Machete (2010)

"God has mercy. I don't!", 2 July 2015

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.

9/10