EL MARIACHI (1993)

Writer-director Robert Rodriguez martyred himself to raise part of his $7,000 budget by subjecting himself to experimental drug testing for $100 a day. A virtual one-man band, Rodriguez performed almost every job on the movie except stunts and acting, and slapped a twisted noir sensibility onto a simple action premise. His poor man's approach to a rich man's game yielded creative flourishes — quick cuts to avoid his actors' flubbed lines — and studios woke up to the huge crossover potential of the new indies like The Usual Suspects.