The Mexico Trilogy (El Mariachi / Desperado / Once Upon a Time in Mexico)

I recently picked up The Mexico Trilogy 4K UHD Blu-ray set from Arrow Video, and overall I'm very pleased. This is a beautifully made collection with tons of charm, strong nostalgia, and genuine improvement in picture %26 sound — but it isn't perfect, so here are the highs and lows.

DISCLAIMER: Desperado (1995) is the only film on this "4K Edition" that actually contains a 4K disc. All other films are BD only. Before ordering, make sure you've checked the details. The 4K vs. BD distinction isn't listed in the title itself. The Mexico Trilogy is a boutique release courtesy of Arrow Video collecting Robert Rodriguez's loose "trilogy" of pulpy action films across two BDs and one 4K/BD combo all somewhat connected by the presence of the titular "Mariachi". Given that the character changes actors from El Mariachi (1992) to Desperado (1995) [Carlos Gallardo to Antonio Banderas] and the focus on said character is reduced drastically in Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) maybe even that connection is tenuous but so it goes. The word here is violence, in the first movie served mostly as the byproduct of a miserable coincidence, and in the latter two films as the consequence of revenge or audience demand if you want to look at it from a meta-narrative sense. El Mariachi is a man who will never find peace so long as we keep watching. so in the meanwhile we might as well enjoy it. Critics largely harp on the later two films for making sensible story secondary to the action but if you're content with spectacle - keeping in-line with Rodriguez's admiration for grindhouse cinema - then you'll be plenty entertained. After all, it all comes back to a guitar case full of guns. The release itself comes in a nice printed cardboard case surrounded by a glossy slipcover with each movie getting its own plastic case with an included foldout poster printed on thick cardstock paper and reversible sleeve art. Besides that, you also get a larger poster replicating the main artwork for this release on one side along with an almost abstract-looking chalk on black style illustration of El Mariachi himself on the other side. Also included is a small booklet printed on the same thick cardstock discussing the films themselves along with a brief technical snippet on this release. Speaking of which, why is Desperado the only disc in 4K? Chances are format limitations. El Mariachi was shot on more affordable 16mm film which while re-scannable (film being a physical format) likely doesn't contain enough detail to benefit from a 4K scan. Maybe an HDR-grading along with some general restoration work but nothing more. Desperado was shot on full professional-budget 35mm film which can almost always match or exceed the quality uptick afforded by a nice 4K scan so thankfully that's represented here. As for Once Upon a Time in Mexico, it was shot all digitally which in 2003 means a probable 2K DI intermediate (i.e. 1080p max if not worse). Any 4K release would just be an upscale. Sure, an HDR regrade might help colors pop more but given Arrow's fairly stellar track record for authoring BD discs I wouldn't have expected the visual detail to be much improved.

I picked up The Mexico Trilogy on sale and for the price it was a no-brainer. The movies themselves are quite enjoyable. Lots of action bundled with a great cast leads to great films. I will add that only one of the three movies is shown in 4k, the other two are regular blurays.

As stated in the title, FedEx delivered my order to a wrong address. However, I borrowed a friends copy several weeks ago. Desperado is the only movie in 4K, and the video looked very good. The other two films looked good (both in standard Blu-ray). El Mariachi looks the worst (but still not bad).

If you are a fan of Quinton Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez is a similar director and this trilogy of films is a great time. Arrow does a great job with the transfers, first and third films blu ray with desperado being in 4k. (Associate)

Love having this trilogy on hand. Cool set that looks great with the two blu ray and one 4k ( Desperado). Excellent choice in my opinion. Especially because El Mariachi would lose some of its charm if it was too cleaned up.

For under $40 this was a fantastic get

Amazing trilogy with memorable cast and story. Crawford chose his entry song for a reason haha!

Came in good shape and looks great.

Only 1 of 3 movies in 4K (Desperado). Kind of lazy of Arrow Video to only make the 2nd movie of the trilogy into 4K and the others are Blu-ray only. Otherwise a nice package.