Antonio Banderas is great as the former guitar player who is seeking revenge on the criminal responsible for killing the woman he loved. Instead of a guitar, his case now holds a small arsenal of weapons which he uses to dole out justice, while he searches for a criminal named Bucho. Whenever Hayek is on the screen, I know I find it impossible to take my eyes offer of her. Rodriguez is also a terrific visual stylist, who combines tried and true cinematic technique with his own dramatic editing to create the film's unforgettable imagery. Flesh tones are especially well rendered, while the rest of the colors are fully saturated without a bit of chroma noise.
Blacks are velvety and the image has marvelous contrast and shadow detail.
Digital compression artifacts are well concealed throughout. The Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack is an absolute killer. Bass reproduction is solid, while the dialogue sounds very clear and natural. The film's highly enjoyable music by Los Lobos is very well integrated into the mix. An English Dolby Surround soundtrack has also been provided, along with Spanish and Portuguese language tracks.