Machete

Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis

(R)

**

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Machete is a “gory, pulpy wink of an action thriller,” said Owen Gleiberman in Entertainment Weekly. Based on a brilliant spoof trailer that appeared in Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse, this homage to 1970s-style exploitation films finds a coolly stoic hero in Danny Trejo, who delivers a deadpan portrayal of a blade-wielding former Mexican federale who seeks revenge against his corrupt ex-colleagues. But while Machete at feature length is “more fun than it isn’t,” its hypersexual imagery and over-the-top violence eventually stop seeming tongue-in-cheek. The directors have merely created “an extended trailer” of barely connected parts, said Scott Tobias in the A.V. Club. The only things holding the action together are “a needlessly convoluted plot” and some pro-immigration political messages that seem out of place. Still, the film’s undercurrent of rage will allow some viewers to drink up this bloodbath as a “guilty pleasure,” said Ty Burr in The Boston Globe. Machete isn’t a great film, but its “exquisitely sustained B-movie world” playfully slashes its way across the screen.