Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (May 18, 2022)
Under the category of “now I’ve seen everything” comes 2010’s Machete. Movies based on external sources – books, plays, videogames, etc. – are as old as cinema itself, but Machete puts a new twist on things: it’s a movie based on a fake trailer!
We first heard of Machete as part of Grindhouse back in 2007. Director Robert Rodriguez threw in the short phony trailer as part of the experience, but apparently he was so taken with it that he decided to actually make the thing.
Since there aren’t all that many fake trailers in existence, I doubt this’ll become a trend. At the very least, it’s an unusual path for a film to take.
A prologue introduces us to a Mexican Federale named Machete Cortez (Danny Trejo). When he attempts to rescue a kidnapped girl (Mayra Leal), he ends up in a trap. A group led by sleazy druglord Torrez (Steven Seagal) kills Machete’s wife (Nina Leon) and leaves him for dead.
Machete survives and makes his way to the US. Three years later, we find him as a day laborer who gets a tantalizing offer. If he kills anti-immigration Texas State Senator John McLaughlin (Robert De Niro), he’ll earn a tidy $150,000.
Machete accepts the deal but finds himself on the end of another double-cross. Before he can nail McLaughlin, businessman Michael Booth (Jeff Fahey) and his henchman shoot Machete, wing McLaughlin in the leg and frame Machete for the attempted assassination of the senator.
This gives the sagging McLaughlin a campaign a big boost and sends Machete on the lam, as he tries to clear his name and get to the bottom of the whole affair. Along the way, he hooks up with forces who fight the anti-immigrant sentiment.
That leads to the most heavy-handed side of Machete. The film offers a terribly simplistic view of the immigration subject.
Except for Torrez, all of the Mexican characters are righteous and good, and all of the gringos are evil and sleazy. Granted, one doesn’t look to a flick like this for nuanced political discussion, but the movie’s attempts to make the story a referendum on immigration vary between insipid and insulting.
And unnecessary, especially for this kind of movie. Granted, the 70s “B”-fare that Machete emulates sometimes delivered a token nod toward social issues, but the theme doesn’t really fit here.
I think the flick would work better with less adornment. A minor political theme would’ve been fine, but the story tends to get too hung up on the issues.
Which leads to a second problem: Machete is just too darned long for a film like this. No, 104 minutes isn’t an especially elongated running time, but it feels excessive in this case, as the movie tends to drag.
When you get into an over the top action flick, you want to feel like you’re on a wild ride. However, too much of Machete slumps and sags, especially during the tedious third act.
Some of that stems from the extreme violence seen in the movie. I don’t object at all to the graphic nature of the bloodshed, as it’s all done in a campy, silly manner that’s part of the film’s potential charm.
However, this becomes a case of diminishing returns, as the movie can’t top itself. The more violence we see, the less we care, and the less of a reaction it provokes.
Machete comes with a pretty terrific cast, but it suffers from a weakness at the top. Trejo fills supporting roles well, but I don’t think he has the chops to carry a movie. He seems a bit lost, as though he doesn’t quite know what to do with all the screentime.
At least Machete showcases some good nudity, especially when we see the stunning Leal in the all-together. Otherwise, it’s pretty much a dud. It throws out a few decent thrills but gets less and less interesting as it proceeds.
