DVD Review: MACHETE

One of the best parts of this job is to watch a really good movie. And indeed, MACHETE is a very good movie. Once again, Robert Rodriquez has created a real gem that has the look and feel of those old grindhouse theater cheap exploitation films of the 60's and 70's. Rodriguez proves that he's a talent equal to Quentin Tarantino in every regard here, creating a thrilling and violent film.

Actor Danny Trejo is just excellent here, playing the ultimate tough guy. He has the right look, and he's a fine actor. And his excellent supporting cast of Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Lindsay Lohan, Don Johnson, Jessica Alba and Robert De Niro sure don't hurt either. That's some star power here.

The DVD comes out Tuesday with a more violent director's cut than the normal theatrical version. I viewed an advance copy of this film, and was well pleased. This is a very worthwhile motion picture.

Lindsay Lohan contributes an interesting nude scene here. However, a Jessica Alba nude scene was reportedly computer generated, as this actress doesn't like doing nudity in films. But, the inclusion of the nudity does add to the cheap grindhouse appeal of the film, and appears to be an integral part of the art of this film.

Reportedly, Jessica Alba was wearing white underwear which was digitally erased to create the illusion of nudity for this film. Whoever would have ever guessed that some nerd would invent the computer just so he could digitally erase girl's clothes? Talk about a real labor of lust.

But, more seriously, part of what makes MACHETE such a great film is that so many top name actors were willing to star in a high quality production written and shot to look like a really cheap B film. That's art. The result here is so good. Robert Rodriguez knows that he created something great here. In fact, he's at work on a sequel right now.

The Bottom Line: Don't miss this great film here. This is a real classic for Robert Rodriguez. Shot for a mere $10.5 million dollar budget, this film really satisfies. +++(Three Stars, very good. Buy this film on DVD).