Machete DVD Review




Title: Machete
Directors: Robert Rodriguez, Ethan Maniquis
Writers: Robert Rodriguez, Álvaro Rodriguez
Starring Danny Trejo, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Alba, Robert De Niro
Released: 28th March 2011
Running time: 105 minutes
Format: DVD and Blu-ray (reviewed on DVD)

Machete is co-written, produced, and directed by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis. It’s an enjoyable feature length version of the ‘fake’ film trailer seen on the Rodriguez / Tarantino collaboration Grindhouse which was a double feature of Planet Terror and Death Proof. It’s great to see this trailer being expanded into a full film as there was a lot of interest in the ‘fake’ trailer when it was aired on the Grindhouse films.

Machete DVDDanny Trejo stars in his first lead role as the eponymous Machete. He does a good job… especially considering his age… he’s 66!

Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez head up the supporting cast with Cheech Marin and Jeff Fahey also returning to the roles that they played in the original ‘fake’ trailer. The supporting cast are all pretty big name actors so, it’s very impressive that Rodriguez has managed to get them all together to appear in this film in what are actually supporting roles… De Niro and Alba in particular are capable of being lead stars in any film so it’s testimony to Rodriquez’s Hollywood pulling power that he could get these actors on board. Of course it’s a fun film so they probably were more than happy to sign on.

Machete Cortez (Danny Trejo) is an illegal immigrant living in the US. He was once a Mexican Federale, which I think means some sort of law enforcer that gets the job done whatever the cost and with the use of a bloody massive knife.

The level of violence in the film is high from the very beginning with bloody, gory killings throughout. At the start Machete is on a mission to rescue a kidnapped girl. He kills everyone and then finds out that the girl didn’t exactly want to be saved. Rogelio Torrez (Steven Seagal) is the drug lord that kills Machete's wife and child who Machete is looking to get vengeance on.

Michael Booth (Jeff Fahey) is the aid to the Texas State Senator McLaughlin (Robert De Niro) who is hell-bent on ‘deporting’ (preferably by death) as many illegal immigrants as he can. Booth offers Machete $150,000 to kill McLaughlin but it’s a double cross in order to increase McLaughlin’s ratings in the polls.

The direction is good and the pacing is also good. It’s a slight plot that’s been stretched a little to fill 105 minutes but it’s a fun, enjoyable film that doesn’t go on too long or outstay its welcome. It’s been put together on a small budget of just $10m but it goes to show that a decent film doesn’t have to cost $100m.

Here’s looking forward to more blood-soaked fun in the potential Machete sequels, titled Machete Kills and Machete Kills Again.

Author : Kevin Stanley