Aarti Reviews Robert Rodriguez’ “Machete”

Robert Rodriguez’s Machete is an over the top B-movie that is as full of laughs as it is gore.  Machete (Danny Trejo), is an ex-federale that is living in the US illegally after his family is murdered by a drug lord.  He is recruited by an aide to an anti-immigration Senator to kill the Senator.  When he tries to refuse, the aide (Jeff Fahey) threatens him and forces him to take the job.  The job turns out to be a publicity stunt in which Machete is set-up as the fall guy.  He goes after revenge and is aided by “the network,” a underground ring of people that help illegals when they are in trouble.

This film has an amazing supporting cast including Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Steven Segal and Robert De Niro, all of which deliver solid performances.  I was particularly impressed with Don Johnson, who plays a redneck vigilante protecting the Mexico/US border from illegals.  Johnson throws himself into the role and is barely recognizable.  All the characters were what they were supposed to be, almost cartoon-like and heavily cliched. Machete is funny, gory and never takes itself too seriously.  Robert Rodriguez has managed to make a brilliant and fun movie out of a fake trailer.  I would recommend this film to everyone, especially anyone who has never seen any of Rodriguez’s previous work.

Machete is an A