El Mariachi (1992)

This movie is a fantastic example of what $7,000 can do. Rodriguez was writer, director, producer, camera, sound, and everything else. The only reason he didn't star in it was because there would be no one to hold the camera. And speaking of producing, a large part of that seven thousand was earned from Rodriguez giving himself up to science projects. The story follows a man who has come into a small town looking for work as a mariachi. Mistaken for a killer, who carries his guns around in a guitar case, a local gang chases him down and tries to kill him. Also interesting: most of the guns used were water guns and the few real ones were borrowed from the local police department. (Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez)