Nerd Mentality

MOVIE REVIEW – Machete

Posted September 11th 2010 by Frankie Aguilar.

Machete, the latest movie to come from the mind of Robert Rodriguez, is the type of movie that tells you all about itself in its trailers. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Rodriguez, he's made his career by creating B-style movies for a modern audience so you can expect intentionally cheesy effects, a low budget appearance and plenty of over the top action. For the few of you who might have seen the "trailer" for Machete during the Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino Grindhouse experiment, you can rest assured that the insanity and over the top exploitation style movie making is still intact and taken to the next level. If you're looking for the type of movie that will give you one last taste of true summer blockbusting action, Machete is definitely for you. That is, unless you've got a problem with illegal immigration.

For starters, let's get one thing out in the open. This movie is all about the love that Robert Rodriguez has for long time "that one guy" actor, Danny Trejo. Not only is this the first lead role Trejo has ever played, but his character "Machete" is about as badass as a person can be. Machete just oozes machismo, destroying his enemies with improvised and brutal melee weapons. He also comes across gentle enough to attract the bevy of beautiful ladies that take this movie's sexiness level over the top. And he does this all while saying barely any lines. Machete is all that is man, and his ass kicking abilities are more than up to par.

The supporting cast in Machete is as varied as it is strange. With Rodriguez staples like Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin, beautiful love interests in Michelle Rodriguez and Jessica Alba, the strange choice of Steven Seagal as a Mexican drug lord and the cracked out Lindsay Lohan as a cracked out celebutante, Machete has a little bit of everything for everyone. As far as the ladies are concerned, Michelle Rodriguez steals the show as Luz, the leader of an underground network aimed at helping illegals And ultimately she's just hot as hell. While Jessica Alba is equally hot, it tough to tell whether she was directed to act as corny and as terrible as she did or if that's her natural talent shining through.

The force that rises against the titular Machete is three pronged. At one point is the Drug Lord Torrez played by Steven Seagal, an ex-partner of Machete and total ass face. On the American side of this boarder hopping battle are Senator John McLaughlin (Robert De Niro) and his conniving campaign manager Booth (Jeff Fahey). Senator McLaughlin's platform is eerily familiar to a lot of real life conservative politicians and Booth will do just about anything to get McLaughlin reelected.

The third prong to the trident of evil in Machete is the uber racist Lt. Von Jackson played by uber non-racist (see: Miami Vice) Don Johnson. The amount of horror that this man is able to justify by claiming his actions are for America's safety is ridiculous. Von Jackson's actions and the McLaughlin platform really bring to light the underlying theme in this movie: Rodriguez's frustration with the treatment of Mexican immigrants in this country. While it makes valid points and the immigration debate is an all to important topic, it seems a little out of place in Machete.

See, most exploitation films use the over-the-top stereotypes to make their point but Machete double dips in the message pot by hinting at its message and then shoving it in your face. I personally believe that movies have a right to try to get a message across, but when a director compromises the flow and story of a movie, I lose appreciation for that message. As the movie approaches its climax the message becomes more important than the plot, and to some people that might ruin the movie for them. I can definitely see this movie getting banned from some theaters in border states.

Machete is, at its core, a B-movie style exploitation film and a parody of the exploitation films genre at the same time. It's cheesy and ridiculous, hoping to elicit as many "hell yeahs" as laughs. Limbs are hacked off with ease, women are barely clothed and naked more often than not, and of course the dialogue and story revolves around stereotypes about the main character's race. It's an enjoyable thrill ride, the type of movie you expect to see in the summer and I have to congratulate Robert Rodriguez on giving his buddy Danny Trejo the role he deserves and was meant to play. It just surprises me that the political tones became the main focus of Machete, especially late in the film. Immigration being as hot of an issue as it is, the movie might rub some folks the wrong way. But if you can ignore the political part of the story, and you just love ridiculous action movies, you need to see Machete.

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