Machete

Released by: Fox
Released on: 1/4/2011
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Cast: Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba, Tom Savini, Cheech Marin, Robert DeNiro
Year: 2010
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The Movie:

Real life tough guy and former convict/criminal menace Danny Trejo has been working pretty consistently since popping up in mid-eighties action movies with bit parts in films like Penitentiary III and Death Wish IV and while his cult appeal grew quickly, it wasn't until 2010 that he landed himself a legitimate starring role. Having worked previously with Robert Rodriguez on films like Desperado, Once Upon A Time In Mexico, the Spy Kids films and From Dusk Till Dawn it wasn't particularly surprising when the director cast the actor in a fake trailer to appear alongside Planet Terror and Tarantino's Death Proof when it played theatrically - but it was a bit of a surprise when that trailer turned out to be not so fake after all. That two minute gag promo spot proved popular enough that the powers that be turned it into Machete, the 2010 theatrical release that actually did fairly decent box office considering its modest budget (by major studio standards at least).

When the film begins, a Mexican Federale named Machete Cortez (Trejo) tries to take down a crime lord named Torrez (Steven Seagal) who kills his wife in retaliation. Fast forward a few years and Machete has made his way into the United States illegally from south of the border and is hired by a man named Michael Booth (Jeff Fahey) to assassinate would be Senator John McLaughlin (Robert DeNiro) who is running on a hard right immigration campaign which will fence off the border and send the illegal immigrants back home. Machete takes the money offered him and gives it to the leader of an underground network named Luz (Michelle Rodrigues) so that she can use it to help those who need it. Things turn sour very quickly, however, when Machete is made out to be a patsy in a much larger scheme designed to get McLaughlin re-elected so that Booth can work his inner dealings with Torrez on a larger scale. Thankfully a sympathetic immigration enforcement officer named Sartana Rivera (Jessica Alba) is around to help as is Machete's brother, a Catholic priest named Padre Cortez.

With supporting parts played by the likes of Don Johnson (who is 'introduced' in the credits), Tom Savini, Lindsay Lohan, Daryl Sabara and a cast of relative unknowns, Machete is an interestingly cast film that lets its bigger name players do most of the heavy lifting with the background players providing most of the comic relief. Examples? Lohan and her 'mother' getting drunk and naked with Trejo in a pool on video, an 'adopted' Mexican taking up arms against his would-be oppressors, and a Mexican cook who, now that he's in the country, feels the borders should be closed. It's this attention to character detail that helps make Machete as interesting as it is and while it's political stance is very obviously left of center, it makes its point in a really entertaining way, so much so that you don't necessarily have to agree with it to enjoy it.

Obviously inspired by political events that transpired in Arizona earlier in 2010 (Rodriguez has proven to work very fast and on low budgets - these are some of his strengths as a director), Machete turned out to be quite a timely release when it played theaters last fall. But don't take it too seriously. This is a film that, in its opening scene, features Trejo with a buck naked woman over his shoulder carving his way through an army of bad guys, blood spurting everywhere, before showing down with a samurai sword wielding Steven Seagal. This is a movie where Tom Savini plays a hit man with a TV commercial and a 1-800 number. This is a movie where Don Johnson, decked out with bushy white sideburns, a cowboy hat and aviator shades, plays a tough talking redneck who deals out border country justice in his own brutal way. This is a movie where Lohan gets her tits out, where Alba hops in the shower (digital nudity - sorry dudes!), and where both Trejo and Marin are quite literally compared to Christ. This is a movie where our hero takes out some authority types by using a weed whacker and where he scales a hospital wall using a man's intestines as rope.

Trejo excels in the lead, handling the action scenes with an admirable intensity and using his Bronson-esque face to convince us he really is just as tough in real life as his on screen persona. His interplay with Seagal, playing a Mexican here so amazingly poorly that you know he's in on it and the film is much better for it. DeNiro is perfect as the redneck senator while Fahey is as sleazy as they come as the twisted right hand man with a thing for his own daughter. Alba and Ms. Rodriguez add some welcome sex appeal but also hold their own in the action sequences when the movie calls for it. A better cast for this type of film you really couldn't ask for.

The whole thing moves at such a great pace and is handled with such a ludicrous style that you can't help but have a good time with this one. It's violent even by the standards of its R-rating and it mixes up Rodriguez's exploitation and action movie influences with such a crazed spirit that it's impossible to imagine anyone not being entertained by the movie.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Machete looks great in 1.85.1 widescreen thanks to this excellent AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer. The opening sequence has that 'Grindhouse' look to it in that it's got the fake scratches and print damage going on, but thankfully the film loses that once the colorful opening credits sequence ends and the movie proper starts. Once we get there, the image is impressively clean, clear and colorful with a slightly hot look to it suiting the mood that Rodriguez is obviously going for. Close up shots show off every nook and cranny of Trejo's stony face is easy to make out while texture in the costumes and backgrounds is remarkably revelatory. Black levels are strong throughout and there are no problems with the authoring to complain about. All in all, the film looks fantastic.

Also impressive is the picture's English language DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix, though an optional Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mix is supplied in Spanish. The lossless track might not blow your speakers through the roof but it's pretty active demonstrating some fun surround usage and providing plenty of good directional effects. There aren't any problems with hiss or distortion to note and the levels are consistently well balanced while the sound effects have some good push behind them. Bass response is as beefy as you'd want without overpowering the performers and while a few scenes could have maybe had a bit more surround activity, this is a very pleasing and fun mix.

Given how much supplemental material has appeared on most of Rodriguez's other films, the extras on Machete are a bit of a disappointment. First up is an 'Audience Reaction Track' which is a standard definition Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mix that replicates that 'seeing it with an audience' experience (albeit without the cell phones ringing and jackasses talking during the movie, thankfully!). It's amusing enough to check out here and there but you probably won't watch the movie a second time all the way through just to get all the way through it - it's not that interesting.

More substantial are ten minutes worth of deleted scenes that give us the inside scoop on a couple of excised subplots, such as Sartana's slutty sister and Osiris' modus operandi. These don't change the movie much but they are fun and you will want to check them out if you enjoyed the feature. Aside from that there's the green band and red band trailers for the feature and trailers for a few other Fox Blu-ray and DVD releases, animated menus and chapter selection. If your player is Blu-ray Live enabled, you can go online and access another deleted scene (which really should have been on the disc) and trailers for yet more Fox properties. A digital copy is also included.

The Final Word:

Though disappointingly light on extras, Machete looks and sounds great in high definition and the movie entertains from start to finish. Violent, sexy, trashy and a whole lot of fun, Rodriguez's heart is very obviously on his sleeve with this one and you can't help but love it.

Click on the images below for full size screen caps!