I haven’t talked much about the concept of the “exploitation” film, but this is partially due to the very fluid definition of the genre. Exploitation movies tend to be low on the budget and heavy on the sex and violence, often focusing on hyper-specific cultural or counter-cultural elements, such as “Blaxploitation,” “Nazisploitation,” and of course, “Mexploitation.” Filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are professed admirers of the exploitation movies, even making a specific release called Grindhouse which combined Tarantino’s Death Proof and Rodriguez’s Planet Terror — the latter had a hilarious fake movie trailer for a movie called Machete with Danny Trejo, a character actor known for his gritty appearance and roles in basically all of Rodriguez’s movies.

It could probably be argued that the first Rodriguez, hyper-violent, ultra-low budget (only $7000) movie El Mariachi was also an example of “Mexploitation.” When he finally made the feature length version of Machete, it combined over-the-top violence, an improbably invulnerable and sexually irresistible hero, and an extremely unsubtle political message against anti-immigration (a lot of racist white people die). The movie was pretty enjoyable, if ultimately forgettable, but it did seem much like a more modern version of an exploitation film, albeit with a much, much larger budget ($10 million). The end tag of that movie promised that Machete and his young protege/girlfriend, played by Jessica Alba, would be back in Machete Kills and possibly Machete Kills … Again!. So … is he?

Robert Rodriguez has returned to hyper-violent world of Machete to bring back the character so memorably played originally by Danny Trejo. This time, Machete is hired by the President (Charlie Sheen, doing his best work in ages) to track down and kill cartel leader Mendez (Demián Bichir), who has also stolen a nuclear bomb that’s aimed for the USA. But it turns out that Mendez might not be the one behind it — it’s probably (obviously) evil industrialist and defense contractor Luther Voz , played by Mel Gibson in what is also his best work in ages. Utilizing that crazy for something actually crazy. As to be expected, Machete is aided along the way by beauties such as Amber Heard and Michelle Rodriguez, but is also being hunted by man-hating madame Sofiá Vergara and her gaggle of brothel-assassins and a mysterious killer known only as “El Cameleón” (The Chameleon).

The movie begins with a hilarious “fake” trailer that immediately sets the mood for what this is: a non-stop action movie filled with schlock, silly humor, beautiful women, and many, many winks to the audience. This is really not much of a satire or political movie (there are a few bits about immigration and racism, but they are extremely minimal) — it’s pure parody of the sorts of serious movies Rodriguez has already made (like the excellent Desperado).

Danny Trejo is obviously perfectly cast here, this 69-year-old (I know!) grizzled and tattooed fighter with the love of bladed weapons. It’s interesting how well some of the supporting characters are acted here; Demián Bichir is hilarious and pitch perfect as a madman with a personality disorder and a dark, secret history. I may still think Mel Gibson is a racist idiot, but he’s still capable of playing an over-the-top role, which is ideal here. If the idea of someone using another guy’s intestines to throw him into a helicopter repulses you, then this movie’s not for you. But on the other hand, if that sounds like it might just be awesome, you’d probably get a kick out of this movie. Of course, if you liked the first movie, that’s also a good indicator. The movie is paced pretty well, although I will say I found Sofiá Vergara’s character to be oddly pointless and boring after the initial amusing image of her unique sort of weapon. That said, it was good to see Michelle Rodriguez return for a movie where she’s clearly having fun — everyone was, they knew what this was all about.

Don’t expect high art out of this one, folks. But if you can appreciate it for what it is — it’s a lot of fun.

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