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Renegade filmmaker Robert Rodriguez tends to be a hit-or-miss director. Generally, when he makes movies for kids (like Shorts), he misses. But when he lets loose and makes another big, bad movie for grown-ups, it’s almost always a hit—and his latest over-the-top grindhouse-style adventure, Machete, is no exception to the Rodriguez Rule.
Inspired by the fake trailer included in 2007’s Grindhouse double feature, Machete stars Danny Trejo as a former Mexican federal agent known for playing by his own rules. After crossing a notorious drug lord named Torrez (Steven Seagal), Machete makes his way to Texas, where he starts a new life as an anonymous illegal day laborer.
Unfortunately, Machete doesn’t stay anonymous for long. Three years later, man named Booth (Jeff Fahey) sets him up for the shooting of smooth-talking, immigrant-hunting Senator McLaughlin (Robert DeNiro), who’s currently campaigning for re-election. McLaughlin’s approval ratings shoot through the roof—but Machete becomes a fugitive.
Aided by a revolutionary (Michelle Rodriguez) and an immigration officer (Jessica Alba), Machete sets out to clear his name, only to find that he’s once again facing an old enemy.
Like Rodriguez’s ultra-violent Planet Terror, Machete is just cheesy, blood-drenched entertainment. It’s really no wonder that everyone from Robert DeNiro and Don Johnson to Lindsay Lohan and Steven Seagal jumped at the chance to be a part of the cast—because it looks like it was just as much fun to make as it is to watch.
Rodriguez and co-director Ethan Maniquis never make the mistake of taking the film too seriously. Instead, they make sure that it keeps its pitch-perfect sense of humor from beginning to end. It’s intentionally corny, with buckets of fake blood and a lovably low-budget feel—and it only gets bigger, badder, and more ridiculous as Machete sets out to bring Booth and his collaborators to justice.
Although he’s generally cast in small roles, long-time character actor Trejo is perfect for the title role. He’s the strong, silent type—and even though he’s the main character, he’s still a man of few words. But he’s tough and dependable—and, of course, he’s absolutely irresistible to the ladies.
The rest of the cast only adds to the fun. From DeNiro’s slick politician to Seagal’s ruthless drug lord to Johnson’s immigrant-hunting vigilante, the characters are amusingly overdone.
Though the story does drag a bit as it builds up to its final show-down (complete with a gun-toting Lindsay Lohan dressed in a nun’s habit), the rest of Machete is pure over-the-top fun. It’s definitely not for the squeamish—or the easily offended—but if you appreciate Rodriguez’s wicked sense of humor, you’ll enjoy every blood-drenched minute.
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