Summary: Recruited by the President of the United States, Machete is given a mission that would be impossible for any mortal man. He must take down an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has hatched a plan to spread war and anarchy across the planet. With a bounty on his head, Machete breaks all the rules as he is hunted at every turn by an all-star cast of deadly assassins.

Year: 2013

Australian Cinema Release Date: 3rd October, 2013

Australian DVD Release Date: 12th March, 2013

Country: Russia, USA

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Screenwriter: Kyle Ward, Robert Rodriguez (story), Marcel Rodriguez (story)

Cast: Jessica Alba (Sartana), Edgar Arreola (Esteban), Electra Avellan (Nurse Mona), Elise Avellan (Nurse Lisa), Antonio Banderas (La Camalean 4), Demian Bichir (Mendez), Billy Blair (Billy Blair), Pablo Bracho (Bartender Carlos), Jason Christopher (Lieutenant Brass), Samuel Davis (Clebourne), Pablo Esparza (Grasa), Heaven Elizabeth Fearn (Miss Amarillo), Mel Gibson (Voz), Walton Goggins (La Camalean 1), Cuba Gooding Jnr (La Camalean 2), Amber Heard (Miss San Antonio), David C. Heard (Doctor Villachez),  Sophia Hoang (Miss Houston), Vanessa Hudgens (Cereza), Lady Gaga (La Camalean), Elle LaMont (Dollface), Marci Madison (Nurse Fine), Elon Musk (himself), Julio Oscar Mechoso (Chepo), Alexa PenaVega (Killjoy), Eduardo Renteria (Doctor Goodbar), Emmy Robbin (Pris), Michelle Rodriguez (Luz), Felix Sabates (Doc Felix), Tom Savini (Osiris Amanapur), Charlie Sheen (Mr. President), Bobby Tamayo (Stuttering Tito), Danny Trejo (Machete), Sofia Vergara (Desdemona), Mark Zaror (Zaror)

Runtime: 107 mins

Classification:MA15+

OUR MACHETE KILLS REVIEWS & RATINGS:

David Griffiths:

It’s funny how some people expect that every single film they see be of a high artistic quality. Whatever happened to the notion of just watching a film for fun? Or simply watching a film just for its entertainment value? Take Machete Kills for example, it’s not exactly high art but it is the kind of film that is fun to watch and reminds you that there still are directors out there, in this case the great Robert Rodriguez, who are not afraid to simply make a film for entertainment value.

Machete Kills follows on from the events of 2010’s Machete and begins with the hardened hero Machete (Danny Trejo) facing his worst nightmare when he watches as his latest love-of-his-life, Sartana (Jessica Alba) is murdered during what they believe is a routine border raid.

In the wake of her death Machete is called upon by President Rathcock (Charlie Sheen) to hunt down a known criminal, Mendez (Demian Bichir), who has threatened the security of the U.S.A. with a bomb. The case soon steps up to a whole new level however when Machete learns that the orders given to him by the very sexy Miss San Antonio (Amber Heard) don’t even begin to scratch the surface of the a case that soon also involves the evil Voz (Mel Gibson). Then there are of course the ever-growing list of people who want Machete dead, which includes Desdemona (Sofia Vergara) and La Camaleon (Lady Gaga).

Machete Kills is not a film that should be written off too quickly. Even the most uneducated film fan must be able to see that with the Machete franchise Robert Rodriguez is trying to bring fun back into the cinema. This time around there isn’t even the hint of seriousness in the film. What with celebrity train-wreck Charlie Sheen playing the president and Sofia Vergara playing a character with a machine-gun Madonna-inspired bra the fact that this is supposed to be a fun film.

To Rodriguez’s credit though his mission to recapture the old B-Grade action film and bring in a little fun doesn’t seem to do anything to harm the suspense of the film. Machete is a likable character so it isn’t hard for the script to make the audience not want anything to happen to him. The fact that he loses Sartana early on the film seems to make him even more vulnerable.

As the film goes on it becomes obvious that Rodriguez is really trying to see just how far he can stretch the imagination of the audience, which will be important seeing it seems likely that Machete 3 will be set in space, although you can’t help but think under all the ludricious fight scenes and far-stretched scenarios is still a strong message about the way the world treats its refugees.

As was the case with the first Machete film Machete Kills works well because of it’s amazing cast. Once again Danny Trejo leads the way playing the tough Machete brilliantly well, while he is well supported by a plevvy of beauties including Amber Heard, Lady Gaga and Sofia Vergara all of which who seem to be having a ball in their roles.

By far though the two standouts amongst the cast of Machete Kills are Charlie Sheen and Mel Gibson. Rightfully no director should touch these two, they should be considered box office poison. But here the two seem to relish their roles. Sheen seems to turn the clock back to Hot Shots with his smooth portrayal of a U.S. President while Mel Gibson seems to really enjoy becoming evil incarnate as he portrays an evil dictator.

If you’re looking for a fun action film that doesn’t demand too much of its audience than Machete Kills is a film that you must check out. Suspense and laughs go hand-in-hand with a film that will certainly guarantee that this franchise becomes a cult favourite in the years to come.

Average Subculture Rating (out of 5):

IMDB Rating: 

Other Subculture Media Reviews of ‘Machete Kills′: Please check Subculture Ep 001 for our full Machete Kills review.

Trailer: