Machete
You gotta hand it to Robert Rodriguez- he learned the rules of the Grindhouse well. Scratches & dirt on the film. Naked chicks. And blood. A Hell of a lot of blood. And that’s just in the first few minutes.
We first caught sight of Machete- the bloodthirsty killer played by Danny Trejo- in a teaser created for “Grindhouse,” the down-and-dirty exploitation double bill Rodriguez created with Quentin Tarantino. It was an inside joke that the two came up with for the sake of recreating a singular experience.
Three years later, it’s a gritty and darkly funny thriller that provides professional character actor/strongman Trejo a star-making role, and brings together a cast that includes Robert DeNiro, Steven Seagal, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, and “introducing” Don Johnson.
Honestly, the plot to this movie isn’t really worth getting into, although an ultra-conservative Senator (DeNiro, enjoying this example of hamming), an ICE agent (Alba), and a corrupt cop (Johnson) are integral to it all. But seriously, are you gonna care? Like Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror” and “Desparado,” Rodriguez and co-director Ethan Maniquis’s approach is all about playing fast and loose with logic and story. It’s all about style, impure entertainment, and taking you on a wild ride through the world of grindhouse cinema. It’s not supposed to be taken seriously, but one of the best things about “Machete” is that Rodriguez takes entertainment deadly serious. And damned if he doesn’t start the Fall out on a high note.
