Starring: Danny Trejo, Alexa Vega, Mel Gibson, Amber Heard, Sofía Vergara, Charlie Sheen
Directors: Robert Rodriguez
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
Release Date: January 21, 2014
Running Time: 109 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars
When I saw the faux trailer for Robert Rodriguez’s Machete in “Grindhouse”, I thought that would make an awesome and fun as hell movie. Well that came true with “Machete” was released in 2010. It was good but not perfect. “Machete Kills” is a sharp follow up. It is a little more out-there, so to say, but I actually enjoyed it more than the first. The gore is amped up and the comedy is more slapstick. If you are looking for a good laugh and a wild ride then I would definitely recommend checking out “Machete Kills”. I really hope that Rodriguez some how gets to make “Machete Kills Again … IN SPACE!“, because I will be first in line.
Danny Trejo is not only bad-ass, he is beyond bad-ass. The guy is nearly 70 years old and yet he rocks this character like a pro! “Machete Kills” also packs a ridicoulosy insane support cast including Michelle Rodriguez, Mel Gibson, Sofía Vergara, Amber Heard, Charlie Sheen (using his real name of “Carlos Estévez”), Cuba Gooding, Jr., Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexa Vega and Tom Savini. Some of them play out like cameos but still really fun.
Official Premise: Danny Trejo returns as legendary ex-Federale Machete Cortez in this action- packed thrill ride from innovative director Robert Rodriguez. In his latest mission, Machete is recruited by the U.S. President (Charlie Sheen/Carlos Estevez) to stop a crazed global terrorist (Mel Gibson) from starting a nuclear war. With a bounty on his head, Machete breaks all the rules as he faces death at every turn from an all-star cast of deadly assassins.
Universal’s combo pack release is quite amazing containing a Blu-ray and DVD discs along with a Digital HD UltraViolet copy. The 1080p is quite awesome. The film started as a faux Grindhouse trailer. This film is much more polished but still keeps that Grindhouse feeling. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is equally awesome and really impresses ranging from the non-stop action, gunfire and explosions. In terms of special features though, there is not much here. “Making Machete Kills” is a decent 20 minutes behind-the-scenes look into the production. The only other extras are an additional 20 minutes of Deleted and Extended Scenes but they are nothing special. I would have loved for a crazy commentary track for sure on this crazy film.
