The story behind the making of Machete, the new film from director Robert Rodriguez, is an unlikely saga leading to an uncommon movie. Fifteen years ago, while Rodriguez was making his breakout hit Desperado, he was also writing a script to star his friend, Danny Trejo. That script became Machete, but Rodriguez shelved it in order to pursue other projects. Then, in 2007, Rodriguez decided to use the character for a fake trailer segment in Grindhouse, his joint project with Quentin Tarantino. The reaction to the fake trailer, which depicted little more than the scary looking Trejo cutting up bad guys and shooting a motorcycle mounted machine gun, was so positive that Rodriguez decided to finally make the project into a feature length film. The result is a film full of the off-the-wall action promised by the fake trailer that surprisingly delivers a timely political statement about Mexican immigration to prove that thought went into the writing.
The film follows the titular character on his journey for revenge. The film opens with Machete serving as a federal agent in Mexico attempting to take down a drug lord. He is betrayed by his superiors and left for dead. He survives the attack, though, and illegally comes to America to start his life over again. His old ways catch up to him quickly when he is recognized as a fighter and hired to assassinate a senator who violently supports stronger laws against illegal immigrants. Though Machete does not want to get involved, the mysterious man hiring him makes it clear that he does not have a choice. Unfortunately, the entire operation is a set up and leaves Machete framed for an assassination attempt. With everyone from private security, to local police, to immigration agents after him, Machete must take matters into his own hands to enact justice on all those who betrayed him in order to clear his name and make a better life for his compatriots trying to survive in America.
From the above, some may be concerned that Robert Rodriguez beats the viewer over the head with his political statement on immigration. This is a fair concern for people just looking for mindless action movie, but Rodriguez walks the line between entertaining and preaching very carefully. Though very prominent in the film, the statements are delivered in such an over the top way that they become comedic. In other words, there is a message in the film, but it is easily ignorable for those that do not want to hear it.
The main reason people will want to see the movie is for the hyper-violent brutal action. Every scene that made the original fake trailer so much fun has made it into the final film. All of the hack and slash action and total absurdity is here. Fans of the old style gritty action films that were disappointed in The Expendables last month will find exactly what they are looking for in Machete: a tough and stoic hero who dispatches his foes in the most ridiculous of ways. From the opening scene in which Machete storms a drug lord’s home base by himself to the climax which sees Machete leading a veritable army of Mexican immigrants against a group of self-appointed “border patrol,” this film does not hold back on the action.
Political statements do not often have a place in silly action movies, and the prominent presence of one in Machete may cause many to avoid it. This would be a mistake, though, as it is one of the most entertaining movies in the last several weeks. Rodriguez suffered a misstep over the summer with Predators, on which he served as producer, but he has made a full recovery with Machete. As he wrote, directed, and produced Machete, it is clear which film had more of his attention. It is the beginning of September, so we can look at Machete in one of two ways: It is either an excellent close to the summer movie season, or a dynamite beginning for fall.