cat_ranchero

This one has been on my list for some time and I've had it on my PVR disc for a while now. Finally an opportune time-slot came up and I got the chance to give it a viewing. I have to say it was everything I had expected and more. A lot more humour in it than anticipated which was very welcome, with one particular set of scenes featuring our hero and the bodyguards of one of the bad guys that I found very amusing. I find that sometimes these films take themselves far too seriously and that is usually to their detriment; not the case here. Although not as polished as I would have expected, I still liked it despite the rough hewn edges to the production. Decent performances all round with Danny Trejo doing a very decent job as the lead, Machete Cortez. Also on the good-guys side we had Jessica Alba as Satrana and Michelle Rodriguez as Luz, nice eye candy but without too much substance. Chief among the bad guys were; Robert De Niro as Senator John McLaughlin, Steven Seagal as Rogelio Torrez and Jeff Fahey as Michael Booth; the pick of these being Fahey, mainly because he had a lot more screen time. Over all I found it a very entertaining film that didn't tax the little grey cells too much. It's pretty gory so definitely not one for the squeamish; just remember to check your brain in at the door and I'm certain you'll enjoy Machete.

SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 6.6/10.

You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.

Very well made with a nice pacey start that really grabs your attention. Sadly, it cannot maintain that rate, but it soon settles down as we get to know the various characters. I did find all the to-and-fro with flashbacks a little confusing at times, but it soon sorted itself out. On the performance front, everyone did an excellent job but the stand- out by some margin (for me) was Michael Shannon. He really does play the slightly psychotic cop so very well. I felt the final pay-off didn't quite live up to its initial promise, but I found it entertaining enough. Well worth a look; but don't put a stopwatch on it.

SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.2/10.

You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.

Although I liked this film I did find it a little too long; in fact I have to admit that I watched it in two halves. From a totally stunning sequence at the start I felt it lost momentum for a while, that was until I became embroiled in the drama of Whip Whitaker's story. It's quite a tale and an excellent performance from Denzel Washington holds it all together quite brilliantly. I also thought Kelly Reilly did a pretty good job as well. But back to the opening sequence for a moment, for me it ranks as one of the best special effects driven sequences I've seen in a very long time and hats off to all involved. Taken as a whole, the film does take the audience on quite a journey and I know for some it couldn't quite live up to that crash sequence. For me I thought it held together pretty well, mainly thanks to the acting skills of Mr Washington. Over all, definitely worth a watch but don't get blown away by the crash sequence, there's a lot more depth to it than that.

SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.8/10

You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.