Cinematography:
Jimmy LindseyCast:
Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Shea Whigham, Lindsay Lohan, Daryl Sabara (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
He looked like just another day laborer from the streets, and the perfect fall guy for a crooked political assassination. But he turned out to be Machete (Danny Trejo), A legendary ex-federale with a deadly attitude and the skills to match. Left for dead after clashing with notorious Mexican drug kingpin Torrez (Steven Seagal), Machete has escaped to Texas, looking to disappear and forget his tragic past. But what he finds is a web of corruption and deceit that leaves a bullet in Senator McLaughlin (Robert DeNiro) and Machete a wanted man. Machete sets out to clear his name and expose a conspiracy. But standing in his way are Benz (Jeff Fahey) – a ruthless businessman with an endless payroll of killers, Von (Don Johnson) – a twisted border vigilante leading a small army, and Sartana Rivera (Jessica Alba) – a beautiful immigrations officer torn between enforcing the law and doing what is right. Helping Machete even the odds are Luz (Michelle Rodriguez) – a sexy taco-truck lady with a rebellious spirit and revolutionary heart, and Padre (Cheech Marin) – a priest who’s good with blessings, but better with guns. Carving a path of bullets, blood and broken hearts, Machete’s quest ultimately leads him back to Torrez for an epic battle of revenge and redemption. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (12)
So, that little grindhouse flick that was shadowed by Stallone’s The Expendables turned out to be something completely outrageous that knows no limits. A perfect dose of trash and self-awareness. Trejo! Seagal! Alba! De Niro! Fahey! Lohan! Rodriguez! Rodriguez! While The Expendables fool around…
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The star of Machete is neither Danny Trejo – Machete nor even Danny Trejo – Gardener. I acknowledge that this guy has cult status as an acting legend of one particular subgenre, but that doesn’t change the fact that he doesn’t know how to act. He only knows how to grimace. The true stars of Machete are the numerous and superbly cast villains, among whom any viewer can find the right “badass motherfucker” of their choice. For me it was Don Johnson hiding behind a pair of huge sunglasses. I also liked Steven Seagal, who truly relished his part. 2010 seems to be the year of good old (or obsolete) action heroes. Robert Rodriguez conceived Machete in an orgasm-inducing epic fashion and you’ll probably remember more scenes from this than from Planet Terror. But it lacks dialogue gems with cult potential, as well as the presence of another nutjob character with the face of the great Mr. Q. T..
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–Cuban? –Mexican. It’s such a shame that Rodriguez didn’t have the balls to shoot the whole of his Mexploitation flick as crudely as he filmed the über-muthafucka prologue... I found that regrettable until the scene with entrails. The film’s superficial refinement only draws attention away from the self-confident (and self-conscious, as evidenced by the involvement of the uncensored internet) contempt for common sense, good taste and every conceivable kind of political correctness. Machete is an exploitation movie for multiplexes, but that doesn’t mean that it would lack machetes, machine guns, boobs, gore, sexy nurses, a murderous nun, a one-eyed avenger, Steven Seagal, Tom Savini and a pissed-off Mexican with a weed whacker. You can either accept this film in all its simplicity and bombast and enjoy the ruthless fun, or look for a more sophisticated view of the world. This time, I’m giving a strong four-start rating and posing a simple question: why always complicate things? 85%
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One question: Why isn't Tarantino in Machete? Now to the film. If I have to compare it to Planet Terror, Rodriguez's first grindhouse is better. Unfortunately, there is nothing in Machete that I didn't expect. Chopped off hands, gallons of blood, pretty to beautiful women and girls, their exposed breasts, the word "fuck" used so many times you can't even count them, jumping out of a window by your intestines... It's pleasantly wacky and crazy. But it's not original anymore, and it lacks juicy dialogue. Danny Trejo, of course, shoots, stabs, cuts with a machete and a wheedwhacker, Robert De Niro and Steven Seagal perform the same function as Bruce Willis in Planet Terror... But it's boring and not funny.
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Typical Rodriguez: self-absorbed, wallowing in unnecessary perversions at the expense of a better developed story and the characters themselves, who under his baton are nothing but necessary figures without a sense of humour and exaggeration. And neither Danny Trejo's rugged expression, who is only in the film anyway because of his sharp machetes, nor Robert De Niro's villain, who is at least a pleasant refresher in Rodriguez's absurd world without boundaries, can change things. But it can’t be denied that the film is brutal action entertainment, very funny at times and that Jessica Alba's sexy backside is worth more than a dude hanging by his guts. If it was made by Tarantino, he would certainly have brought the necessary mafia touch to the story and steered it on the right action track, and Machete may have been an unattainable genre gem. As it is, however, it's just a shabbier little brother to Stallone's more stylish and straightforward The Expendables.
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