I have not had such a difficult time categorizing a film as I have "6 Reasons Why". Being a huge fan of low-budget cinema, you'd think I would have loved it. It's a Western. Check. It's low budget. Check. It's got the quirky, non-linear story narrative. Check. But "El Mariachi" this ain't.
Whereas Robert Rodriguez told an amazing story for only $7,000 worth of film cost, the Campagna brothers took their stab at wringing out every bit of grit they could with this post-apocolyptic, $12,000 homage to Sergio Leone. I think they did a fine job. Certainly better than the 3.2 rating they got on IMDB. The cinematography is great, echoing Leone more than a few times. The casting was well done, each man playing a role that suited his capabilities (one of the Campagna brothers cast himself in the role of the bandit).
The movie is told in a non-linear fashion which may throw off some viewers. We see 4 men in the desert badlands, and then back the film up 4 times to tell each man's story, and how they all came together. It works. It's a fascinating study in film making. Each thread comes at the viewers from a different direction, until they all meet in the desert and try to kill each other. But why?
That may be the other problem with the film, aside from the non-linear narrative. I had to watch this movie three times before I thought I had all the pieces put together correctly. Yes, in a movie like this you have to keep the viewers in suspense to keep their interest. But there is an expectation that if someone watches until the end of the film, that their questions will be answered. I think the Campagnas dropped the ball on that issue, which was an issue that could have been easily repaired with a little more footage.
One man is in the badlands, having been banished there by his community. One man is a son of a murdered developer, looking for revenge. One man is a servant, with his own reasons for being out there. One man is a bandit, looking for victims, and payoffs. The intertwining of the four narratives is interesting, and viewers watch the unfolding believing that the journeys will all come full circle. They do, and they don't.
You understand at the end of the film that they were and are all connected, but there are unanswered questions and a couple of holes. The fact that you have a man ask another for batteries in a world that is supposed to be the Wild West, is the first clue that everything is not as it seems. It's quirky, and I enjoy the unexpected popups that occur throughout the film. Is it a great film? No. Is it a film that deserves better than a 3.2? Certainly. Without trying to sound pretentious, the film may be a higher caliber (see what I did there?) film than most people would grasp.
IMDB says 3.2/10. No. Give it a 5.2 for creative, non-linear narrative and the anachronistic popups that occur within a respectable $12,000 budget.
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