Machete is taking away good American jobs!
If your job is that of a rugged hitman for hire, or an actor whose job is to play a rugged hitman for hire, that is! The point is, Machete the character and Machete the movie are awesome! Robert Rodriguez is my new hero, and I hope a day in the Mayan calendar is soon dedicated to him.
Danny Trejo, who plays Machete, is a bad ass looking mother-effer. He has a giant tattoo of a woman with a sombrero on his chest and pretty much looks like the guys I avoided while growing up in East L.A. Now, seeing him on the big screen being a ruthless vengeance seeking machine with a heart of gold is something I can totally support!
As a staple in Rodriguez' films, Trejo has become somewhat of a cult icon. Based on a purely unscientific study of his Twitter page, where tweets like "I think @KanyeWest and I have different definitions of the term "cutting people off." *sharpens machete, laughs to himself*" have received over 100+ retweets, it's safe to say that Machete is nothing but genius.
The plot goes something like this: Machete is an uncorrupted Mexican Federale who encounters bad luck, a drug cartel bad guy (Steven Seagal) does bad things to his family, and to escape his agony, Machete becomes a day laborer in Texas and is hired by a white guy (Jeff Fahey) in a suit to assassinate a white, racist, state senator (Robert de Niro). The assassination goes awry, Machete befriends SHE (Michelle Rodriguez), who is kinda like a female Che Guevara (clever!), seeks the help of his brother/priest (Cheech Marin) and eventually gains the trust of a migra enforcer a.k.a Border Patrol agent (Jessica Alba) who happens to wear killer shoes. Machete later learns he was set up, and you're going to have to see the movie to see what happens next!
The film has a very simple political message. Don't f*ck with this Mexican. Oh, and the current immigrant exploitation political pandering is also bad too. In a recent conversation I had with Captain Adama, a.k.a Edward James Olmos, he said, "film is the most powerful communication method; we sit for hours in front of a big screen listening to messages." Well, if this is true, Machete is sure to deliver on the very real and very present need to fully understand the complexities of comprehensive immigration reform, the exploitation of Latinos as second class citizens, and the outright political games that are played at cost of human lives. Yes. That's right. Underneath the pseudo 1970's grim cult glamor that is Machete exists a larger, more complex story line on who we are as a country, and who we are as people.
Rodriguez delivers a film that is not only entertaining, but also an instant classic. Like all his films, be ready for slapstick, explosives, action scenes, sexy moments and "oh my god, is that..." excitement. Danny Trejo is nothing short of pure awesomeness as Machete, and I for one can't wait for the sequels. I already pre-ordered my poster.