The U.S. government recruits Machete to battle his way through Mexico in order to take down an arms dealer who looks to launch a weapon into space.
Like a meal made entirely of chillies, Machete Mk II is spicy to start with, then unpleasant, then numbing - before it all starts to repeat.
Violent, silly, embarrassing, clumsy, confusing, juvenile, occasionally offensive, occasionally a little bit fun.
The latest Machete yarn begins and ends with enormous zest. The problem is the 108 minutes in between.
The odd vivid shot reminds you of Rodriguez's dynamic visual imagination, but also what it's wasted on here: a project as indifferent as some of the trash that inspired it.
Indie cinema’s most proactive auteur has gone all out and created a movie that’s as ridiculous and violent as a film about a machete-wielding Mexican outlaw should be.
The mind boggles, the stomach turns and the heart sinks. You have been warned.
At least it's authentic in one respect – the trailer is better than the film.
A second sequel is mooted. Let's hope they don't go there.
Machete Kills falls short of the same kind of guilty pleasure the Grindhouse double feature engendered.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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