Machete (2010) – Review

Machete is violent, absurdly silly and has a satirical political agenda. Like many of the films this summer (The Expendables, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Piranha 3-D), the film is made with a very specific audience in mind – catering every stylistic and tonal aspect for that audience, and thus this film will not appeal to everyone. But for those it is intended for – aka fans of writer-director Robert Rodriguez’s non-kid-movie work – this film is hilarious, full of action and has some interesting comments on the current social and cultural issues involving immigrants from Mexico and the Border States (primarily Texas and Arizona). The world Rodriguez creates is similar to Blacksploitation films like Shaft and Super Fly: whites are corrupt and villainous, our hero is an assassin-type, there are drug dealers, the film deals mostly in murder and violence (though with a message, but we will get to that) with comedic overtones, the music plays a role in setting the mood for the scenes from high-paced thrash rock to porno funk, all female characters are hot, naked or dressed in a sexy manner, to name a few. The film also has a very 70’s feel to it. Set against the ridiculousness of the film – the graphic nature of the violence and sex used mostly for comedic effect – is an overt satire regarding the immigration issues between Mexico and America. Whether or not the film is a pointed message at Arizona lawmakers specifically, due to the states impending and hotly debated law regarding illegal immigrants and how all law-enforcement officers can ask them for their papers, or taking issue with all anti-Mexican immigrants groups or both, the film does a good job at getting its message across, be it in a simplistic and emotionally skewed way (as is the case with any issue that is given visuals, music and a narrative). The film succeeds in making a case of immigrants as contributing members to Border State economies and that they have just as much right to The American Way as citizens. However, the film is intended for fans of Rodriguez, most probably already share his opinion on the subject, so really it is a satire for like-minded fans, not a film to change anyone’s mind on the topic. And while the film does succeed in being funny with good action sequences, living up to its influences, it suffers a bit in not being an overly tight narrative. The structure of the film is not polished enough and the pacing leaves the film feeling long and the narrative too disjointed at times, especially near the end, with scenes not flowing as well as they should. Overall, Machete sets out to do everything the fans want, and does them well.

On the technical side: co-directors Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis set out to make a very stylish film with 70’s action films, especially Blacksplotation, as the primary influence, and the film looks, feels and plays just like a film from that area (but with CGI effects). Rodriguez has a core group of fans and he makes his films for them, and this is no different. Cinematographer Jimmy Lindsey and production designer Christopher Stull did great work on the film completely synchronizing their efforts with the intended style and tone from the directors, as the film is just what it wants to be from a visual standpoint. Composer John Debney worked with Rodriguez scoring the film, recording rock and funky tunes as a band, dictating the intended feeling of each scene or beat to the audience and setting the tone for the film. Acting wise, the cast is a bit up and down. Danny Trejo is Machete – he plays the role perfectly, some subtle emotion but mostly just a badass not to be messed with. The film would not be the same without him. Robert De Niro seemed a bit out of the place, but all-in-all works. Steven Seagal is hilarious and works mostly because he is Steven Seagal. Michelle Rodriguez and Jessical Alba are good in their roles, though even as strong women they are sort of marginalized a bit. Jeff Fahey is fine, but not amazing. Don Johnson is not too good in this – maybe he was cast for name value like Seagal, but unlike Seagal he has no presence on-screen. Cheech Marin is funny and provides a comedic spark. And finally, Lindsay Lohan makes fun of herself and turns out to be a nice addition to the film.

Machete is everything you think it is and a little bit more. 7/10

The Killer Inside Me (2010) – Review

The Killer Inside Me is a dark if not frightening film delving into the mind of a disturbed psychotic killer. Throughout the film seems a bit disjointed. The viewer is not always sure of the motivation or the passage of time, or even what is real – but it works. Director Michael Winterbottom structures the film through the mind of his protagonist and being that he is demented and oblivious to wrong-doing the structure is at times hard to follow or even unreliable. Can the audience really trust anything that they are shown? Winterbottom (and protagonist Lou Ford) do not pull any punches as the story is told – it is quite unnerving and specifically graphically violent. Much like American Psycho, the mask of sanity erodes as the story unfolds – the more time the audience spends with Ford, the more uneasy they become. The film emits tension, but subtly – the viewer feels alarmed and uncomfortable with the character they are given to follow, but they cannot place the reason – and then like a striking blow Winterbottom exploits the tension to its emotional peak (and at this point alienating some audience members). However, what makes this film particularly interesting, and Winterbottom’s work astounding, is despite the character being very unlikable and the brash violence, there are still moments in which the audience is behind the character – much in the same way as with the film Downfall. The viewer recognizes the evil in the character yet that same character being the narrative storyteller captivates the audience, and done correctly can even garner support from the audience – and Winterbottom achieves that, but still keeps the character distant as well. Ford is always on guard even from himself. Ford tells the story in a matter-of-fact way, but he does not divulge his emotions, they are there for the viewer to see gradually, just underneath. The film works best as a character study – everything around Ford is just scenery, a nuisance that he sees himself above. The film is impressive in its duality of viewer emotion (we hate Ford utterly from a moral stand, but yet underneath we root for him to overcome the obstacles closing in around him). The two female characters in the film are portrayed to be strong, and yet they both give in to Ford’s violence, not running from it but embracing it with compassion (much like the audience). The film, it would seem, would not play well for a feminist audience, but Winterbottom seems to be using his female characters as a plant in the audience’s mind – to see if he can bring them over to the dark side, and here like Ford’s control over the women, he succeeds in many cases. With The Killer Inside Me Witnerbottom has created both an interesting character study of a psychopath, but an even more penetrating look at the emotional morality and narrative influence on a passive audience. On the technical side of the film: Winterbottom is able to craft a film that is primarily interested in the emotional state of the audience. He is less concerned with a tight narrative that is easy to follow. This is a big risk, but Winterbottom succeeds in engaging the audience with characters rather than plot. The supporting characters are not really developed and are sometimes distracting, but overall Winterbottom and screenwriter John Curran (a fine filmmaker in his own right) are able to capture the tone and performances they need for the film to work. Casey Affleck is calm with sinister misdeeds waiting to erupt behind his eyes (the performance reminds me a lot of his work in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford). Jessica Alba is shot beautifully in the film and plays the role in such a sweet way that the contrast of violence to her allure is quite powerful and jolting. Kate Hudson is also good, in maybe the most unforgiving of all the characters. As with Alba, Hudson portrays her character to be likable, yet dumbfounding at times, that the juxtaposition of emotion is dynamic. Cinematographer Marcel Zyskind (a frequent Winterbottom collaborator) shoots the film to perfectly capture the core emotion of each scene. Melissa Parmenter’s score is subtle and supports the emotional weight – but it is the lack of score at key moments that provides more of an impact. The minimalist production design by Mark Tildesley helps focus the attention solely on the characters. The film is not for everyone, as much of it is visually intense – but Witnerbottom and cast and crew have made an unhinging film in which the audience partakes in the brutality and culpability. 7/10