MACHETE KILLS (2013)

🎬 Machete Kills (2013)

Genre: Action | Comedy | Exploitation
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Writer: Kyle Ward (story by Robert & Marcel Rodriguez)
Starring: Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Sofía Vergara, Amber Heard, Antonio Banderas, Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lady Gaga

🧨 Plot Summary

Ex-Federale agent Machete Cortez is recruited by the President of the United States to take down a madman threatening global chaos. The mission: stop a revolutionary who has attached a nuclear missile trigger to his own heart. As Machete tears through assassins, corrupt officials, and killer operatives, he uncovers a larger conspiracy led by a wealthy arms dealer plotting to destroy Earth and restart civilization in space.

With flamethrower bras, face-switching agents, and Mel Gibson as a lightsaber-wielding villain, Machete Kills is a deliberately outrageous ride through a comic-book world of carnage and chaos.

🎥 Style & Tone

The film leans heavily into grindhouse aesthetics—over-the-top violence, campy visuals, exaggerated stereotypes, and intentional B-movie energy. It’s a self-aware action spoof that pushes absurdity to its limits.

💬 Reception

While the original Machete gained cult status, Machete Kills received mixed to negative reviews. Critics cited its lack of narrative focus and over-reliance on celebrity cameos and visual gags. However, some praised the film’s wild imagination and commitment to genre parody.

💵 Box Office

• Budget: ~$20 million

• Worldwide Gross: ~$18 million

• Outcome: Box office disappointment

🧨 Highlights

• A deadly brothel run by Sofía Vergara

• Lady Gaga playing a shape-shifting assassin

• A lightsaber-style duel with Mel Gibson

• Charlie Sheen as the U.S. President

• Teased sequel: Machete Kills Again… In Space

✅ Final Verdict

Machete Kills is loud, dumb, and ridiculous—and that’s exactly what it wants to be. For fans of grindhouse cinema, it's a guilty pleasure packed with explosive action, absurd characters, and shameless spectacle. But if you're looking for substance or coherence, steer clear.