It’s becoming infinitely clear that Robert Rodriguez’s “Illegal” Machete trailer from back in May, the one in which he tied his new movie to the Arizona immigration issue, wasn’t just a marketing gimmick. Apparently Machete isn’t just some wild, over the top, action movie featuring a grizzled Danny Trejo as a vengeful hero. Nope. What we’ve got here is a full on, illegal alien revenge fantasy. A politically motivated movie which seems as interested in making a statement on immigration as it is in entertaining people. And that’s fine, as long as you agree with Robert Rodriguez’s point of view. Machete is shaping up to be the cinematic equivalent of an immigration protest rally in which everyone stands on the courthouse steps and waves Mexican flags. If you’re not on board with that kind of display, you’re probably going to hate the four new Machete clips I’m about to show you.
Unlike the red band trailer which featured such simple thrills as Machete ripping out a man’s intestines and using them as a bungie cord, this one is all about how illegals have gotten a raw deal. In the first clip, Machete gives life to every immigration regulation opponent’s fantasy by attempting to assassinate a Senator preaching against open borders. In the other clips, Michelle Rodriguez waxes poetic about how illegals do all the work and get screwed over. Later, Machete eats breakfast. He likes eggs.
At least politics explains how Rodriguez got Robert De Niro for what amounts to a humble grindhouse movie. Watch Machete work out the immigration issue with a sniper rifle:
Where you agree with Rodriguez’s politics on this issue or not, you have to wonder whether he’s actually doing his side any favors. Making a movie about illegal aliens assassinating Americans until everyone gives in and decides to let them in the country doesn’t exactly seem like the best way to, you know, win people over. It may not help his cause, but I guess that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Besides, tackling complex political issues with a blunt instrument is sort of a grindhouse tradition.
