Machete

2010
Dir. by Robert Rodriguez (w/ screen credit also given to Ethan Maniquis)

Movies still seem to be rolling out based on the 2007 Rodriguez/Taratino Grindhouse double-feature of Planet Terror and Death Proof. Included in that mishandled release were a series of schlocky trailers meant to conjure up that other time of filmmaking when all you needed was a good title (thank you, Mr. Corman). One of those trailers featured veteran character actor Danny Trejo as the titular character in a film that seemed best described as “Mex-ploitation.” And yet here we are, 3 years later, with a full-feature film from that trailer that, while it has all the right intentions, just seems to miss more than hit its mark.

The film opens with a bit of an origin story for Machete (Trejo), a by-his-own-rules Mexican federale in pursuit of evil Mexican crime kingpin Torrez (Steven Seagal). His rush to action against Torrez goes awry with the criminal ruining his life and leaving Machete to wallow in the misery of his mistakes.
Cut then to three years later, to the present day, and Machete is now a day-laborer in Austin, TX. He quickly comes to the attention of three key characters: ICE agent Sartana (Jessica Alba) who seems set against her own people's plight by believing in the rightness of the law; roach-coach vendor Luz (Michelle Rodriguez) who may be the secret leader of “The Network,” set to help illegals survive in their new home; and finally steely-eyed no-goodnick white rich guy Booth (Jeff Fahey). None of these characters know Machete's background and potential for violence but, thankfully, they get to experience it pretty quickly.
The action starts pretty quickly after Booth hires Machete to kill severely anti-immigrant state congressman McLaughlin (Robert DeNiro) at a re-election speech. Booth double-crosses Machete, framing him for the attack that only wounds McLaughlin, causing his poll numbers to suddenly sharply increase. The wounded Machete must now fight Booth's assembled goons as well as escape the police. Luz catches up with him and gets him to a Network-friendly hospital but Booth's goons soon get there and start dying. So next Machete encounters Sartana who wants to bring him in but is no match for his manly awesomeness. Instead, she sees something in his plight that reeks of conspiracy and reluctantly partners with him in a way in order to see justice done.
The action moves pretty quickly from here on out and other characters get to have their due, notably Cheech Marin as Machete's shotgun-wielding priestly brother, Don Johnson as a relentless border patrol vigilante, Lindsey Lohan as Booth's career-wrecking daughter, and Tom Savini as a hitman for hire. All of them actually turn in solid performances in small-ish roles. Unfortunately, the film never has a clear vision of what it wants to be: A knowing nod to 70's violent exploitational films, a full-on embracing of that style of filmmaking, or a topical lesson on immigration issues. Rodriguez attempts to blend all three but splitting his attention makes the entire structure fall apart. The movie is fun and entertaining for its silly action and it's great to see Trejo get lead-actor billing. But it just feels like it's been forcefully strained, an intentional bare premise then stretched far too thinly to really work well. If only he'd chosen to focus on what film he wanted to make Machete could have been far more a fulfillment of what's promised in its trailer.

Rating: C-