Machete Reviewed

Last night I had the opportunity to watch Machete. It falls in the same line as the 2007 Grindhouse films Planet Terror and Death Proof.  Machete was originally a trailer played with the Grindhouse double feature.  These films are meant to look old and grungy and often times are loaded with cheap special effects and humorous one liners.  I thoroughly enjoyed Death Proof but not so much Planet Terror.  24 hours after watching Machete and having the chance to think it over in my mind, I just wasn't really all that impressed.  Should I be?  I'm not so sure.  Some of my favorite genre of films are grindhouse/ revenge films and this is that down to the bone.  Did I say bones?  Yes, you see bones, decapatations, body limbs flying through the air, stabbings and more then enough buckets of blood to last you a while.

The premise is very simple.  Machete (Danny Trejo), who by the way plays the character wonderfully, is an illegal immigrant working as a day laborer when he is asked to kill a senator played by Robert Deniro doe $150,000.  He is set up, recorded on film and the senator is not killed.  It is a clever ploy by the senator himself and his right hand man, Jeff Fahey, to spark civil unrest and send all illegal Mexicans back over the border.  The film takes place in Austin Texas and the film ultimately sits on whether illegals should have the opportunity to stay and live for a better life or thrown back to Mexico.  I'm not going to dwell into that aspect of the story, although this film could not come out at a better time.  This movie seemed like a return to film for actors that haven't been doing much the past few years.  Don Johnson plays a militant that scours the border looking for illegals to kill as they cross over.  Steven Segal is a Mexican crime lord that ultimately has his hand in all of Machete's problems.  The final fight and death of Steven Segal is a little disappointing, like most of his films the past 15 years.  Jessica Alba is a officer investigating the illegals and the senator while Michelle Rodriguez serves tacos out of her food truck in the alleyway and plays almost a superhero Mexican legend, "She'", pronounced "She".  Also, Lindsay Lohan plays Jeff Fahey's daughter who is a drug addict.  She played the part wonderfully!

Overall, Machete is a Grindhouse film.  If you like that genre of a movie, then you will like Machete.  If your looking for an intricate storyline and top notch acting, look somewhere else.  I am still pondering my feelings about this film.  I love Robert Rodriguez and think he is a great director but I think he should have spent more time and directed his earlier summer release, Predators, instead of just producing and spent more time in the garage sharpening Machete.  I give it 2 out of 4 pizzas.