Review of Machete (2010) by Nathan A — 08 Jul 2014

Machete is a tribute to revenge exploitation films of the 70's, like "They Called Her One Eye" and "Rolling Thunder". Machete was once a fake trailer in the original "Grindhouse" feature film, though I think it's safe to say that Rodriguez had every intention of making this a full-length movie, it was just a matter of when. Incase you don't know, Rodriguez and star Danny Trejo are second cousins, Rodriguez wrote the script back in 1993 and pitched the idea to Danny Trejo. Of course, Trejo loved it and wanted a starring role and has been bugging Robert to make this movie for years. Well the day has come and Machete has lived up to my high expectations.

Machete is what you expect, bloody, disgusting, and all around entertaining. These type of movies don't take themselves seriously, exploitation films can be very over the top and full of black humor. This film won't appeal to the easily offended or people that don't understand how these films work. There are no real rules to these types of movies, they are meant to entertain or disgust the viewer. It's your choice where you stand, I choose to take these type of movies for entertainment. I enjoy the hell out of them, most of the time. Now Machete has laughable dialogue but it's done on purpose, also the acting seems out of whack, it's a tribute to b-movies so go figure.

I see Machete plot wise, is very comparable to Rolling Thunder or Death Wish. In alot of ways, Machete is very much in the vein of a Bronson type of character. Atleast that's how Rodriguez wrote it and Trejo pulls it off to say the least. Very few people today could tackle that type of persona, it's quite a accomplishment. Like some the characters Bronson protrayed, Machete is one of the true bad asses of cinema. He's mean, he's ugly, and he's brutal when it comes to his revenge tactics.

Machete like Planet Terror, has an all-star cast. Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan, Jeff Fahey, Steven Seagal, Don Johnson, Cheech Marin, Robert Deniro (Playing one of his funniest roles) Elise and Electra Avellan (Rodriguez's gorgeous twin nieces) and the man himself Tom Savini! Yes, I know, I worship the guy but I can't help it. I mean the guy directed my favorite zombie movie ever, but that's another review. Rodriguez is always good at putting together a great cast, that one of the reasons why I always look forward to seeing his films.

I don't really want to get into the whole plot, I mean it's pretty basic. You really get it from the trailer. You'll see decapitations, nudity, strong bloody violence envolving a man and his machete. It's also awesome seeing Machete strapping on the mini gun to his bike and taking out his foes. Like I mentioned before this is a over the top blast, not to be taken too seriously. Machete kills the bad guys and gets the girls.

This is what The Expendables should have been. This is the real manliest movie of the summer and Machete has shown that Rambo is an after thought. Trejo is showing all, that man in his sixities can make a modern day super hero look like a total pussy. So if you enjoyed Planet Terror or any of the movies I've already mentioned, I'm pretty sure this movie will entertain the hell out of you, like it did me. It's one my favorites of this year, I only hope they continue to make more movies like these in the future.

I would really love to see Rodriguez make Machete Kills, Machete Kills Again, or even Cherry Darling. Actually Robert you could make grindhouse movies for the rest of you life, that wouldn't bother me one bit. Well if Rodriguez doesn't make anymore exploitations films, maybe he'll give us Nerveracker soon? or maybe Sin City 2? He has alot on his plate, I just hope he keeps on entertaining me, no matter what he does. Machete comes highly recommended.