Review : Machete (2010)

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An ex federale agent gets hired by some people to kill the senator who is killing Mexicans trying to enter America illegally. But pretty soon he realizes that it was a setup. Now he is out to find the perpetrators and slaughter them.


Expectations shattered. Thats what comes to mind first when I think about this movie. It was supposed to be a Die hard kinda movie with lotsa actions and cool one liners and gore. And while it mostly delivers on those promises but it hasnt been paced properly. Some characters plop in and out randomly. Acting leaves a lot to be desired. And it doesnt end with a bang as action movies ought to. And repetitive scenes confirming Danny Trejo as the ultimate action hero just makes it longer not enjoyable. But there are some cool action scenes and innovative use of intestines,but not enough to make me scream in joy- Yippe ki yay motherf%$&.


Robert Rodriguez(Desperado, Sin City, Grindhouse). A name associated with good independent cinema. Who made low budget movies look incredibly delightful. He showed us that less money shouldn't deter you from making a nice looking movie. And he introduced us to gritty and dark action heroes. And this, he makes with Ethan Maniquis. This is Ethan's first movie as a director. He worked with Rodriguez in all his movies as an editor before this. So this movie is mostly his vision and I can see that the end product isnt as refined as it could have been. Writing was also below par. Not many good dialogues and random scenes and too many characters just make this seem much longer than it is. And the ending is not the boom boom bang bang stuff. But a rather tepid version of that. The only thing good about that it features Michelle Rodriguez wearing just a bra and showing off her cleavage and badassness to the people around. As does a couple of hot girls in nurse dresses showering everyone with bullets. And Robert doesn't disappoint when it comes to the amount of hotness onscreen. But with the main crux a little weak it falls below in the great valley of my ever increasing expectations. Too bad.

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The acting department is filled with great names. And none greater than Robert De Niro(Senator). This movie has kind of a comic feel to it. And its deliberate. But its not a comedy so to overdo the spoof bit could have landed this in trouble. So each of the actor and actresses try to bring the right amount of charisma and seriousness to lend it a feel of a nice enjoyable "not too serious and not too funny" action movie. But it left a lot to be desired. Jessica Alba(Sartana) was maybe overdoing it. Steven Seagal(Torrez) was unconvincing as the villian. And Robert had simply not much to do. But what I enjoyed immensely is Danny Trejo(Machete) and Michelle Rodriguez(Luz). These two fine actors really show off their romantic and action skills and kick a lot of ass. And Danny doing it at 66. Although not the fittest but wow!! He gets to bed girls and mouth some deadpan lines and kill a lot of people. While Rodriguez supports him and even takes a bullet to the eye. Nice job. Other than these there's Jeff Fahey(Booth) and even FX artist Tom Savini(Osiris) in important roles. So a pretty vast and talented cast which tries but falls a little short of the target. And yes there's also Lindsay Lohan(April) playing herself. Well almost!!



HighTension Verdict: A talented cast performing a little below par. Long length. Too many characters. A heavy handed topic of illegal immigration which is too serious for such a movie. And a not so great ending. But you could give it a watch if you like Danny who kicks ass and makes love all in a moment. And there are some seriously hot bodies with guns out there. For a late night watch I wouldn't mind going through this again. And it also announces two sequels in the end credits,one of which comes out this year. So better see the first part.


HighTension Meter: 6/10.


 Best QUOTE: 

Senator McLaughlin: [after shooting a Mexican trying to cross the border] Welcome to America.