Machete

Grindhouse films hold an interesting spot in the history of cinema. In their time they were viewed by many as films that were nothing but exploitative messes hoisted upon the masses. The criticisms of the films ranged the gamut from being misogynistic, sensationalizing drugs and sex, and stuff that just was bizarre for the sake of being bizarre. Exploitation is a funny thing though. The term itself is hard to quantify because exploitation is really something that is only in the mind of the viewer. Ten people could watch the same film and maybe two or three would find it exploitative. Why is that? Pure and simply, we all bring our own ideas of what is exploitative to any film we watch. Furthermore, many of the people who complained about the films then didn't actually see the films. For the most part, the advertising of "grindhouse films" came before people saw other grindhouse films. It was a fairly self-contained market and the people who complained were almost outsiders coming into that world and claiming that everyone involved was being exploited from the directors down to the viewers.

What is interesting today is that some of the many things that endeared grindhouse films to the people who sought them out are some of the very same principles that people love in films today. Have you ever heard the term "popcorn film?" Today we use that to describe a film that is not deep with meaning. It is a film that we throw some money down to see just for the sheer entertainment value of it all. It is cinematic junk food. There is no subtext, there is no deeper meaning, there is just a camera, some actors, and a yearning to make people enjoy themselves for 90 minutes. That was many of the grindhouse films. There were some that had meaning, but the majority were silly affairs that reveled in the insanity they could bring to the screen. So what was once on the fringes of cinema is now an idea that permeates the multiplex every week.  In many ways, grindhouse films were cinema at its best. It represented everything movies were designed to be- escapist fare that occasionally featured something of substance. More importantly though, these films were an experience. The theater had a certain ambiance- the floors were sticky, the food was terrible, and the films were extremely weathered sometimes missing reels. But it was pure.

Back in 2007, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez wanted to recreate the grindhouse experience for a while new generation of fans. They released their double feature that was designed to take you and put you in that experience. They designed films that would be in place in that time frame (I'd argue that Rodrigiuez did a better job of that than Tarantino- but that's the minority view), they had music and videos from that time, and they talked a bunch of friends into creating fake trailers that were typical of what was shown in those days. One of the trailers that appeared in front of the film was entitled Machete. The trailer was about as ridiculous as could be but the Internet lit up over it and people were demanding a film that used the character. In 2010 they get their wish as we now have the film Machete.

Robert Rodriguez's Machete features career character actor Danny Trejo being upgraded to the main spot and he does an amazing job in this film. Many have said that this proves he can be the lead actor and will open up a new world for him in the movies. However, I would say it probably doesn't. A film like Machete calls for a certain type of actor and Trejo was perfect for the part. He is perfectly weathered, and his face shows the aging that the character's actions would see over time. He is fantastic but his leading role opportunities will not multiply with this part. He might get some stuff in this genre but it is a limited genre.

The story revolves around something that is extremely relevant to this time period. Machete is a federale and is tracing down a bad guy when he is captured and is forced to watch his wife get slaughtered in front of his eyes. He loses it and heads to the United States where he gets tangled up in a plot involving an operation smuggling Mexican workers across the border and a conspiracy in the candidacy of the political official speaking out against letting immigrants in. Grindhouse films always found a way to exploit current event news stories and this one is about as ripped from the headlines as one can get. You won't find any answers here, but you will find a pissed off Mexican who gets both whites and Mexicans to follow him into battle. Rodriguez does a great job with the script here and does an excellent job of providing the atmosphere of a grindhouse film. There are tons of people slaughtered, some in increasingly ridiculous ways. There is nudity, and the dialogue has some wonky moments but overall you are getting a fair representation of the genre.

However, a film like this would not work without actors who "get it." Every actor in this film gets the type of film they are in and it only adds to the festivities. Jessica Alba probably does as much for her career as Trejo does for his. She acquits herself well in the film and plays the conflicted nature of her character to the hilt. In fact, her performance is so good it almost feels out of place in the film. Michelle Rodriguez plays tough girl about as well as female in Hollywood but again here finds a nice balance between the revolutionary nature of her character with an equally understanding side. Jeff Fahey is great in the role of the shady campaign manager who is trying to make sure his candidate is elected. Steven Segal and Don Johnson play similar roles on opposite sides of the fence but both are clearly having fun. Cheech Marin has some of the best lines in the film (as he did in the fake trailer) and plays off Trejo well. Lindsey Lohan is basically playing a caricature of her public persona so it is understandable that she would be good at it. The big surprise here is Robert DeNiro. Not his performance- it's good, but DeNiro is good in a lot of things. No the surprise here is that he is in almost the entire film. When he shows up at first you expect it to be a cameo and then he will pop out. However, he keeps popping up throughout and he buys into the film from frame 1. He doesn't act like he is above the material or as if he is slumming it. He throws himself into it, and it adds to the film. Trejo is excellent as are most character actors. Guys like Trejo usually are great in films because there contributions to film usually require them to do more than just be the lead. They normally are the heart and soul of the film and often create the most endearing characters from the film. It matters here because the script does require Machete to be a guy that you do root for in the end and Trejo mixes in enough pathos to make a killing machine sympathetic.

SO TO RECAP...

This film is really a throwback in every sense of the word. The look of the film is purposely washed and it looks grungy at all times. There is a lot of blood shed and people die throughout the film in crazy manner. The real thing to watch here though are the performances. The performances are so good that the excellent production by Rodriguez and his crew are overshadowed. All the actors know what type of film they are in and relish every minute they get as they are truly having fun. This will not be everyone's cup of tea but this film has a certain appeal and you'll have a helluva time watching it. As I see it- Machete is worthy of..