Machete [Blu-ray]

Power, crime, corruption, fun and a LOT of violence! I really enjoyed Danny Trejo's performance as well as all the other actors. There are many funny moments too. It's really fun to watch with the audience reaction track turned as you get to hear all the gasps and laughs in real time. It has a nice angle on culture, power and corruption too. Fun to rewatch occasionally too! :-)

"Machete" is a 2010 film with Danny Trejo in the lead role as a mercenary / vigilante style hero against corruption and crime. I bought this DVD movie because it also stars Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Shea Whigham, Lindsay Lohan, Electra Avellan, Tom Savini, and Alicia Rachel Marek. Well that, and it being rated "R" I was hoping for some actresses who make up for not being much else but visual effect.This is a hilarious, over done, cult classic, campy, poorly acted, poorly directed, and extremely lame masterpiece that doesn't need substance to be more than well worth your time and money. I busted up laughing out loud at this several times and got everything I was hoping for in every category by watching this film. The hokey FX, the blood and guts, the fleshfest buffet, and I don't want to spoil the movie for you entirely but you'll have to crack up laughing when Danny Trejo uses a very special "rope" to jump out a window and swing back, crashing into the window below. The corny dialogue along with the low-budget style sets and directing make this movie absolutely a keeper. After watching a few movies not worth watching that I regret owning and intend to trade in, it is a breath of fresh air to have my own copy of "Machete" so I can view this trophy over and over.I recommend "Machete" as a cure for the doldrums, and encourage anybody who needs a good laugh to view this as soon as you get a chance. Five stars. So bad it's great fun. It is altogether obvious the cast had a great time making this film.

Loved the Machete movies. Was so glad to find them on DVD! Got both movies for my DVD library. Received in great condition.

"Machete" is one of the first entries of Hollywood's "supergroup cinema" trend, mixing lead performers from different rungs of the cinematic ladder in a bombastic vehicle that would've been unthinkable to produce in preceding decades. It also continues the fad of retrofitting modern action movies with exploitation twists in emulation of grandhouse features. In both arenas, "Machete" succeeds remarkably, making it one of the more enjoyable features of 2010.The story: Three years after the murder of his family at the hands of a ruthless drug lord (Steven Seagal, Exit Wounds), ex-Federale "Machete" Cortez (Danny Trejo, Once Upon a Time in Mexico) becomes a wild card in a shady conflict involving the attempted assassination of a Texas Senator (Robert De Niro, GoodFellas), an underground immigrant aide network run by a tough beauty (Michelle Rodriguez, Avatar), and a plot to exploit both to dark ends.The cast is the first thing that catches your eye, and for the most part it's remarkably well-chosen. Danny Trejo - the perpetually underrated tough-guy - plays his first mainstream starring role to the hilt. De Niro brings a sense of legitimacy to the picture and proves that he doesn't mind not being the center of attention. Rodriguez is cool throughout but positively explodes during the finale. Seagal's casting is the most controversial but also the cleverest: eight years of DTV features have done nothing to lessen his intensity, and he plays a bad guy with deliciously despicable hamminess. Jeff Fahey as the two-faced co-villain, Cheech Marin as the shotgun-toting padre, and Don Johnson as the twisted nationalist militia leader are a hoot to watch, and even Lindsay Lohan gets her share of awesome moments. It's so much fun to see all these performer together. The only performer who doesn't do too well is Jessica Alba (Sin City) as the conflicted policewoman: her part's written well enough, but she doesn't seem into it and gives a spotty performance.The film's grindhouse style is mostly consistent, but it lapses whenever the filmmakers realize they have to focus more on the story or purposely let on that they're not taking themselves seriously. Stylistic aging of the video quality is attempted early on but quickly dropped. The violence is bloody but rarely outright gruesome: even when Machete slices open a man's stomach and pulls the length of his intestines out (he uses 'em as a rope), it's sold as incredibly fake and shouldn't bother anyone besides the extra squeamish. The actual action content is pretty cool: gunfights, explosions, knife fights, and many impromptu beheadings by Machete meld together to form a veritable action opus. Surprisingly, Steven Seagal's character gets in on very little of this: he's most active late in the movie, when he engages Machete in a swordfight that's neat but not nearly as furious as the other ones he's had in his career. Spectacle is occasionally played over substance here, but I can't fault these scenes: any gunfight that convinces me that Lindsay Lohan is hardcore automatically deserves credit.The film's political overtones regarding the exploitation of illegal labor in the U.S. are, in my opinion, justified but could easily limit its appeal among viewers with different opinions. (Anyone who frequented this one's forum on IMDb years ago will remember all the Henny-Pennies who cried that it was going to initiate a race war.) Nevertheless, I don't consider this a serious political movie - just a fun, reckless action flick with a bit of style. Even if this one doesn't become a cult classic, director Robert Rodriguez ought to be proud of his work.

Came in very quickly and was in brand new condition

This movie is over the top, but it is done well. Lots of action, lots of humor, lots of weapons, cars, beautiful women, scenery, drama. Is R rated, but recommend.