Maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez famously got his big start in show business over twenty years ago putting together a successful indie film on a shoestring budget.
As the writer and director, Rodriguez’s “El Mariachi” became a cult hit.
A few years later, Rodriguez delivered a sequel with Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek in “Desperado.”
Shortly thereafter, in collaboration with Quentin Tarantino penning the script, Rodriguez directed the crime and horror film “From Dusk Till Dawn,” which also achieved cult status.
The significance of Rodriguez’s early career moves is evident with the recent launch of the El Rey Network, a 24-hour English language cable channel, which is culturally diverse and just might tilt to the Hispanic audience. Univision holds a minority stake in the network.
For the time being, El Rey Network, which is perhaps unfamiliar to most TV viewers, functions with a minimum of original programming.
In fact, El Rey’s first original series was “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series,” which is now gearing up for shooting in Austin, Texas in October for its sophomore season.
Meanwhile, conveniently occurring during the time of year that the nation’s TV critics are gathered in Beverly Hills to preview new programming, the El Rey Network is launching the spy thriller series “Matador,” the story of a professional soccer player who uses the sport as a cover for his covert activities on behalf of the CIA.
Another expedient circumstance is that “Matador,” with its backdrop of professional soccer, debuts on Tuesday, July 15, offering the El Rey Network the good fortune of its series launch only two days after the World Cup final.
In “Matador,” Gabriel Luna stars as Tony “Matador” Bravo, the secret agent who succeeds in the tryouts for the L.A. Riot team by taking out a top player known as “The Bull,” and henceforth acquiring his “Matador” nickname and the attention of the team owner.
Alfred Molina’s Andres Galan is the owner of the Los Angeles soccer franchise and a person of interest to the CIA for his shady, corrupt international dealings.
In a cast that is heavily Latino, Nicky Whelan stands apart as Annie Mason, Bravo’s beautiful control agent who serves as the head of an obscure branch of the CIA.
Only minutes into the first episode of “Matador” the Robert Rodriguez touch is viscerally realized when a minor character takes a meat cleaver to the head, creating the instant shock value that is a trademark of grindhouse cinema in general.
Speaking to TV critics, Rodriguez, who directed the premiere episode of “Matador,” insisted that the brutally violent act “was in the script” and that the scene was “written that way.” The director said he told his writers that everyone would think that the incident was his idea.
No matter where the idea emanates, brutally violent actions that are vastly unpredictable are very much in the wheelhouse of the Rodriguez school of what could be called “good bad movies” that result from targeted exploitation.
“Matador” obviously and adroitly plans to keep the audience on edge. Rodriguez noted that the vicious feat “came in as such a shock” and to establish the violence early results in the audience not knowing what is going to happen.
Astutely, the director observed, in reference to the meat cleaver scene, that “you don’t have to do it very much because that’s in their head now.” He’s quite right about that, as the tension holds in many scenes that could have turned grisly or cruel.
Based on the intrigue and incredible action of the first episode, “Matador” looks like it could put the El Rey Network on the map.
The adventures of Agent Bravo, thrust into a clandestine world and balancing his dueling roles, will certainly prove dangerous and provocative.
The business model for the cable channel will be heavily focused on movies that fit the Rodriguez paradigm. Let’s just say you won’t be seeing “The Sound of Music” or anything resembling a musical, unless it’s a gangster carrying a guitar case.
Coming this fall, El Rey seeks to expand its commitment to original content with a second night of programming anchored by two new unscripted series.
“Lucha: Uprising” (a working title) features the high-flying antics and colorful world of freestyle Mexican wrestling.
Mexican wrestling is fun to watch. I am not sure what to make of “Cutting Crew,” which explores the edgy artistry of a dynamic team of barbers who have made a name for themselves at a Philadelphia barbershop by thinking outside the stylist box. Apparently these “scissor-happy” artists are a raucous bunch dishing a lot of jokes and banter.
At the TV press conference, Scott Sassa, Vice Chair of the network, asked TV critics to think of El Rey as the “Turner Classic Movies of action, horror, grindhouse, kung fu, blaxploitation, or any other genre that movie fans love.”
It seems only fitting then that the cable channel’s motto is “Ride with El Rey,” inviting viewers watching the channel’s programs to come along for a wild adventure.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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