Robert Rodriguez is arguably one of the most influential directors of recent times. Following the success of his ultra-low budget directorial debut El Mariachi, Rodriguez became a poster boy along with the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith for the independent movie boom that took place during the early 90s. The son of Mexican-American parents, Rodriguez is known for incorporating Latino and Spanish themes and influences throughout his repertoire of movies, and is often praised for his continued representation of the Hispanic culture. He is also known for often working with the same group of actors and friends, many of Latino and Spanish descent, including Antonio Banderas, Danny Trejo, Salma Hayek, Cheech Marin, and Jessica Alba.
Best known for his brutal, stylized violence, his schlocky B movie/grindhouse sensibilities and his engaging character dialogue, Rodriguez has also proven himself a successful director of family movies with four Spy Kids movies under his belt, a reboot of which is happening at Skydance Media. Rodriguez has turned his focus a little more towards science fiction recently with Hypnotic with Ben Affleck, which should be released soon, and 100 Years, which won’t. It was shot in 2015 but will not be released until 2115 (one hundred years after production started). With an expansive filmography to choose from, here are the best Robert Rodriguez movies, ranked.
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8 Planet Terror (2007)
Dimesnion Pictures
Released with long-time collaborator Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof as part of the Grindhouse double feature, Planet Terror was definitely the superior of the two. It’s a brutal, yet thoroughly entertaining, fast-paced zombie thrill ride with plenty of Rodriguez’s dark humor thrown in for good measure. Audiences were treated to some strong performances from its main cast including Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, and Josh Brolin, plus a host of fun cameos from the likes of Bruce Willis, Quentin Tarantino, Tom Savini, and Michael Parks. While it didn’t really break any new ground, it was still great fun for genre fans.
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7 Machete (2010)
20th Century Fox
Machete is an ultraviolent, blood-spattered, exploitation flick that delivers an all-out attack on the senses. Danny Trejo, another long-time collaborator of Rodriguez, is at his most intimidating and grizzled as the titular character, a Mexican ferdarali out for blood, and lots of it. The film is an expansion of a fake trailer of the same name shown as part of the promotion of Rodriguez’s and Quentin Tarantino’s 2007 Grindhouse double-feature based on Trejo’s character from the Spy Kids trailer. Totally over the top and ridiculous, but totally self-aware, with its tongue placed firmly in its cheek, it’s a pleasure to behold, if you’ve got the stomach for it. It was also quite nice to see Steven Segal, playing against type as the villain, back on the big screen for the first time in a major theatrically released movie since 2002’s Half Past Dead. Robert De Niro, Lindsay Lohan, Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba, and Cheech Marin also star.
6 Spy Kids (2001)
Dimension Films
Spy Kids was a revelation. Rodriguez, who is known for his ultraviolent and very adult output, made a kids movie, and it was actually pretty darn decent. Working with a host of the usual suspects, including Antonio Banderas, Cheech Marin, and Danny Trejo, Rodriguez managed to make a family movie that didn’t talk down to kids and have to resort to an abundance of toilet humor, slapstick gags or an overload of bright colors and loud noises to keep children entertained. Kind of James Bond with kids, the story follows two young siblings, played superbly by Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara, who quickly learn the family business of international espionage in order to rescue their parents. The result is an hour and a half of highly stylized action sequences and plenty of laughs in this fun family film that spawned three sequels and a spin-off animated series.
5 Desperado (1995)
Columbia Pictures
A sequel spawned from the success of Rodriguez’s microbudget El Mariachi effort, Desperado ups the ante in almost every way possible, except perhaps in the storytelling department. With a larger budget and spoken in English, we see Antonio Banderas step in to take over the lead role of El Mariachi, a notorious and feared nomad guitar player, as he seeks revenge on the drug lord who killed his lover. Desperado is chock-a-block full of graphic violence and clever dialogue (a particularly funny scene featuring Tarantino recalling a humorous story in a bar springs to mind), which would go onto become trademarks for which Rodriguez would go onto be known for around the world. The movie is also notable for providing Salma Hayek her breakout role, which is most definitely a good thing.
4 The Faculty (1998)
A slight departure from his usual exploitation/crime thriller fare and a step into the more straight horror genre, at the time of release The Faculty was met with a little trepidation. Looking back, it is a nice addition to the teen horror boom of the 90s. Featuring a cast of promising rising stars including Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, Usher, and Jordana Brewster, the film failed to impress at the box office, but has gone on to amass a cult following. The film is about an alien invasion at a high school and follows a lot of the tropes of science fiction and horror from a smart, funny angle. In retrospect, the movie has been reevaluated by critics and praised for its reinvention of the fear of female sexuality often found in the horror genre as well its portrayal of teenage alienation.
3 El Mariachi (1992)
Originally made on a shoe-string budget of the minuscule amount of just $7,225, El Mariachi went onto become recognized by Guinness World Records as the lowest-budgeted film ever to gross $1 million at the box office. The movie and, by proxy, Rodriguez helped usher in the independent movie boom of the early 1990s, along with the likes of feeling auteurs Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino. Rodriguez eventually went on to pen the book Rebel Without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker with $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player. This Spanish language, pulpy neo western/crime drama tells the story of a badass traveling guitar player that unwittingly becomes embroiled in some vicious gang warfare. Despite the low budget, it remains fun and exciting and was a brilliant way to kick off the saga that came to be known as Robert Rodriguez’s Mexico Trilogy.
2 From Dusk till Dawn (1996)
One of the greatest genre switches in a movie since Psycho¸ what starts off as a pulpy crime thriller transforms into an utterly insane horror action vampire flick in the second act. It just so happens that both parts are thoroughly enjoyable boosted by superb performances from one of the greatest casts of the era including George Clooney, Juliette Lewis, Quentin Tarantino, and Harvey Keitel along with Rodriguez regulars Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, and Salma Hayek. There’s also the unforgettable appearances from genre legends Fred Williamson and Tom Savini (with an extremely interestingly located weapon). With all of its clever, witty and engaging dialogue combined with a ton of violence and action, From Dusk till Dawn has gone on to reach true cult status.
1 Sin City (2005)
Miramax
Sin City is a neo-noir crime anthology film produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, based on Miller’s graphic novel of the same name. Following the tradition of great casts in Rodriguez movies, Sin City has what is quite possibly the finest cast ever assembled, including Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Bruce Willis, Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Clive Owen, Josh Hartnett, Rutger Hauer, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Michael Madsen. While some critics criticized the movie for being a ‘disturbing gorefest’ by this stage in his career, fans of Rodriguez know exactly what to expect for his adult-aimed output. A stunning visual spectacle set in a gorgeous world of silvery shadows with occasional bursts of color for dramatic effect, the action is brutal and violent, the interweaving stories are engaging, and the dialogue is top-notch. Looking like the action has jumped straight off the pages of the graphic novel it was adapted from, Sin City is probably the best in its genre and the finest Rodriguez has delivered thus far.
