Machete (2010)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2010
	Director: Ethan Maniquis, Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Planet Terror, Spy Kids)
	Actors: Danny Trejo (Planet Terror), Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar), Robert De Niro (Heat), Jessica Alba (The Fantastic Four 1-2), Jeff Fahey (The Lawnmower Man), Lindsay Lohan (I Know who killed me), Steven Seagal (Above the Law), Cheech Marin (From Dusk till Dawn), Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action
	Conditions of visioning: 12.10.2013, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: Machete Cortez (Trejo) was a mexican cop. He was left for dead and is now illegal in Texas. He will be made an offer he cannot refuse. But his employers will fuck with the wrong Mexican.
Review: It was incredible too see so much excitement around the fake Machete trailer that Robert Rodriguez filmed as part of the Grindhouse double feature (now Deathproof + Planet Terror). He hadn't planned it, had dreamt about it, and ended up shooting a full-feature lengh movie matching the trailer, and using for the first time the badass-faced Danny Trejo in a leading role (I am sure this guy is actually a doll in real life an maybe loves cats...). The concept of exploitation movie revival is nice: I like to see Texans and Mexicans, hot babes falling for the anti-hero Machete, his name itself invokes a lot, I like the gunfights and the exagerated violence, and I like to see famous actors in special roles (De Niro, Fahey, Seagal). But each time I watch the movie (now 3 or 4) I notice more and more that the direction is really poor, and Rodriguez relies on his good actors and fucked-up screenplay to attract the crowds. It works for a while but can become tiresome, and I heard the same critics (in worst) about the upcoming Machete Kills. Indeed Robert Rodriguez is known for spending more time hosting barbecues around the set of his films than on the sets themselves. I have just read a carreer interview he gave to the magazine Mad Movies, in which he explained that he likes to do everything on a movie, do be able to do things more according to his vision, and faster so that actors don't get bored and show energy on film. I tend to agree to that but he shold put more effort in delivering a consistent movie. Nice touch: playing a bodyguard we can see Nimrod Antal, director of Kontroll, Metallica Through the Never, and of the Predators produced by Rodriguez.
Rating: 6 /10