Make no mistake…character actors are the truck drivers of Hollywood. Without them, nothing happens. They are a special class of actors dedicated to the craft—not the limelight. Forever destined to be looked at and hear, “Hey I know you..from…well, Hey I know you!” Character actors are the best kind of actors. And within the hallowed halls of Hollywood, no character actor is more fantastic, more welcome, and more bad ass than Danny Trejo. The man is a treasure to the world of film. He’s popped up all over: “Halloween,” “From Dusk til Dawn,” “Desperado,” “Breaking Bad…” “Heat.” Hell, the dude was even in the “Spy Kids” franchise! Which brings us to the movie of his career. The movie in which he starred with top billing and seemingly was born to play. “Machete.”
While a constant in Robert Rodriquez’ stable, the character first popped up in the aforementioned cinematic masterpiece “Spy Kids” and then up in a faux trailer within the vastly underrated “Grindhouse” before coming to the big screen in a star-studded ballet of blood, guts, dark humor and over the top cartoonish violence. In a word: glorious!
Robert De Niro, Don Johnson, Cheech Marin, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, Steven Seagal, and Jeff Fahey round out a colorful cast full of ridiculous performances that combine tongue in cheek soap opera-ish melodrama with heart-pumping action and throwback camp violence reminiscent of 1970s grindhouse.
Danny Trejo is a tour de force on screen—and if you’ve seen him throughout the years in any of his million different roles, you know how easy it is to root for him, even when he is the bad guy. But here, as a double crossed Federale, you just cannot help how much you want to see Machete kick ass, and then bask in the glory once he executes his plan. The character Machete is fun, fierce, and deadly. A true anti-hero in every sense of the word and the exact type of guy you just love to see come out on top.
Michelle Rodriguez in a scene from “Machete” (Overnight Films, 2010).
Trejo is the clear star, but I’ll be damned if I don’t rant and rave about Robert De Niro here. After all, the dude owned the 1970s! For what is essentially billed as a B Movie with all the aesthetics and plot points to boot, I’d argue that “Machete” gives us one of the best post-“Casino” De Niro performances. Playing a Texas State Senator, De Niro is as smug as he is wonderful. As powerful as he revolting. No one can bounce moods better than De Niro (well maybe, Tom Hanks). The sheer lovable smugness of his character makes you jump with joy for this classic Bobby De Niro revival.
The character of Machete is an ass kicker in the vein of Rambo and the Terminator, but with a little more humanity and a touch more of sympathy. Even in a complete ridiculous pool scene, you’re left like, “okay yeah. That’s weird AF. But good for Machete.” Equal parts vigilante, anti-hero, and ass kicker, you never once question Machete’s motivations nor do you have any reason to disagree with his course of action throughout the film.
In this era of non-stop blockbusters and the never ending need for films to outperform the last one at the Box Office, fun little movies like “Machete” are less and less. And it really is a shame. Great characters. Better actors. And a fun, silly movie make for a really entertaining two hours. The stakes are low but the enjoyment is super high. When the sad day comes that Danny Trejo no longer acts, he will no doubt leave behind an impressive list of credits. “Machete” will remain as his finest hour. And we’re all better off for it! Despite what some would call a lackluster follow up, “Machete Kills,” the original stands as a great action film and truly a rarity for which the era in which it was produced. God bless Danny Trejo!
