Machete (18)
2011. 105 mins approx.
Directed by Ethan Maniquis & Robert Rodriguez, and written by Robert Rodriguez & Alvaro Rodriguez
Starring: Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, and Robert De Niro
Ok, let’s start with the good things: the original Grindhouse trailer for Machete was great, and really took advantage of Danny Trejo’s edgy cool. So we have a potentially good premise, albeit slight.
The film has an impressive cast list, although some would replace the word ‘impressive’ for ‘poop’. But I’ll lump for the former. Rodriguez has a knack for eliciting good performances out of the most unlikely of sources, so it was with peculiar excitement, and not fear, that I glanced over the cast list to see the likes of Steven Seagal, Jeff Fahey, Don Johnson, and Lindsay Lohan had been recruited. After all, let us not forget that Robert Rodriguez gave Mickey Rourke one of the roles of his career in Sin City.
Individually, everyone does a decent job, but with no one really excelling. No, scratch that, Jeff Fahey pretty much steals the movie. And that isn’t something that gets written a lot these days. He plays it cool and doesn’t resort to histrionic over-acting. Most of the time.
The blu-ray quality is crisp, the sound is BANG on, but those factors can’t hide that this is a bit of a turkey. It’s too long, the plot goes for a politico-revolution vibe which detracts from what initially shapes up to be a schlocky revenge fable; the wobbly political angle, involving the smuggling of illegal Mexican immigrants, derails the proceedings.
And, criminally, Trejo is wasted. His action scenes are mint, but there just aren’t enough quality set-pieces for the man to wade through. Instead he has to contend with either being a conduit for ropey exposition or has to deal with batting away cameo appearances from the rest of the cast list.
What should have been a Grindhouse-esque blast turns out to be a big disappointment. It’s hard to recommend this movie, and I’m generally a fan of Rodriguez. Just put on Sin City again and save yourself the bother.
Andy Jamieson, Editor
[suffusion-the-author]
[suffusion-the-author display='description']