At the media screening for Machete, a guy behind me kept exclaiming, “Oh my God, no he didn’t!” and “Wow, I can’t believe that!” Each outburst followed a scene of wild violence, often perpetrated by the film’s hero, an ex-cop named Machete (Danny Trejo). Yes, Machete uses knives to slay his enemies, rarely using guns. And yes, when he kills someone, heads roll and intestines are pulled out of bodies.
Before you think Rodriguez’s film is just an excuse to overcome our senses with new ways to kill people, you’re only half right. Machete got the Hollywood treatment mainly because fans wanted to see it made when they watched its mock-trailer in the Grindhouse film several years ago. It was supposed to be a joke, but then fans started getting Machete tattoos and begging Rodriguez to make Machete a full-length feature.
Why all the Machete love? You could guess the exaggerated violence appealed to younger generations only satiated by the next splatter flick; but beneath the artery-slicing is an invaluable message very applicable to Americans.
Machete centres on a retired Mexican cop who now lives in Texas, presumed to an illegal immigrant. He’s got a vendetta against a Mexican drug lord named Torres, played by Steven Segal sporting a horrible Mexican accent. While he’s looking for day labour work, he’s asked to assassinate a right-wing Texas state legislator (Robert De Niro) who warns Americans about an unruly Mexican invasion, while also joining his buddy (Don Johnson) for some human target practice along the Mexico-Texas border.
Sound familiar, Arizona?
A low-budget B-movie of this campy calibre wouldn’t be complete without some hot leading ladies. Jessica Alba plays an immigration officer who eventually get wrapped up in Machete’s plot, and Michelle Rodriguez plays Luz, a taco stand staffer who helps Machete fight against the anti-immigrant Texans. You’ll have to see the flick for yourself to learn who gets funky with Machete.
Clunky dialogue and where’d-that-come-from moment mar the movie’s pacing, such as lines like, “I’m a woman of the law!” Perhaps Rodriguez just wants to have fun with this film, instead of making something slick like Sin City or Desperado. He’s honouring his Grindhouse-Planet Terror days with each blood spurt, each weed-whacker kill (we kid you not). The film never takes itself too seriously, which is obvious when oddball humour leaks into many scenes.
Trejo finally earns a leading role, after years of playing side characters. He’s not the best actor, but his lines aren’t supposed to carry much emotional heft. His eyes do the talking, as does his scarred face contorted in anger or worry. You wouldn’t expect Trejo to shine as an action star, but he wields enough menace to get you rooting for him right from the intro.
Alba isn’t too spectacular, but Michelle Rodriguez takes on the female power role with admirable strength. She’s feisty without being unbelievable. When she turns bad-ass, you’ll wonder if an offshoot film starring her character will make it to the big screen.
Supporting roles by De Niro, Segal and Cheech Marin round out the celebrity guest-list, and they all do a decent job in conveying the gravitas of each role. For gossip fiends, Lindsay Lohan has a bit role, a very appropriate turn as a drug-addled spoiled brat.
It’s easy to get lost in the tabloid faces and thrown machetes peppering this film. But it’s decidedly harder to chew on the film’s political messages, made even more timely considering the anti-immigration sentiment heralded on some American talk-news shows. Machete could just be another rollicking B-movie, but it also can be the first movie since Arizona’s controversial immigration to finally tackle an issue coated with enough entertainment that it all goes down smoothly. Well, that’s if you can stomach a few dozen decapitations.
