Rarely can a film pay homage to its influences and outclass them at the same time. “Machete” does, and then some.
“Machete,” the brainchild of Robert Rodriguez, who has been involved with such films as “Desperado,” “Grindhouse” and “Sin City,” can best be described as a campy homage to the low-budget 1970s B movies that traded in high production values for extreme levels of absurdity and a general lack of subtlety.
The film stars Danny Trejo as Machete, a Mexican federal agent who winds up in Texas and is contracted to murder Senator John McLaughlin (Robert De Niro), an ultra-conservative politician with an agenda against illegal immigrants.
It all blows up in Machete’s face when he ends up getting betrayed by Michael Booth (Jeff Fahey), the aid to McLaughlin that originally hired Machete.
The star-studded cast includes Michelle Rodriguez as Luz, a woman involved with “The Network,” an underground organization that aids illegal immigrants and Jessica Alba as Sartana, an Immigrations Officer. Steven Seagal plays a hilarious role as Torrez, an influential Mexican drug lord and Machete’s nemesis. Cheech Marin and Lindsey Lohan both make appearances as highly entertaining characters as well.
On paper, the cast seems completely random, and it is, but all the characters are so brilliantly written that it comes together seamlessly.
Machete is a classic example of a B-movie action hero; he is macho to the point of it being comical, at another point beating somebody up while eating a burrito and swimming naked in a pool with two women.
Although the film mostly follows Machete as he is decapitating nameless henchmen, there are strong overtones concerning illegal immigration, but it’s a mostly a satirical look at the issue and more so just a backdrop that the action can take place in.
“Machete” is the archetypal “guy movie;” it moves moves at a brisk pace and the action comes fast and often, usually only separated by brief story elements or scantily-clad women who occasionally get involved with the action as much as Machete himself.
While there is a heavy emphasis on the carnage, that doesn’t give fair credit to either the story or the characters in any way; the story is one dimensional and some particular plot points aren’t the most original, but as a whole it’s an entertaining rollercoaster from beginning to end.
If there is one fault, it’s that it isn’t for everyone; “Machete” is neither an ideal family outing nor very good for a first date. There is a gratuitous amount of nudity and an almost tasteless amount of gore, but that is exactly what Rodriguez set out to do, and he nailed the vibe perfectly.