Really Surprised!

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Following his success with the double-feature 'Grindhouse' with collaboration with his longtime friend Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez makes a fabulous return to the action genre with this Grindhouse-style actioner. Packing abundance of graphic, over-the-top violence and gore, and retro-style cinematography; this action piece pays homages to classic B-movies from the 70s and 80s but with a more polished execution than what we experienced in 'Planet Terror', the zombie horror half of Grindhouse. Taking the lead is charismatic action star Danny Trejo as the titular character Machete who is back again at taking on the bad guys, following his previous appearance in the fake trailer in Planet Terror, along with his more prolific appearance as the uncle of the lead characters in the more kid-friendly 'Spy Kids' franchise. This film follows the title character as masterfully skilled federal who is disgracefully betrayed by Michael Booth (played by Jeff Fahey), the man who hired him to assassinate Texas Senator John McLaughlin (played by Robert De Niro) who plans on ridding the state of Mexicans from crossing the border. Following his attempt on the assassination, Machete is gunned down by a sniper who happens to be an accomplice Booth and his boss Torrez (played by Steven Seagal). With the assistance of his Catholic brother Padre (played by Cheech Marin) and sexy immigration officer Sartana (played by Jessica Alba), Machete sets out for revenge.With Danny Trejo in the lead role and Robert Rodriguez in the director's chair, there is only so much you can expect from this off-the-walls action flick. In that case, those who go in awaiting sense of realism and grit are probably going to be disappointed as Robert Rodriguez embraces an over-the-top approach reminiscent to old exploitation movies from 70s and 80s. This means exaggerated violence and Tarantino-style blood splatter, one scene in particular involves Machete tearing out a man's intestines and using theme to swing through a window. But in the midst of the carnage however, is a surprisingly clever political undertone which deals illegal immigration of Mexican natives through the U.S/Mexico border and Robert De Niro as the racist Senator trying to eliminate the so-called dilemma, citing Mexicans as terrorists and drug lords. This is where Michelle Rodriguez, playing a taco stand operator, comes in place as her character runs a network smuggling Mexicans through the border. While the political themes fit suitably for the plot, the way in which they are executed doesn't always work. But that's not the real deal here. The performances by the cast aren't too bad, nothing too great either. Danny Trejo in particular shines fresh as the action hero here, especially during the action sequences; Steven Seagal on the other hand is just your average one-dimensional villain with nothing really interesting in the character department. Robert De Niro, for the highly acclaimed actor he is, isn't given anything much interesting to work with here aside from the anti-Mexican politician he portrays. In the end, there is still plenty of fun and excitement to endure, mostly notably in the action scenes including the climax at the end which prove that though Robert Rodriguez may not have the best taste in writing, he allows viewers to experience tension with over exaggerated action set pieces. Even better, he also makes fair use of the vintage-style cinematography rather than executing it in a way that distracts viewers from the atmosphere like what we experienced in Planet Terror.Machete is a stylish action thriller that is startlingly entertaining and charismatic, despite the over-the-top nature it pervades. Of course, the anti-Mexican themes and absurd amount of graphic violence do happen to stray this film from making it a solid choice of everyone, action fans or not. In the end, Robert Rodriguez puts this action piece to good use in the midst of it's notable flaws.

When I saw it was that hair-dyed Karate guy - Segal - in this movie I almost turned the channel, but I'm so glad I did not.This movie is outrageously over the top. It's so bad that it's good. Better than good. The violence is cartoon-like in it's excess, and always done with a tongue in the cheek. No can of fake blood was spared in the making of this film, and the slayings were so thick and fast, so creative, that I expected Wile E Coyote to appear at any moment.Even the clichés were well handled, and the intentional humour content very well done. Especially the dark humour.This isn't Shakespeare. Nor Tarantino. But it's a lot of fun for when you get back from the pub after hours, half cut, and settle down in front of the fire with your Biryani.....Or Should that be Burrito....Whatever. I'll be looking for more in this series.

this is awful, Steven Segal's accent as a Mexican is just about as bad as it gets. the plot is contrived and obvious and Robert De Niro looks embarrassed to be in this junk. some of the fight scenes are unbelievable facile and make everyone out to be stupid beyond stupid the two female leads are somehow meant to be on opposite sides but when confronting each other quickly become united in their common purpose. Machete is the most unreal character , so many actors caught up in this pile of junk. The appearance of the rabid Don Johnson caps off the movie followed by a manic Cheech Marin as the manic priest is the cherry on the cake. please don't waste 90 minutes of your life on this junk

I'm really not sure where to begin. Let's just skip the the normal plot summary. Suffice it to say that Machete looks for revenge on those who killed his family and, then, set him up. But the plot hardly matters. Machete has got so much going on, so much coolness, so much violence, so much action . . . I'm not sure I can do it justice. I can't, so I'll just mention a few things that I really like.First, the cast. When I read the list of actors in Machete to my wife, she thought I was on drugs. In addition to Danny Trejo, there's Jessica Alba, Don Johnson, Robert De Niro (yeah, freakin' Robert De Niro), Cheech Marin, Michelle Rodriguez (mmmmm), Lindsay Lohan, Steven Segal, and more. And one of the cool things, they all look like they're having fun.Second, action. Other than one or two places in he script, Machete never slows down. Most of it is like riding a roller coaster. Fights, chases, explosions, heads rolling, blood . . . it's got it all. A couple of my favorite moments include Machete riding that motorcycle with guns blazing and Machete swinging from one floor of a building to the next using some guy's intestines. Good stuff!Third, Robert Rodriguez. While I've always enjoyed his work, it's only recently that I've realized how much. From Desperado to Spy Kids to Machete, his films have a look and style that appeals to me. I'm really looking forward to see where his career leads. I'm not stupid and I realize that Machete is not a movie that will work with everyone (my wife thought it was ridiculous). I understand its critics and their issues. Machete is one of those movies that really shows how I rate movies. For me, ratings are all about entertainment. And Machete entertained me like few recent movies have. A 9/10 from me.