DVD Reviews

Machete – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Jan 5, 2011, 14:56 GMT

From director Robert Rodriguez (Grindhouse, Sin City) comes an action- packed, cutting-edge serving of carnage asada...with killer deleted scenes that deliver more guns, more girls and more Machete action! Set up, double-crossed and left for dead, Machete (Danny Trejo) is an ass-kicking ex-Federale who lays waste to anything that gets in his path. As he takes on hitmen, vigilantes and a ruthless drug cartel, bullets fly, blades clash and the ...more

Why hasn’t Danny Trejo been given a starring role before? No idea, but the easily recognizable actor has been appearing onscreen for a long time. Now Robert Rodriguez gives him star billing and makes him the Mexican Charles Bronson. Viva Trejo!

Machete (Danny Trejo) is an ex-Federale badass who was done wrong by drug kingpin Rogelio Torrez (Steven Seagal) south of the border. Years pass and Machete is a migrant worker in Texas trying to outrun his past. His craggy, dour looks don’t often get him work.

Michael Booth (Jeff Fahey) offers him a job offer he can’t refuse… because if he does Booth will have his henchman (Shea Whigham) kill him. Booth gives Machete $150,000 to assassinate Senator John McLaughlin (Robert DeNiro) who supports closed borders and whose reelection bid is going poorly.

He is also secretly affiliated with vigilante Von Jackson (Don Johnson) who assassinates border crossers when his group finds them.

Machete takes the job but he’s winged by the henchman and Machete’s shot hits the Senator in the leg. The whole thing was a setup to make the Senator’s number go up and Booth, who has an unhealthy desire for his how drugged out daughter April (Lindsey Lohan, method actress obviously), is the actually an advisor to McLaughlin.

So now Machete is on the run with the help of underground leader Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), immigration agent Sartana (Jessica Alba), and his brother Padre (Cheech Marin). Machete has to stay on the run because Booth wants him dead and brings in assassin Osiris (Tom Savini) to get the job done, but Machete is not going down easy.

Machete wears its exploitation (Mexploitation?) pedigree as a badge of honor. Some found its “rah-rahing” of illegal immigrants disturbing, but if you’re familiar with the exploitation genre will know that whatever group (blaxploitation such as Shaft, Coffy, etc.) was being revered only told it from their point of view and “the man” was always keeping the brothers and sisters down and in need of ass-kicking.

The project grew from the fake trailer attached to Grindhouse (where is the Thanksgiving serial killer one, that one was the best IMHO – not that Nazi werewolves also don’t sound like campy fun). It also creates a starring role for Danny Trejo.

He’s easily recognizable for his supporting villain roles, but also as the kind Uncle Machete in the Spy Kids movies. He seems like a cool guy so he’s deserving of the honor.

The gloriously gory story of Machete’s past sets up the dynamic of the film and Trejo as the Mexican who can take down an evil empire with just the titular knife (that and some hot gals have interesting places to keep their cell phones – was it set to vibrate??).

That sequence sets the bar high and several sequences also have that the same hair-raising bravado (intestines as a means of escape, Machete jumping flames on a motorcycle) but by the time the credits roll its run out of steam a bit.

It’s still a balls out fun exploitation film, if you don’t get too caught up in the pro-illegal immigrant rhetoric. Here’s hoping that Trejo continues to wield his signature weapon.

Machete is presented in widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include the audience participation track (that recorded the reactions of a screening), 6 minutes of deleted scenes, the 2 minute theatrical trailer, the 2 minute red band trailer, and previews of other Fox products.

What’s surprising is the sparseness of extras since Rodriguez usually lays them on. I bet another edition will pop up on day or so I hope.

Machete is a raucous action film that cloaks a social message or maybe not. It’s still a raucous action film that has the stony gravitas of Trejo whether you take the message to heart. I had a fun time but wished for an expansive special edition.