Machete

What do you get when you put Jessica Alba and Lindsey Lohan in a Robert Rodriguez film? A lot of skin and everything underneath.

Machete tells the story of its eponymous hero, a role mastered by Danny Trejo, after the former Mexican federal agent loses everything and moves across the border to Texas, where he works as a day laborer. While in America, Machete gets tangled in the questionable campaign tactics of the hard-line anti-immigration Senator McLaughlin (Robert De Niro) and his campaign manager Booth (Jeff Fahey), exposing the protagonist to friends and enemies new and old. He later hooks up with, in more ways than one, Customs Official Sartana (Jessica Alba) and underground network leader Luz (Michelle Rodriguez) to take on McLaughlin and his ideals.

Machete revels in its B-movie status, enticing audiences to join in the fun. It seems that the creative team exploited every opportunity for humor, sex and gore, down to a little sign that reads, “Violators will be shot—Survivors will be shot again.” The violence in the film has Rodriguez’s name written all over it, on par with that of Grindhouse and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. The blood and guts generally fly in a flippant way, like when Machete rapels down the side of a building using intestines as a rope, but at times, the slaughter is genuinely disturbing.

Walking caricature Lieutenant Stillman (Don Johnson), a vigilante Mexican hunter, appears early in the film as McLaughlin’s “hunting” partner. All the elements of humor are there: the requisite aviators, cigar and ex-military swagger. But when Stillman pulls the trigger on a pregnant Mexican woman, there is no laughter. It’s revolting. Then the next scene brings the laughs right back. The shocking, unsettling contrast brings out the subtle political message in the film. As nuanced as this message may be, it doesn’t prevent the filmmakers from including the irreverence of shooting and crucifying a priest to the tune of “Ave Maria.” This film has it all.

This over-the-top pulp thriller presents a finely crafted chaos that will offend, disturb and entertain audiences who pay it due attention. The conscience of the film is subtle and refreshing, yet it never takes itself too seriously. The directors struck a delicate balance between the amusing amounts of gore and dirty politics that isn’t just mindless fun.