Machete (2010)

When Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez were making the Grindhouse movies (Death Proof and Planet Terror), they wanted to show some fake trailers between the movies. One of those trailers was Machete, which was about a Mexican who was hired to kill someone, but finds out it’s a trap and as a result is hunted by a lot of people. Time for him to take revenge on those responsible.

The trailer turned out to be so popular (I really liked it as well when I first saw it) that Rodriguez got a lot of questions about it. People actually wanted to see the movie so he decided to make a feature length film of it. Is the movie just as much fun as the trailer or shouldn’t Rodriguez have bothered?

Danny Trejo is Machete and it is the first Robert Rodriguez movie where he has a leading role. Trejo and Rodriguez are actually related and have been working together since Desperado. Trejo appeared in many of his movies, like Predators, Once upon a Time in Mexico and Spy Kids. In the Spy Kids movie his character was already called Machete. Who knew that a character out of a kids movie could be such a bad ass.

The film has been shot in the same style as the one used in the Grindhouse films, which means a lot of blood and shocking situations in which an actual machete is used to chop off limbs. It’s all so extreme that it is actually funny. The thing that stood out for me the most was a situation in which Machete used the intestines from one of the bad guys to jump from one floor to the other while the guy was still alive. I really was laughing about it.

When you compare the original Machete Grindhouse trailer with the actual movie, you will see some differences, but most of it actually is the same. The number of well-known actors is a lot bigger. Not only Danny Trejo is in the movie, but also Robert De Niro, Don Johnson, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, Jeff Fahey and Cheech Marin. So a lot of big names, who clearly had fun making this film. Because it is a Grindhouse movie it has a weird story and the acting is also over the top, but it all fits with the feeling the movie has. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Rodriguez is very talented and really does a lot for his movies, which you will see in the DVD extras on most of his movies. He writes scripts, produces the music, is in contact with the effect studios and basically has total control over the whole production process. In one of the extras (can’t remember on which DVD it was) he shows his house and it turns out he has a complete music studio in his house where he’s also able to edit his movies. They are always very interesting and inspiring looks behind the scenes that are really worth watching.

With Machete Rodriguez has delivered another enjoyable movie that I enjoyed. At the end of the movie you already see that there will be two sequels. If they are made I will definitely go and see them. Machete is the kind of movie where you switch off your brain and just enjoy the ride and sometimes that’s all I need to be able to enjoy a movie.

Score: 8