MACHETE, d. Ethan Maniquis & Robert Rodriguez, USA, 2010

About as subtle in its politics as pretty much ever other film Steven Seagal's ever been in (On Deadly Ground, anyone?), this Robert Rodriguez-co-written and co-directed blood-fest has a peculiar wayof getting across its 'critique' of anti-immigration rhetoric in the United States. To my mind, it shoots itself (very bloodily) in the foot at pretty much every cinematic turn - its sexist, racist and pointlessly bloody representations do nothing to either promote such a legitimate critical stance, nor to succeed (are they meant to?) in being 'reflexive' or otherwise intelligently lampooning such cinematic 'conventions'.

The basic storyline is silly, but everyone knows that doesn't bother me: federale (Danny Trejo as Machete) has his family killed and house burned down when he tries to protect a potential witness against a gangster named Torriz (Steven Seagal). Three years later, our tale starts - when Machete is hired to shoot McLaughlin (De Niro's rabidly anti-immigration senator), but it's a set-up designed to curry favour with the voters, and to stir up trouble with 'The Network', a group of people who help Mexicans cross the border and get jobs, and the vigilante group out to stop them. It also turns out - of course - that Torrez is involved, and that Machete's brother - now a priest (oh yes) - gets dragged into things too. Throw in a few steotypical blonde bimbos and sultry latina women (including a bunch who wear skimpy outfits to strip down cars), and things can only get worse.

ALL the female characters are played by young, crazy-skinny and always-made-up women who, for the most part, just really don't fit the roles. (This is not a dig at the actresses: both Michelle Rodriguez as Luz, and Jessica Alba as Sartana are pretty good with what they're given.) The pathetic attempts at 'playing' with the overt sexualisation of all the women in the film - e.g. the close-up ofa nurse's barely-covered arse and her 'witty' come-back to the doctor ogling her - just don't cut it. Stupid 'knowing' dialogue of that nature does nothing to undercut the unimaginative 'woman-as-sex-object' visual representations replicated and enforced by this film. Ditto the 'funny' sequence in which the 'racism' of Mexicans already over the border and working (in kitchens) in the USofA aren't exactly insightful and compelling. (The sequence I'm thinking of is where a Mexican dishwasher watching TV agrees enthusiastically with McLaughlin's strategy to "close the border"; his white co-worker reminds him he crossed the border to get there, to which he replies that's why it's oay with him if they go ahead and close the border now.... blah blah blah.)

Oh, and making one its bad guys not just racist and a grug traffiker but also as somebody with incestuous desires for his daughter? Not the best writing choice.

Overall, the film's anti-anti-immigration politics might be admirable, but that's about all that is. And since it just uses them as an excuse for a particularly unpleasant stream of bloody murders, and is very very confused about the 'rights' and 'wrongs' of the complex contexts of immigration into Texas - failing dismally, in my estimation, to make any helpful or coherent commentary on the situation - I can't really recommend much of anything about this film apart from some of the acting.

My overwhelming thought was that in its use of OTT senatorial sound-bites and TV reports, as well as in its use of ultra-violence, the film tries to embody the kind of searing social satire of a film like RoboCop (or even Scarface (1983)?!). But it fails. Completely. I do get that it's an 'exploitation' movie; but really, WTF is the point - any more - of just making a bad exploitation movie? If it's for profit, then the 'critique' the film offers is completely undermined; again, it shoots itself in the foot (well, the head, really!).

I saw this, by the way, because it was playing at 9am this morning on Korean TV. The mind boggles.

Oh and I was going to say that I at least liked one line: "Machete don't text". But they ruined even that. (Later, he texts. *rolls eyes*)