Machete

Director: Robert Rodriguez / Ethan Maniquis

Rating: R

The Bouw-Man.

Is this supposed to be another version of “Kill Bill?”  Maybe it’s going more for “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” or “Grindhouse?”  Whatever it’s emulating, it’s evident that their will be a lot of guns a firing from sun up to sun down.  With little known character actor Danny Trejo in the lead, I’m sure the producers are hoping this film will allow audience members to take notice of his work.  At age 66, Trejo probably doesn’t have a lot left in the tank as far as making action films.  However, if this is the movie he’s going to be best known for, at least he’s going out with the beautiful (yet, talentless) Jessica Alba by his side.    

 

Trained killers and assassins are pretty commonplace in today’s film landscape.  Throw in some drug lords, corrupt cops and scantily dressed babes with martial arts skills and you have a safe film formula that’s as original as dollar menu at a fast food restaurant.  The one thing that stands out from the preview, besides the scantily dressed Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez, is Cheech Marin.  At age 64, Cheech is still good for some comic relief.  The fact that he’s playing a gun-toting padre with a connection to the main character, creates some appealing possibilities.  However, the rest seems to be just another violent stroll down “I’ve seen this before” lane.  You can only watch so many revenge action pictures, where the main character takes on the people who have screwed him/her over. 

Prediction.

With competition from “The American” in the “assassin” movie genre, it’s hard to predict where this film will fall on Labor Day weekend.  Unlike George Clooney in “The American,” none of the cast members in “Machete” have much box office appeal these days.  However, maybe as a collective unit they will attract certain audience members.  Robert Rodriguez has also converted some Quentin Tarantino fans, so he does have a niche in the action film industry.  Let’s say $12.5 million for “Machete” during its first weekend.

Opening Weekend Gross: $12.5 Million

Noodles.

This started out as a little 2 minute "fake" trailer in the Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino mash up movie Grindhouse, and at the time I remember thinking, "how cool would it be to see this movie for real?" Now that I'm faced with the possibility of watching veteran character actor Danny Trejo in his first starring role, the geek inside hopes the story can match the hype. 

This looks like a slightly tuned down version of what the original "fake" trailer promised from Planet Terror... Loads of violence, blood, and balls to the wall action. Robert Rodriguez is one of my favorite directors because of his style of film making and the ease with which he seems to churn these films out. I'm hoping that Machete is going to be fantastic, but we'll see.

Prediction.

As much as I think this movie could be fun for men, I don't see a ton of ladies allowing themselves to get dragged in the door. My wife would rather fold clothes than watch this movie...So my prediction is that it will pull in just shy of $10 Million.

Opening Weekend: Gross: $9.5 Million

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