DVD
REVIEW: MACHETE
01/01/11
OVERVIEW:
The out-for-revenge, action-driven MACHETE is ready to serve up some justice with guns blazing and bloody blades slicing. On January 4, 2011 keep an eye out for MACHETE on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. The sharpest way to see it is on Blu-ray, with killer deleted scenes that deliver more guns, more girls and more Machete action!
SYNOPSIS: He looked
like just another day laborer from the streets, and the perfect
fall guy for a crooked political assassination. But he turned
out to be Machete (Danny Trejo), A legendary ex-federale with a
deadly attitude and the skills to match.
FILM REVIEW: Padre Benito del Toro: It's not safe for you to be here.
Machete: I'm not looking for "safe".
Padre Benito del Toro: No, I mean it's not safe for me for you to be here!
That is a fact. When Machete is around, safety is your number one concern because it will be at high risk. This is a perfect example of the type of movie that critics will generally hate and movie goers will generally love . . . it is one of the mysteries of the universe. Remember, I consider myself more a movie goer than a movie critic so I did enjoy it. I can tell you that the majority of the audience at the screening I attended enjoyed it too. This is Robert Rodriguez doing one of the things he does best. Prerequisite: must enjoy Robert Rodriguez and/or Quentin Tarantino type films. He is joined by Ethan Maniquis on this project and it is his directorial debut. Not a bad wing to go under. So yes, this movie is bloody, gory, and somewhat juvenile with plenty of hot girls, hot cars, intense fight sequences, gun play, and blade play (he is called Machete after all, so blades abound). In other words, it’s a whole lot of fun. Movies like this are not about artistic value, but rather heavy duty shock value. And believe you me, there are quite a few “what the … ?!” moments in this picture. If you remember, this movie was previewed in the Grindhouse release (Planet Terror and Death Proof). So it wasn’t just filler, it was actually produced and here it is. It easily slides right into the Grindhouse style and could be considered the third movie of the Grindhouse collection. What makes this one a little different though is that even though it is Grindhouse style, it makes a very strong political statement. The controversy over Mexican immigration serves as the backdrop of almost the entire story and it is presented in a simple yet effective way. So believe it or not, the movie actually has some depth to it.
The cast is stellar and in some cases surprising. I was very surprised to hear that Robert DeNiro was cast in this picture; but hey, why not? It wasn’t exactly surprising but more like interesting to see people like Don Johnson, Jessica Alba, and Lindsay Lohan in this movie. My biggest concern was with Danny Trejo playing the title character, Machete. Danny has had a huge career playing mostly supporting roles. I don’t know of any lead roles he has ever had, at least at this level of a major motion picture. So I wasn’t sure how well he would carry the movie being the lead role. I guess you could say that he was sharp . . . pun intended. The acting across the board was about as good as you would expect for this type of movie. The big question mark was Danny before I saw the movie, and my big question mark after watching the movie was Steven
Seagal. “?” That’s all I’m going to say about that. (And I’m a big Steven Seagal fan, but from the early years). The leading ladies, Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez, were effective both in performance and looks. Both of them look trim and in great shape. I’m sure many of you might be curious about Lindsay’s contribution. Well, let’s just say that her role was right up her alley. Cheech Marin is a guaranteed good contributor especially in this genre.
This is your typical revenge story intertwined with the Mexican immigration issue and the U.S.-Mexican border all wrapped up in a Robert Rodriguez/Grindhouse package. If you can handle that, or stomach it, and have fun with it, then this is the movie for you.
Film
Review
By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
DVD: Machete is presented in
a widescreen format with a 1.85:1 aspect ration. The
transfer looks clean, judging from the watermark screening
received it is very difficult to determine the real quality
of the video, however I wont doubt that the final product
will be just fine. The picture is
complemented with a 5.1 Dolby digital sound in
English, French and Spanish with Spanish, French and English subtitles.
In the field of special features
DVD includes six must see deleted scenes and an audience
reaction track. In this mode you can watch the film while
listening to the theaters audience reaction. If you want to deep
inside the making of the film you should go to the Blu-ray of
the version.
VIDEO:
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
AUDIO:
English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish and French Dolby Surround
Subtitles - English Spanish French- Optional
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Audience Reaction Track
Deleted Scenes
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