Machete (Review)

This past month or so there have been several movies that have promised me trashy, low-brow, violent entertainment, but none have been able to fully deliver on this promise. The Expendables and Piranha 3-D both came close, but when all was said and done I was not able to come out wholly satisfied. Robert Rodriguez’s Machete is the first time I came out of such a film with a smile planted firmly on my face.

It originated with the double-feature project Grindhouse by Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. In and around their respective films Planet Terror and Death Proof were several fake trailers, including Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving, Edgar Wright’s Don’t! and Rob Zombie’s Werewolf Women of the S.S.. However, one standout was the fake trailer for Machete, starring Danny Trejo and also directed by Robert Rodriguez. It certainly had the most potential to be an actual movie out of all these trailers, and it wasn’t long before it was announced that indeed a Machete movie was not far away.

The plot here is obviously no more than a clothesline to hang a bunch of filthy, violent scenes on, and that’s exactly what you get. Machete (Danny Trejo) was once a Mexican Federale whose wife and child were murdered by Torrez (Steven Seagal), and he was forced to immigrate to Texas, where he works as a day laborer. One day Machete is flagged down by Michael Booth (Jeff Fahey, not to be confused with Michael Bluth) who offers $150,000 for Machete to kill Senator MacLaughlin (Robert DeNiro). Eventually it turns out to be a double-cross, and thus begins the mayhem.

When it all boils down to it, Machete is about a man named Machete who spends 105 minutes doing exactly what’d you’d expect a man named Machete to do. Yes, most of it involves a machete. However, pretty much every other gardening tool in the book gets used at least once, and if you see something that could possibly kill someone, it’s likely used for that purpose. The violence is so incredibly over-the-top and creative. Machete doesn’t meditate on the violence but shows it and moves on. Where The American was understated and repressed Machete explodes like a can that’s been shaken.

In a more surprising development, Machete is a rather political film, and as such viewers of a more conservative nature might be put off by its stance on illegal immigration. Basically the entire film is spent brutally murdering those who want the immigrants sent back. Subtlety is not the calling card here. I’m able to separate any political views I have from the movies I watch, but there will be people who won’t get past it. To be sure, it offers no real insights into the issue, but takes its stance and runs with it through all the bloody mayhem. There’s one exchange between some bodyguards that hits it a little too on the nose, and without much intelligence, but otherwise it exploits it all for the maximum payoff.

The cast here is pretty amazing, to be honest, and they all seem to be having a blast. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a Robert DeNiro performance this much in a very long time, and for the first time in a while he goes over-the-top. Senator MacLaughlin is brilliant in all his phony southern glory. Fahey nails it as well, spending the whole film talking in a loud overdramatic whisper. In movies like this any roles for women tend to be reduced to eye candy parts, and here Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba and Lindsay Lohan all know what they’re there for and pull it off with an appropriate wink. Alba plays an Immigrations Officer who spends most of the film deciding whether to enforce the law or enforcing “what is right”. Rodriguez plays Luz, who runs a taco truck and may or may not be Shé, a leader among the immigrant community. Finally, Lohan plays a complex role where- let’s face it she’s just naked the whole time.

Robert Rodriguez has a history of ultraviolent films of this nature, from Desparado to From Dusk Till Dawn to… Spy Kids. (Speaking of which, Daryl Sabara has a relatively funny part here). Now Rodriguez shares directing duties with editing partner Ethan Maniquis, but the creation stays in line with what Rodriguez has been doing his whole career. Those fans of the original Machete trailer will find all the best moments in the finished film, and surprisingly only a few feel truly shoehorned in. This is a project Rodriguez has had in his back pocket since the 90’s, and it’s obvious he knows what he’s doing.

Machete is definitely overlong, as it has too many villains and accomplishes in 100+ minutes what could have been done in 80 to 90, but for most of the movie it moves with a refreshingly quick and high-octane pace. It captures the 70’s grindhouse look and brings it to modern-day with few flaws, except those that are intentional. It ain’t for everyone, but for me Machete provided a couple hours of filthy, violent fun, and at a perfect time of year when not much is offered.

Rating: (out of 4)