeke, definitely one of his best roles. The teachers are all simply fantastic, and props to Rodriguez for managing to get so many awesome names. You’ve got Salma Hayek, Robert Patrick, Famke Janssen, Jon Stewart, Piper Laurie and Bebe Neuwirth, how can you go wrong with that? The film has a great combination of sci-fi, horror and high school drama, while other films at the time all seemed the same, this aimed for something different. I was really impressed with how well the alien affects hold up today, it looked great back then and it looks great now. If you’ve missed this film, do yourself a favour and check it out.

NEXT PROJECT

I’d like to be able to say that Sin City 2 is now shooting, however it feels like that film has been in pre-production forever. Rodriguez after Machete decided to continue his Spy Kids franchise with a fourth entry. The film is currently shooting, and it brings back the now grown up Carmen and Juni Cortez played by Alexa Vega and Darly Sabara. Antonio Banderas and Danny Trejo are returning as well, along with new comers to the franchise Jessica Alba, Joel McHale and Jeremy Piven. I am not sure how I feel about this project, I loved the previous films. But now they aren’t really kids, more like Spy Teens, but I am not sure I’d want it to continue without Alexa and Daryl. After this we can all hope that finally Sin City 2 does get under way. I’d hate for Rodriguez to go and make a Sharkboy and Lavagirl sequel before a Sin City one.

OVERALL 

Robert Rodriguez is one of those film guys who loves what he does, it shows in his work. He likes to have as much control as possible with what he does, and for the most part it works in his favor. Whether he’s making an action film, a horror film or a family fun film, when I sit down to watch one of them I know I am in for a good time. Sometimes all you need is some mindless fun, he knows that, so he gives that. He really knows his target audience well, and he tries to cater to that in the best way possible. Here is a man that knows his stuff, and he isn’t afraid to take risks. Sometimes they don’t always pay off, but when they do it is all worth it.