A True Desperado: The 10 Best Moments Of Robert Rodriguez’s Career

6) The Guitar Case Reveal (Desperado/Once Upon A Time In Mexico)

Any fans of Rodriguez’s Mariachi franchise know that appearances are never as they seem, whether your talking people or objects, but nothing is more iconic than El Mariachi’s guitar case that doubles as a heavy weapons arsenal. In a jokey fashion, whenever authorities go to inspect the case, all they see is El Mariachi’s beaten guitar, but whenever they aren’t looking, a secret compartment opens up and a pile of guns are revealed. It’s the perfect touch on a hilarious western action flick focusing on a traveling musician – but Rodriguez doesn’t stop there.

While weaponry always stands out in Rodriguez’s films, it’s El Mariachi’s bandmates who take things to another level. If you remember back to Desperado, the cases themselves were guns, one being a high powered rocket launcher while two more served as rapid-fire machine guns. Perfectly concealed, and incredibly deadly. Fast-forward to Once Upon A Time In Mexico, and then we meet two more of El Mariachi’s helpers, one of which has a flamethrower guitar case.

Again, these are the touches that make Rodriguez’s movies such a memorable blast, making use of intricate details. Why use a regular flamethrower when you can turn your guitar case into one? Always with an eye on fun, Rodriguez has carved out such a distinct voice as far as action is concerned, which is one of the biggest reasons to come back for more.