The Curse of El Charro (2005)

Quentin Tarentino and Robert Rodriguez tried (I'd say, with mixed success) to honor the history of grindhouse movies -- low budget movies shot with gonzo velocities and lots of cleavers & cleavage.What Tarentino and Rodriguez tried to celebrate from their mink-lined, gold-plated director chairs, these guys did all by their loathsome lonesome, and cranked out El Charro. A masterpiece? No - not by a long shot. But, you know, it does have all the hallmarks of grindhouse: barely comprehensible plotting, bizarre riffs from the periphery, cars on desert highways, bad dialog, bad cops, bad bars, some nonsense about curses, babbling priests, buckets of blood, a couple hundred f-bombs, and (duh) topless women.If you're looking for El Charro to introduce you to next round of cinematic genius, you'll be sorely disappointed. But, if you've been hankering for some drive-in quality, B-movie slasher junk -- then why the hell not? (The soundtrack kind of kicks a--, by the way).

I will be short. This movie isn't worth your time and I wonder why it was even made in the first place. There is simply nothing to it. Yeah, you can run it when you have trouble falling asleep, but, PLEASE, don't rent it - simply download it off the net. Otherwise you're throwing your money away. Sorry, creators of the film, but that's the way it is. You think before you make something, right? Maybe you will learn next time. I am having difficulties writing about this movie, simply because there is not anything to write about. The only comment is: no comments.So if you're interested - watch it. One time was too much for me.Ivar

How does this movie even get to stores? If you are thinking about buying this movie, don't! I wouldn't even rent it. The only value in watching the movie is that it is quite funny, unintentionally, at times just because it is so horrible. I would expect this quality from maybe a high school film class, but I consider it a horrible injustice that it has made it onto the shelves of a movie rental store. So once again if you want to laugh at the bad acting, weak plot, horrible makeup, and cheesy effects then by all means watch this movie. But if you value your time, you might want to stay away from this one. I want my hour and a half back!

A very mixed effort, the inspiration is there, but a _lot_ of the execution is poor. It does however boast a couple of scenes that make it into the decade's short list of horror scenes. 1. When the girls enter the desert bar they are suddenly overtaken by a one-step-too-far feeling with nothing they can pin it on. Ugly people, weird talk, and a hint of threat that are clearly too much even for the self-styled goth girl and their unease is symbolized, reinforced and given focus in a stage show that's simple, hypnotic and unforgettable. Unfortunately the tension in that scene isn't lessened, but almost totally abandoned and it never really recovers. 2. The second scene is when the heroine (who doesn't understand simple Spanish despite clearly being Hispanic) has a vision in the style of a silent movie with title cards clearly directed at her. Unfortunately, the revelation turns the movie into an idiot-plot movie as she doesn't understand what's going on, even after being told exactly what's going on and I lost patience with her long before the final reel. The main monster himself is unfrightening and far too conventional. With loads of religious symbolism and references to Mexican folk art/lore I'd normally want to take a second look, but the deeply annoying cast keeps me from it. I'd like to see more from the filmmakers if they tone down the stereotypes and overacting (I blame the director more than the actors there) and find a better framework for their particular vision.