In the double feature, there was a trailer for a Mexploitation film titled “Machete,” featuring Danny Trejo in the title role. The feature-length version includes many of the same actors and follows the plot as depicted in the trailer.
Essentially, Machete is an ex-Federale living as a day laborer in the United States who’s hired to assassinate a senator (played by Robert DeNiro), but is double-crossed and goes on a rampage of revenge. He is assisted by an Immigrations Agent played by Jessica Alba and a woman played by Michelle Rodriguez who helps Mexicans cross the border and settle in the United States.
“Machete” can really only be called a fun movie. Like “Grindhouse,” it is an homage to exploitation films and state of the art production values are mixed with film scratches and an occasional murky image quality to resemble older, low budget B-movies.
Violence in the film is so over-the-top that it takes on a comedic quality. For instance, in a scene set at a hospital, a doctor says the human body has 60 feet of intestines. In the very next scene Machete reaches into a bad guy’s stomach, pulls out his intestines and uses them to repel out of a window.
Also in common with the genre, everyone seems to have extraordinarily high blood pressure, resulting in gigantic fountains of blood gushing out from injuries as small as a paper cut, and all cars are carrying nitroglycerin so they explode when bumped.
Characters and dialogue are clichéd and stereotyped, which makes the film somewhat predictable despite being part of the genre. Additionally, as an exploitation film, there are hardly any scenes without a naked or nearly naked woman, all of whom naturally want Machete. The sexism of those scenes is not necessary and serves to detract from the more fully developed female characters played by Alba and Rodriguez.
On a more positive note, the action does not stop for anything. Exposition is almost absent, with the movie explaining itself as it goes along. There is nothing to prevent the viewer from enjoying the ride.
Rodriguez takes great delight in visuals—even where the film quality is murky for the sake of homage, the lighting is still perfect enough to highlight all of Machete’s scars, or to give just the right shading to underline a villainous character. Visually, the film is gorgeous.
The cameo by Cheech Marin as Machete’s badass brother and priest is special, adding to the silliness, and Steven Seagal’s return to theaters as the villainous Cortez gives Machete a challenging antagonist.
If one can accept “Machete” as a tongue-in-cheek homage or parody, it makes for a very enjoyable two hours, but one shouldn’t expect great acting, dialogue or any sort of attempt to portray life either realistically or artistically.
A fun film, but not a great one.
Matthew M. Robare can be reached at [email protected].
