Machete is a badass Federale in Mexico who gets left for dead after his wife is killed in front of me by a Mexico drug lord (Steven Seagal) he is trying to bring down.   Flash to three years later where Machete is in Texas and he is hired to assassinate a US Senator (Robert DeNiro) up for election, the same senator who is a hardliner on illegal immigrants and down in the popularity polls for reelection.   However, it is a set up and the senator is shot in the leg by another gunman.  Machete is on the run as he is out to stop everyone who is trying to kill him and get revenge against the drug lord who killed his family.  He gets help from an US Immigration Agent (Jessica Alba) and Luz (Michelle Rodriguez) aka She (who smuggles illegals into Texas via her underground network).

MACHETE is a gloriously over-the-top Grindhouse action film.   It never takes itself too serious while also paying homage to the Grindhouse films of the 1970s.   It makes fun of the obvious things in the plot while showing Machete always gets the girl while racking up a body count for whoever tries to kill him.   Danny Trejo is usually the bad guy and Steven Seagal is the good guy, but MACHETE switches those roles.   You even get to see Lindsay Lohan naked and in a nuns habit (not at the same time, you deviants who are thinking that right now).   The commercials for Tom Savini’s hit man character (1-800-HITMAN) and the Senator McLaughlin are a riot.  I would love to watch a sequel to this film even though one knows the promised sequels in the credits are meant as a joke.     MACHETE entertained me and I wish more action films were just like this one.

SPECIAL ANALYSIS:

The audience reaction track is a useless extra and I rather would have opted for an audio commentary from director Robert Rodriguez (or one of his 10 minute Film School featurettes).

The good extras are very few.  They amount to two theatrical trailers and five deleted scenes which include two funny scenes that reveal Sartana has a slutty twin sister.

FINAL ANALYSIS:  MACHETE is a very enjoyable, over-the-top Grindhouse film.   Too bad the DVD (or Blu-ray) had more in the way of extras.

This movie review is ©9-6-2010 and the DVD review is ©1-8-2011 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com