JAM Reviews Machete from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Machete: Blu-Ray/Digital Copy Combo: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Review by JAM

Machete is truly B-movie violence at its greatest. The start of the movie is an amazing bloodbath in which a man (Danny Trejo) and his machete cut a swath through the evil henchman of the drug kingpin Torrez (Steven Seagal) only to find himself on the business end of an ass-whupping. Left for dead with the headless corpse of his wife and a daughter whose fate is unknown, Machete survives and becomes a man who tries to blend in without a name. Hired unknowingly by those who had destroyed his life before, Machete becomes a pawn in a violent game of chess between a corrupt senator and his team and the “Network” a loose contingent of immigrants and their leadership. Bullets fly, fires burn, but in the end will Machete stand tall?

Machete stars an excellent cast that joins in with the B-movie craziness including Danny Trejo and Steven Seagal as the main protagonists but also with Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Lindsey Lohan, Cheech Marin, Jeff Fahey, Michelle Rodriguez, and the ageless Don Johnson.

JAMS Ink on Machete

A director with a penchant for violence, a star known as “that guy” in a ton of movies, and a group of stars came together to make a movie that keeps you on your seat and yet can also laugh at itself and its ties to long ago history. Much like Robert Rodriguez’s collaboration with Quentin Tarantino in the Grindhouse double feature, Machete at its heart is a true B-movie with connections to the 70s B-movie craze and the pulp action movies from the Asian markets. It is unapologetic for its violence, its nudity, and its farcical over-the-top characterizations, and that’s half the fun with this movie. Danny Trejo makes the perfect anti-hero in this action romp with his tough as nails character who truly looks tough as nails and the addition of Steven Seagal as his nemesis connects the passing of an action hero torch in some ways especially as the movie’s end promises the coming of at least two sequels for our friend Machete.

Robert De Niro played Senator John McLaughlin as a crazed version of his fatherly pass in Meet the Parents. The facial expressions that he possesses as he delivers these crazed lines give credence to the two-faced politician aspect of his character, a protector at all costs front for a man who only cares about his own future. His crazed smile while laughable dialogue is expelled makes his character into a politician of interest even as Machete works towards his revenge.

I just realized that this was a Nash Bridges reunion. Both Don Johnson and Cheech Marin play underutilized characters that strengthen the story during their time onscreen. And having Cheech reprise the scene from the Grindhouse trailers in which he responds to his brother’s request to seek revenge upon those who stand against him with a diatribe extolling his holy ways followed by a simple acquiescence is truly B-movie splendor.

I was a little confused during the movie as to whether Machete’s daughter had been killed as well during the beginning of the storyline. That fact made the interactions of Machete with Michelle Rodriguez’s Luz and Jessica Alba’s Sartana Rivera seem kind of strange as I wondered if they were the long lost daughter. I am not sure if I made a mistake in assuming it, or if the filmmaker wanted to add to the B-movie mystique by leaving the question in the air. With the deleted scenes at least, Sartana is revealed as a twin so she is definitely not Machete’s daughter at least.

Finally, Jessica Alba is hot. That is all.

EXTRAS

Deleted scenes and the digital copy dominate the extras on this offering. And I have to say that the 10 minutes of deleted scenes are actually worth the check out. They involve plotlines that were cut from the movie (along with characters) but they are actually intriguing to watch. Jessica Alba gets to play two sides of the same coin with her “Twin”, Robert De Niro’s Senator is fleshed out a little bit more, and assassins that did not make the final cut make an appearance. I cannot say that the deleted scenes make or break the movie, but they are a fun little addition to the campy B-movie totality of the film.

Machete from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment slices through the border and into your store on January 4, 2011. Grab a copy and slice open a night of campy ultraviolent comedy, B-movie style.

MACHETE Blu-ray and DVD
Street Date: January 4, 2011
Screen Format: Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (BD) / English 5.1 Dolby Digital (DVD)
French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Spanish and French
Total Running Time: 140.93
U.S. Rating: R
Closed Captioned: YES

Remember check out this review and more from JAM at www.hollywoodteenzine.com for teens and tweens, and at http://jammoviereviews.blogspot.com for movies of all genres and ages.