The Latest from Cactus Tactical: The films of Robert Rodriguez

The films of Robert Rodriguez

Today we will look at the Latin infused action adventure films of Robert Rodriguez. Known for colorful and clever cinematography, all star casts and rambunctious lead characters his films are unique and entertaining. Rodriguez has also been known to team up with Quentin Tarantino, who can be seen making an appearance in the beginning of Desperado. I've always been a big fan of both of these directors and they collaborate nicely on Dusk 'til Dawn but today we're going to focus on Robert's solo projects.

#1 Desperado:

Desperado is the 1995 sequel to the 1992 action film El Mariachi. The film was also directed by Robert Rodriguez and stars Antonio Banderas as the gun for hire known as the "Mariachi", who keeps his firepower hidden in his guitar case. Rodriguez and Banderas would complete the Mariachi trilogy with 2003's Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

As this film opens we are introduced to Steve Buscemi, who's character is listed simply as Buscemi, as he relays a very interesting story about a man in black looking for a man named Bucho. This story openly frightens the men as well as the bartender and his side kick Tavo, attempt to get a description of the man's face. Buscemi claims to not know and remarks that he believes the man is headed that way.

El Mariachi, the man from the story wakes up from a dream about Domino, his love interest in the first film. He hears a knock at the door and lets in the man from the previous scene. It is revealed that Buscemi is helping El find out where Bucho is. He tells El that he can find out where Bucho is at the bar he just visited. Buscemi asks El what he will do when he has his revenge. El simply states that it will be over. El cleans himself up to appear as a mariachi and walks to town. He meets a young boy who carries a guitar and teaches him to loosen his fingers when playing but due to his wounded left hand he is prevented from using his fingers on that hand. Instead, he teaches the boy to pick the strings with his right hand.

Meanwhile, Bucho is starting to be concerned about "the man in black" and that he is coming for him. Bucho orders his men to keep an eye out for any strangers and purchases a bulletproof limo. El heads to the town's bar. The patrons are suspicious of him due to the Buscemi's story even though he appears nothing like he was described except for the black clothing and the infamous guitar case. They hold him at gunpoint as they open his guitar to search for weapons that they were told were in the guitar case, but only see a guitar. They let him go, just as it is revealed to be a cover inside the case to conceal his guns. They are ready to kill him but he ejects two hidden Ruger P90 .45 ACP semi-automatic pistols from his sleeves and engages in a bloody gunfight with the men. Meanwhile, in a hidden room, several other men see the gunfight on a video monitor. El proceeds to kill all the men except the bartender and tries to question him, wanting the bartender to take him to Bucho. The bartender is accidentally shot in forehead by a man from the hidden room. They attempt to shoot each other but run out of bullets and try to use the fallen men's guns but find that they are all empty. Finally the man finds one and tries to shoot El with it, but El snaps his neck before that can happen. There are plenty of gunfight scenes in this film but this one sets the tone for the rest of the film.

El Mariachi then leaves the bar, frustrated and distracted since he couldn't find Bucho. El is unaware that he is being followed by the bartender's friend and associate of Bucho, Tavo, who is carrying two semi-automatic pistols; a .44 caliber Desert Eagle and a Ruger P90. As he walks, he notices a beautiful woman walking towards him. Her shocked expression at the man behind him warns El and he shoves her out of the way in time as he is shot in the arm, but still manages to kill Tavo.

Later, El awakens in a bookstore to see the woman stitching up his arm. She says her name is Carolina. She has taken him to her bookstore, to help him with his bullet wound. After he falls asleep and Carolina returns from some errands and curious about his guitar case, she opens it to see the guitar, but it then opens to show his guns. At this point El grabs her but by now she already knows who he is.

At this point El has to meet with Buscemi who tells him to get out while he still can, because that is what he is doing. El then follows and begins to argue with Buscemi, once again completely unaware he's being followed by another man in black , "Navajas" , who has been stalking El throughout the film. He then tells Buscemi that maybe he should quit after all. Buscemi approves of this, but is then killed by Navajas' throwing knives. El is also hit, but only wounded and takes cover in an alley. The knife scene is another favorite and Danny Trejo plays a great bad guy.

We know cut to Bucho's limo, full of armed men and Bucho's girlfriend, pulls up behind Navajas and attempts to question him on who he is. He kills several of them with his knives, but is then shot dead. El manages to escape without being seen and runs into the little boy from earlier, who wants to show El his real guitar. El follows him, visibly in pain and a bloody smear leaving his trail.

A car drives up and a man inside trades guitars with the boy. The men drive around the corner and spot El. The man in the car attempts to pull a gun, but El is faster and demands the other guitar. They give it to him and drive away. He then breaks it open to reveal packaged cocaine. He questions the little boy and he tells El that everyone in town is involved and most of the businesses are fronts, including Carolina's bookstore. Furious, El heads back to the bookstore.

Meanwhile, Bucho's men return Navajas' dead body to the gated compound. He calls his superiors to ask for a description of the man they sent in to look for El. The description matches Navajas, but Bucho doesn't let on that his men killed the man they sent.

El, returning to the bookstore, yells at Carolina, angered at the fact that she is apparently working for the man who he is trying to kill, and that his friend is dead. She then states that she doesn't work for Bucho, stuff is only dropped off and picked up from her bookstore and she is paid 50,000 dollars a year. El calms down long enough to lay on the counter so she can fix his newest wounds, but she promptly shoves him off behind the counter as Bucho pays a surprise visit. She's questioned if she has seen any strange people, but she states that she hasn't and will call him if she does. El, behind the counter attempts to load his gun silently, but is unable to in time before Bucho leaves. He attempts to leave and follow Bucho, but Carolina manages to temporarily reason with him.

The next day, El awakens while Carolina sings with her eyes closed, to see the silhouettes of armed men through the curtains. This sequence of scenes is filled with fancy footwork and great shooting moments. El proceeds to silently pull out one of his pistols and his sawed-off double barrel shotgun and trips Carolina out of the way as he fires and kills the two men. They attempt to escape through the bookstore, only to see that it's on fire. They make their way to the roof, gunning down several men, only to find their way blocked by men on the ground. Carolina jumps while El fires at the men and then throws his guitar case across to the next building. Men then come behind him and he is forced to jump backwards off the roof while firing at the crooks. While hiding on the roof, El sees Bucho drive up. He proceeds to aim a scoped Wildey Magnum pistol at Bucho's head but hesitates when he sees Bucho's face, and puts the gun away. Carolina asks him why he didn't shoot him. El doesn't answer, and they take refuge in a hotel.

El decides to call the assistance of his friends Campa and Quino. The two show up shortly after and follow him to a deserted part of town, where Bucho's men find them. Campa and Quino reveal that they have special cases, too, Campa's two cases being machine guns, and Quino's case being a rocket launcher. They proceed to kill many of Bucho's men along with Carolina's help. Unfortunately, Quino is killed by a gangster on a roof, and Campa is killed when he runs out of ammo. The little boy is also caught in the crossfire and is badly wounded. El and Carolina kill the last man, Bucho's second in command, by running him over, and rush the boy to the hospital. With the doctors unsure if the boy will live, El angrily heads to Bucho's ranch to settle the conflict.

They arrive and find themselves surrounded, but Bucho calls his men off. It is then revealed in a great plot twist that El and Bucho are brothers; hence why El did not kill Bucho earlier. Bucho, however, angry at Carolina's betrayal, tells El to put his hands up while he kills Carolina and that they will then be even for El killing his men. El, unable to bear another love's death, ejects his pistols from his sleeves as he did earlier in the bar, and shoots Bucho dead.

El and Carolina are later seen at the hospital there they learn the boy has survived and is getting better As we close out the film we see El walking in the desert Carolina drives by him with a jeep and asks him to join her. El throws away his guitar case and he and Carolina drive off, but then stop and go back for the guitar case ("just in case") before typically driving away into the sunset.

Rodriguez puts a special amount of thought and creativity in the weapons he chooses to use in his films. What I love about the weapons he uses in his films is there is always some unique choices. I want to take a look today at the infamous guitar cases and some of their contents.

El Mariachi opens up his guitar case with his Sentinel Arms Stryker 12 inside

Sentinel Arms Stryker 12 - 12 Gauge: In the shootout at the Oro verde bar in Saragosa, El Mariachi pulls out a Sentinel Arms Stryker 12, along with the sawed off 12 gauge, that Buscemi described as "The biggest hand cannon I've ever fucking seen". El Mariachi used it to send several thugs flying unrealistically through the air, although it's worth noting the sequence is a fabricated ruse being told by Buscemi to unnerve his audience, so it's likely exaggerated on purpose.

El Mariachi takes two M26 hand grenades from his guitar case on the rooftop, pulls the pins with his teeth (despite the 5lb pin pull) and then throws them at the two men on the street below. The grenades make a ridiculously large fireball instead of a more realistic explosion.

M26 "Lemon" hand grenade.

Although never seen fired, the Codpiece Revolver is one of the few firearms in the film with dialogue devoted to it. A similar codpiece revolver was later used in Robert Rodriguez's film From Dusk Till Dawn, although it was a slightly more complex piece able to fold away when not in use. Originally a scene was shot where El Mariachi used the codpiece, which was hidden under his pants, to shoot Ponytail thug, before whipping out his Ruger P90s and finishing him.

The two amigos that help El also have guitar case weapon systems. Campa shows up to the firefight with a pair of guitar case machine guns. Robert Rodriguez has commented that the guitar case machine guns were built from MAC-10s.

Campa fires the Guitar Case guns.

Ingram MAC-10 - .45 ACP.

Quino (Albert Michel Jr.) brings a rocket launcher inside of a guitar case to greet Bucho's men.

Quino's guitar case outdoes both Campa's and El Mariachi's.

To check out the "Guitar Army" scenes you can look here:https://youtu.be/srDyToPqozI

And to see the opening scene where we first get experience the guitar case and a great shootout watch here: https://youtu.be/rF-o1asRrxI

I love Rodriguez's films. They are action packed, filled with fun and clever dialogue and the characters are simple but you can become attached to them quickly. I highly recommend watching the movie El Mariachi which actually the first film in the trilogy with Once Upon A Time In Mexico being the third and final chapter in the El Mariachi series. Best way to enjoy this marathon is with a Margarita and some Carne Asada on the grill.

To find out more about the other weapons used in this film go here: http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Desperado

#2 Planet Terror

Planet Terror is the first half of 2007's Grindhouse double bill which includes Death Proof. The horror film was directed by Robert Rodriguez. Planet Terror was released on DVD separately with additional scenes added and featured a mock trailer for a revenge film called Machete, which was subsequently expanded into a full theatrical film released in 2010 and the other film we're looking at today.

Over the opening credits, we watch Cherry Darling work as a go-go dancer at a club. After the end of the song we see her cry as we jump into the movie with an eerie exploitation feel to it. Planet Terror is filled with gritty texture and the feeling of a film from the 70's with a modern twist. Cherry soon after informs her boss Skip that she needs to make a real change in her life and quits her job. While walking home, several military trucks pass her close enough that she throws herself into a bunch of trashcans. She acquires some minor injuries but carries on.

At the military base a couple of miles away from town, scientist Abby is threatening his incompetent employee Romey for having lost three very valuable 'specimens'; the price of failure is Abby's henchmen cutting off Romey's testicles, which Abby keeps in a jar along with a collection of them from other victims. At this point Lt. Muldoon arrives on the scene, wearing a gas mask. He asks Abby where the "shit" is, and Abby says that its all there on the base, prompting a short gunfight. His men are shot to death by Muldoon's troops, and he again asks where the mysterious "shit" is. Muldoon's face starts to boil and Abby says that its all around them. He grabs a pistol and blasts a gas canister open, spreading toxic gas everywhere. Some are exposed instantly to the gas, melting into gooey messes of classic gore. Muldoon and his men, however, walk into the green gas and are rejuvenated while Abby escapes in a vehicle. The toxic, mysterious green mist begins its menacing spread through the air.

Meanwhile, Cherry stops at a rundown barbecue restaurant called 'The Bone Shack'. She goes to the dirty ladies room where she cleans her leg wound and sits down in the restaurant where she is the only customer. In walks Wray, a local mechanic, arrives in his truck. J.T., obsessed with having the best barbecue in Texas and winning a local contest tells Wray that he is celebrating is restaurant's 25th anniversary. Wray sits at Cherry's table and the two converse, revealing Wray and Cherry have a history together, and she's wearing his jacket. Their flame for each is other is clearly still there, and Cherry catches a lift with Wray.

At the home of Dr. William Block and Dr. Dakota Block the two wake up at 8:00 PM for their late shift at the hospital where they both work. Dakota makes breakfast for her husband and son, Tony and slyly texts her lover to pick up Tony, who will be with the babysitter. But we'll visit that plot twist later.

As the Doctors arrive at the local hospital people with strange symptoms also start arriving: the first one, Joe, has a bite supposedly half an hour old with an advanced stage of gangrene and bacterial infection. Dr. Felix notes he has seen similar wounds before in Iraq soldiers, due to mustard gas. Joe's temperature is high, and when Block makes Joe open his mouth he is shocked at the sight of his infected tongue. Block squeezes a boil, making it burst and blood and fluid spurt onto his face. The infection on Joe's arm is spreading, so he calls in Dakota and tells Joe that he's going to amputate his arm. Dakota has her three magic needles and injects Joe with all of them, causing him pass out.

Wray and Cherry are driving when they see creatures of some type dragging a body, but think that it's just a dead deer. (Wray says that its best to run right through a deer if it's in front of you, because trying to swerve might cause you to crash.) He is immediately startled by a "sicko" in the road and swerves, losing control of his truck. The truck rolls over until its upside down, and Cherry gets after him for swerving; he replies that it wasn't just a deer in the road. Sickos suddenly grab Cherry and take her to the woods. Wray grabs a rifle and runs after her. By the time Wray catches up with them, the sickos have ripped off Cherry's right leg and have run off with it. Wray shoots the sickos, but they don't die. He puts Cherry in his truck and speeds off to the hospital.

At the hospital, Cherry is barely awake when admitted. While Dr. Block asks Wray what happened, Sheriff Hague arrives with Deputy Carlos and Deputy Tolo . Hague is startled to see Wray due to an unexplained secret in his past and asks why he's carrying a rifle. Hague arrests him as more infected people show up. Block calls Dakota over and shows her Tammy's corpse (Dakotas lover) which also arrives. Dakota gets upset and cries in a room while Block follows her. He knows that Tammy and Dakota used to have a lesbian relationship, and that they were going to run off that night. Block grabs one of Dakota's needles and stabs her hands with it, causing her hands to become numb. Before he can kill her, Block is called away by another doctor, but he first locks Dakota in the room. The other doctor tells him that all the dead bodies have disappeared from the morgue, with just a trail of blood leading away.

Cut scene to the police station, Wray is permitted to make one phone call where he has a coded conversation with someone on the other end; Wray asks about something called "DC-2", and asks more coded questions. Earl McGraw,a local Texas Ranger, talks with Wray over his troubles, and leaves for home to care for his sick wife. Sheriff Hague keeps asking Wray who he really is when he gets a call from his brother J.T., who complains that there are two people loitering in front of his restaurant who aren't customers. Although as their conversation continues the people begin to come in, but they are sickos, and they presumably attack J.T.

Back with the sheriff, Deputy Tolo arrives angry about some maniac that he arrested that bit off his finger. When the cops go outside to investigate, they see that the sicko has escaped from Tolos' cop car. Carlos finds Tolo's ring on the ground, but no finger. As he gives Tolo his ring back, Carlos is bitten on the arm and attacked by sickos. Before they react, Carlos is gruesomely torn apart and eaten by his attackers. Hague and Tolo shoot the sickos, but more show up. Hague and Tolo fight them off as Wray stays inside the station. Tolo is thrown hard against a car, but lives. More police officers, including an attractive female deputy, show up and blast away the sickos. Wray breaks free from his handcuffs after saving Hague's life, and tells him that he's going to the hospital to get Cherry. Hague and the remaining cops get into the back of Wray's truck and head towards the hospital.

At the home of Earl McGraw, he feeds his virtually catatonic cancer-stricken wife some soup. He looks away for a second, and when he looks back she's turned into a sicko; she attacks him almost instantly.

Back at the hospital Dr. Felix and Dr. Block are unable to comprehend what's happening and decide it's best to get out of there as quickly as possible. As Dr. Block walks down a hallway, he looks into a room where Joe has turned into a sicko and walks towards him with a surgical saw. Joe cuts Block's glasses, but the saw shuts off when he walks too far away from the outlet, pulling out the plug. Instead, Joe bursts a boil on his face and smears his blood all over Blocks' face, infecting him.

Wray enters the hospital and finds total mayhem has taken over; the infected corpses and injured are chasing and attacking both doctors and patients ripping them apart and eating them. With his two butterfly knives, Wray, like a professional fighter, charges into the carnage, brutally stabbing, slashing, slicing and dicing all the sickos in his path. This particular film sequence is pulled off with a grim grace and elegance, pure precision. He eventually makes it to Cherry's room where she's hiding under a sheet playing dead. He tells her to come with him as the hospital is now on fire from the mayhem, but she can't walk. Wray tells her to suck it up, and breaks a leg from a table, shoving it onto Cherry's stump. Cherry awkwardly walks with Wray through the hospital as he continues to slaughter the sickos in his path. They make it to his truck and drive off hoping to make it to J.T.'s place.

As we travel through this storyline we end up at Dakota's house. Dakota arrives abruptly looking exhausted and dishevelled as anyone would if they'd had to jump out a window, and the babysitter twins get angry at her because her friend didn't show up to take her son on time. Dakota has run out of patience and understanding and kicks them out of her house and tells her son that they have to leave, and fast. After a brief scuffle with the twins Dakota drives to Earl McGraw's house, and gives her son a pistol. She tells him that if anyone other than her comes to the car, he must shoot them in the head like in his video games. He asks what if it's dad, and she tells him "especially if it's him." Dakota warns her son to be careful or he'll shoot his own face off. As Dakota walks to the house, she hears a gunshot. Block then shows up, having turned into a sicko and he holds her by the hair, but she rips herself away from him, grabs her dead son, and knocks on the front door. Earl, who is revealed to be Dakota's father, lets her in; it is apparent from an axe that he's holding and from blood splattered all over the inside walls, that he has killed his infected wife.

Wray and Cherry meet up with Sheriff Hague at J.T.'s restaurant with other survivors from the town where the Sheriff makes them deputies, and they make their way up a hill to J.T.'s. After an intially rocky greeting J.T. shows the group some of his escape vehicles. One of which is a chopper motorcycle, while the other is cut and chopped 1950s convertible automobile. Sheriff Hague continues to ask Wray who is really is, but Wray refuses to answer.

We take a brief jaunt into the love story of the movie as Cherry and Wray discuss their previous relationship in J.T.'s bedroom. We learn that Cherry left Wray because he couldn't commit. Wray has Cherry look in the pocket of his coat (that she took when she left). She finds an engagement ring and the two attempt to rekindle love amongst eminent doom.

At this point Rodriguez does an homage to vintage grindhouse. The film stops abruptly and melts on screen. A title card comes up saying that the film is missing a reel, and the theatre apologizes for the inconvenience, a characteristic of that genre. It was used by both Tarantino and Rodriguez in their two films.

When it starts again, some would guess about 20 minutes of the story have passed. J.T.'s diner is engulfed in flames, besieged by dozens of sickos. A wounded Sheriff Hague is brought inside after he was accidentally shot in the neck by Tolo. More survivors have showed up at J.T.'s place. Also, Wray has evidently told Hague who he really is, with both men hinting at some important dialogue that was apparently lost in the missing reel. Hague gives his pistol to Wray, whom he now calls "El Wray". Tolo is against it, but Hague wants Wray to have all the guns. Wray spins his pistols and becomes the leader of the group.The survivors, Wray, J.T., the wounded Hague, and the remaining survivors go outside and see that they're surrounded by the sickos. Cherry drives Wray's truck into the restaurant and Hague gets into the driver's seat. The others pile into the back while Skip gets into J.T.'s roofless convertible along with the babysitter twins and Dakota. Cherry rides the motorcycle, and Earl stays behind to provide cover for their escape. After they break through the sickos, the survivors stop at Dakota's car and pull out a minibike, Tony's Pocket Bike, out of the trunk. Dakota rides on the large motorcycle with Cherry as Wray leads the way on the tiny vehicle. They shoot more sickos on the road while Hague runs them over with the truck.

Near the military base, they are blocked by a wall of sicko zombies on a bridge, which are killed by a bunch of soldiers coming up from behind. They are Muldoon and his men. Muldoon knows who Wray is, and has his men knock him out. When Wray wakes up, he finds himself locked up with the other survivors in the military base. We find out "El Wray" is actually a war veteran. The soldiers take survivors as prisoners. Abby reveals to Wray and the others that he is the scientist and businessman who has sold the virus, DC2, to the soldiers. They are infected, but can use the gas itself to control the symptoms.

Two of the militants (one of them is played by a lecherous Quentin Tarantino) grab Cherry and Dakota. Wray tries to help, but is beaten up. On the elevator ride down, the lecherous soldier stops the elevator and takes off his gas mask. He threatens Cherry with his pistol while his face starts to boil. The other military guy tells him to put his mask back on, and when he does his face becomes normal again. This shows us the effects of the gas when it's "controlled".

Back in the cell, J.T. rambles on about the barbecue sauce recipe to distract the guard's attention. El Wray, J.T. and a sax playing prisoner (playing the movie's theme song) overpower the guards, but J.T. is shot. El Wray and Abby break out and find Lt. Muldoon who explains what it is actually happening. Lt. Muldoon and his soldiers were in Afghanistan; they'd accidentally found and killed Osama Bin Laden. But as this was against America's interest, so instead of medals they got gassed with DC2, a chemical weapon designed to wipe out entire cities. He figured that the best way to find a cure was to gas a whole town then take the survivors to extract a cure from them. While he talks he has not been wearing his gas mask, so he swells and blisters and finally is shot and killed by El Wray.

Meanwhile, the rapist soldier tells Cherry to dance on her wooden leg, and takes off his gas mask. While she dances, Cherry hits him in the head with her wooden leg, splintering it to a sharp point which she then stabs him in the eye with. Dakota, finally getting some feeling back into her hands, shoots a dart-like needle in his other eye. Abby and El Wray arrive and shoot the rapist and his partner. They all go back to fetch the others. Sheriff Hague and J.T. are both near death from their gunshot wounds, so they are left behind, in control of a bomb. El Wray sticks a specially crafted custom-made M4A1 carbine assault rifle/M203 grenade launcher into Cherry's stump. She uses it to open the door to the command centre, shooting a grenade through the rapist, whose condition has worsened severely. She shoots all the men in the command centre with the rifle. Cherry's gun leg is by far one of my favorite of the creative weapons Rodriguez has created for his stylish films.

The survivors force their way through the dying soldiers to a couple of helicopters using Cherry's new leg and their own guns. The fatally wounded J.T. and Sheriff Hague volunteer to stay behind and blow up the stash of DC-2 canisters with a remote control detonate that El Wray gives to J.T. Storming the helicopters, Abby gets killed and Dakota is attacked by Dr. Block in zombie state. Her father, Earl McGraw, suddenly appears and kills him. During the final battle, Cherry launches herself off the ground with her grenade launcher and blows up a bunch of sickos mid-air. When she lands, she spins around and blasts them away. The survivors make it behind the walls and fight the sickos. One of them shoots a rocket at Cherry, but she dodges it and blows him up. All looks well, and Cherry watches the base burn, but doesn't notice a sicko soldier behind her. Wray and the soldier unload into each other, and Cherry runs to the dying Wray.

El Wray tells Cherry to go to the ocean, turn her back to the sea, and fight. Cherry pleads with him, asking him not to forget his promise of "two against the world"; he says that the promise is still good, as he has made her pregnant ("I told you, I never miss"). Wray dies, and Cherry grabs onto a lowered rope from the helicopter as it flies away.

Cut to Mexico a year later. Cherry tells us via voice-over that she's found other survivors, and that they took Wray's advice and settled down near the ocean in a remote part of Mexico. On the beach, Skip is enjoying this new lifestyle with the Crazy Babysitter Twins by his side, with several armed survivors, including Dakota, patrolling the area for sickos. A sicko pops out to attack a small child in the crowd of survivors when Cherry blasts him away with her new chain-machine gun attached to her leg. The final shot shows Cherry and her baby daughter, being happy... two against the world.

So let's take a look at some of the weapons featured in this gory, grainy, retro themed sci-fi film.
First one we're looking at is, of course, the leg gun.

To check out the best of the gun leg scenes ( some of my personal favorites) go here: https://youtu.be/jmMApNy48Sc

Wray gives Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan) a Bushmaster Carbine, fitted with a Cobray 37mm Launcher, as her new leg.

Bushmaster HBAR Carbine - 5.56x45mm NATO.

Cobray CM203 - 37mm flare

Cherry gets fitted with her new high power limb.

Cherry takes aim at the sickos with her weapon of choice.

At the end we see she has a GE M134 seen as Cherry's new prosthetic leg.

General Electric M134 - 7.62x51mm

Cherry takes out her leg when a sicko pops out of a cave in Mexico.

The other guns we want to peek at is El Wray's favorite gun. El Wray uses an AR-15 Carbine with a night vision scope when he and Cherry first run into zombies, and he uses it to kill many zombies.

Colt AR-15A3 Tactical Carbine - 5.56x45mm

El Wray taking on the sickos in the woods.

Speaking of AR's don't forget to check out the accessories that we carry here http://www.cactustactical.com/osc/m4car15-piece-carbine-handguards-p-2434.html
This movie has all sorts of things that make for entertaining cinema. I recommend sitting down to watch the the other half of the Grindhouse collaboration, Death Proof, as well. Both films deliver some great action scenes. Grab some red vines and soda pop and feel vintage.

For more infor on the weapons used in this film go to: http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Planet_Terror

#3 Machete

Machete is a 2010 "Mexploitation" film directed by Robert Rodriguez and stars Danny Trejo as the title character. The film started out as a mock trailer that was shown as part of the Grindhouse experience which included the films Planet Terror and Death Proof. The trailer was also featured on the Planet Terror DVD and a few of these scenes were left intact for the feature film.

Machete opens along a road through Mexican mesa. A car rides down the road, occupied by two Federales-- Machete Cortez and his partner. They are en route to rescue a young woman held captive by a ruthless drug lord named Torrez, who was once Machete's partner in the Federales. Machete's cell phone rings. His direct superior, the Mexican Federal chief, orders that they stop and wait for backup to arrive. They are not to disobey orders and storm the place where the girl is believed to be held, alone. Machete takes the phone and crushes it in his hand.

Machete ignores his superiors and propels his car forward, racing straight toward the house and the men in front of it. They open fire as the car roars toward them, Machete's partner firing back through the windshield. The partner is hit by a hail of gunfire shortly before the car plows through their line. They leap away as the car crashes through the front of the house. Machete apologizes to his partner, who lays dead beside him.

Charging into the house, Machete promptly foils an ambush, slicing off the hand of an assailant pointing a gun at him. Catching the gun, with the severed hand still holding it, Machete wades into battle, slaughtering all of the men in the house with both the gun and his machete. He smashes into the room where the kidnap victim lays naked on the bed. She sits up as he enters, balking at his order to get dressed. He scoops her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and starts carrying her out, the girl seeming to enjoy it.

More of Torrez's men enter the house. Machete puts the girl down and she starts feeling his muscles. Touching his machete, she asks if it's sharp. Told that it is, she pulls it from his belt and stabs Machete through the thigh, incapacitating him. She kicks him in the face and pulls out a small mobile device hidden within her private parts, saying, 'I got him.'

To Machete's horror, the Federal chief walks in, telling him he should have stood down like he was ordered. Machete's superior is working for Torrez. Torrez himself walks in, accompanied by his henchwoman/slave girl, who rewards the naked chica for her work in capturing Machete with a well deserved bullet through her head. Torrez is disappointed that Machete is the only one of the Federales who doesn't take bribe money to look the other way Finally Torrez says he should ask Machete's wife. Machete is horrified as his wife is brought in and slaughtered right in front of him. Torrez then coldly says that Machete's daughter has already suffered the same fate as her mother. Aiming his katana at Machete's neck, Torrez says beheading him would give him an honorable death. But an honorable death is exactly what Torrez doesn't want to offer Machete. He has his men kick Machete down and set the house on fire.

We are introduced to Agent Sartana Rivera. She is doing surveillance and taking photos at a small taco/coffee stand run by a pretty young woman named Luz. Sartana suspects Luz as the Network's kingpin, code-named 'Shé.'As an elderly Texan hires some day laborers, having them load up his pickup truck, Sartana pauses at the sight of a face she finds interesting. She spots a tall, muscular, Mexican man with scars and tattoos. It is Machete. Taking photographs, Sartana speaks into her personal recorder, saying that she knows he is new in the labor site, and requests that Machete's photo be run for possible criminal background. She watches Luz call Machete over. A day laborer knocks on Sartana's window, asking if she needs a gardener. She shows him her badge and he hurries off.

In order to show the horrors of the border we watch what happens next during the nighttime along the US/Mexico border. A van drives a group of immigrants to a spot just shy of the border, ordering them out to go the rest of the way on foot. A young man begs for assistance for his wife, who is both heavily pregnant and ill, but he only gets a gun pointed at his face by the unsympathetic driver. The immigrants all start to rush through the border. A jeep rushes to intercept the immigrants, its driver and passengers whooping and calling 'roundup time.' They coldly slaughter several of the immigrants as the others rush back further into Mexico. Out of the van steps Von Jackson, a wealthy Texan landowner who despises illegal immigrants. The husband of the pregnant woman is wounded, and she cannot run in her current state. The terrified woman watches as Von approaches her. She doesn't speak English and he doesn't speak Spanish-- he by choice. A cameraman in the jeep takes footage as Von tells the woman and her husband that they are trespassing on land belonging to Von's father. Von then pulls his gun and shoots the woman in the stomach, mortally wounding her and her unborn child. The more squeamish of his henchmen cannot stand the sight, but Von is unsympathetic, warning that if the woman delivered her baby on American soil, it would be entitled to American citizenship and all its benefits. He tells his men that many people consider them vigilantes, but he sees it as vigilance. He then asks, 'Who's gonna stop 'em, Senator?'

The man Von addressed as 'Senator' says, 'I am' and guns down the woman's husband with a rifle, coldly saying, 'Welcome to America.' He then makes sure that video footage was captured, for the benefit of his wealthier supporters.

We cut to a television commercial then shows that this Senator is John McLaughlin, who is running for re-election in the Texas state senate. McLaughlin despises illegal immigration and is looking to make sure it is fought fiercely. The commercial ruthlessly compares immigrants to parasites who bleed America dry from the inside out, and shows that McLaughlin supports building an electrified border fence, and harsh, jack-booted border patrollers/enforcers. The propaganda in the commercial goes so far as to show pictures of large numbers of maggots and cockroaches whenever the narrator in the commercial speaks of, 'the invaders.'

An illegal back-alley bareknuckle fight is taking place in what the timeline would seem to be the next day. Bets are being placed as one fighter defeats the other. The victorious fighter points at a passerby he sees, whom he considers a worthy opponent. The fight promoter calls out to the man-- it is Machete. Machete balks at being invited to fight, looking at the taco and coffee in his hands. The promoter baits him by offering him $500 for five minutes in the alley.

Machete walks into the circle and puts down his coffee, but keeps his taco in his hand. He dodges the punches thrown by the fighter, making him look clumsy. Machete is even able to continue eating his taco as he evades all the adversary's attacks, not even bothering to throw any counterpunches. Finally the fighter misses another punch, but hits his hand on a solid metal beam, breaking his hand. Machete wins the fight by default and is paid the money as he recovers his coffee. It displays Machete's ability without making him look like a show off.

Luz looks over Machete's shoulder and sees Sartana approaching. All the day laborers, knowing Sartana well, scatter at her approach. Sartana goes to the stand to buy two bean and cheese tacos and a coffee. Luz is sarcastic and unpleasant in her reception of Sartana; the two women know each other and don't like each other one bit. As they 'civilly' argue over the morality of Sartana enforcing immigration, sending unauthorized laborers back to squalor and poverty in Mexico (Sartana herself is Mexican, so Luz and many of the laborers see her acts as treason toward her own people), Sartana drops a few not-so-subtle hints showing she suspects Luz of aiding illegal immigrants. Luz finally gives Sartana the tacos she requested, more to get rid of her than anything else.

Machete is arriving back at the labor site when the previously seen luxury car pulls up and the driver, whose name is Michael Booth, tells him to get in. Machete starts to tell Booth about the labor services he does and his rates for them, when Booth suddenly asks him if he's killed anyone before. He brings Machete into a well-appointed office and pours him a drink. He slides a folder across the desk to Machete containing a photo of McLaughlin. He quickly describes McLaughlin's hard-nosed policy on illegal immigrants and their labor, before giving Machete his pitch: Booth says that the state runs on the services provided by these immigrants, as their rates are cheap enough to keep the state's expenditures at a minimum, which it desperately needs. So, Booth says, since immigrants are being deported in alarmingly increasing numbers, it's to both his and Machete's benefit if the senator is rubbed out.

Booth produces a briefcase filled with used bills, $150,000 worth of money, which he says he will pay Machete for the job. Machete downs his drink and tells him to get someone else. Booth says that there's no time left to find another person; the job has to happen tomorrow. He admits that he cannot force Machete to do the assassination, but he can make sure Machete suffers an unfortunate accident if he refuses. Once the job is done, he gets the money and can disappear and do a lot of good with the cash. Booth takes Machete to a room filled with a lot of high-tech, sophisticated firepower and hands him a state-of-the-art assault rifle, along with a cell phone in case there are any problems; saying Machete needs to be on the roof at 1 pm sharp, and fire the shot by 1:04 pm. As he leaves, true to his nature, Machete sees a machete on the table and takes it with him as well.

As Machete leaves, Booth gets a call on his cell phone, showing it is from "April." Quickly he drives to a crackhouse and kills everyone there, pulling out a blonde girl-- his daughter, April. He berates her on not coming to him to get her needs met, and she groggily gives a tossed-off, 'sorry, Daddy' as he drives her away. April is the consummate misbehaved daughter of a wealthy and powerful corrupt man.

Machete goes to Luz's taco stand and gives her the money he was paid-- the whole briefcase full, telling her to use it well. Machete knows that Luz is involved in the support Network-- they helped him get across the border once.

Senator McLaughlin is making a public appearance-- this is the site that he is supposed to be killed at. Machete gets on to the proper rooftop at the appointed time. McLaughlin's speech is beautifully-crafted propaganda designed to work his listeners into a frenzy. He compares immigrants to terrorists who take jobs from honest, hard-working American citizens that bust their backsides to feed their families. His propaganda speech does exactly what it's intended to do-- stir the passions of his listeners to tempestuous levels. At this point, Machete is lining his shot up on McLaughlin, centering the scope on his rifle, when he happens to glance a little to one side. Using the scope for a better view, he realizes there is a second sniper concealed on another rooftop. He's shocked to see it's Booth's aide and he is aiming another high-powered rifle right at Machete.

The sniper's bullet wounds Machete in the shoulder. He then quickly turns and shoots Senator McLaughlin in the leg. Booth calls out and points to the rooftop where Machete was perched, and everyone turns and sees Machete on his rooftop, trying to get away. Cameras catch footage of him running away with the rifle in his hands. Quickly Machete sees the whole job was a set-up. He has been framed for the assassination attempt on Senator McLaughlin. Machete must fight and shoot his way past a security guard and a number of Booth's henchman to make good his escape. But as he descends a fire escape and hurries down an alley, he is clubbed from behind and knocked down, and two lawmen are pointing combat shotguns right at him at point-blank range.

Machete is taken into the squad car and driven off. The henchmen reveal that they are also Booth's accomplices, laughing over it because they think Machete doesn't speak English. The driver of the squad car says Machete must believe they are real cops because they frisked him, cuffed him and put him in the car just like real cops do. But suddenly the 'partner' says he didn't frisk Machete.

Machete's machete erupts through the chest of the squad car driver, the blade having been driven clean through the backrest of the seat, and the driver's back. Machete twists the blade to force the driver's hands to turn the steering wheel in such a way that the car crashes. Machete kicks out the rear windshield and gets clear just as the fake squad car explodes, killing both henchmen. You simply do not underestimate Machete.

News stations are reporting on the assassination attempt and that the would-be killer was of Mexican descent. Booth goes to his office and sets up a laptop wireless conference call-- to Torrez. He uses the conference call to show him the news footage of the assassination attempt, saying that McLaughlin's re-election is now a shoe-in-- Torrez is shown to have an interest in the re-election. As he watches the news coverage, Torrez notices that the hired assassin looks familiar. He backtracks and zooms in, recognizing Machete, but saying nothing about it to Booth, who writes Machete off as a day laborer off the streets who won't be missed. But Torrez warns Booth that he had better be able to provide positive proof that the hired assassin is dead.As the conference call comes to an end, Booth gets a call from the sniper saying it's done-- he 'thinks' Machete is dead. Booth sternly orders the sniper to triple-check every hospital and morgue in the city to verify positively that Machete is no longer.

Machete is taken to a hospital that specializes in discreetly treating illegal immigrants. Two nurses rush him to this ER while carefully telling him that nobody knows he's here, and he was brought in as a John Doe. Machete is taken to Doc Felix. As Machete awakens, Doc Felix tells him in Spanish that everyone in the hospital is part of the Network.

The sniper arrives with henchman, carrying flowers. He tells the reception nurse he's there to visit someone who'd been brought to ICU. Suspecting trouble, the reception nurse gives directions, but the sniper quickly figures out she's lying, and the directions she gave lead to a back exit from the hospital. He starts to head in the correct direction, and the reception nurse quietly alerts Doc Felix.

Machete springs into action, collecting a number of surgical instruments used for scraping bones clean. The sniper is on one side of a double doorway, and through its windows he sees a stretcher approaching the doors. Quickly he drops the flowers, revealing a gun hidden among them, and fires several shots. The stretcher pushes through the doors, showing it was propelled by the air tank, which was strapped down to the stretcher, under the sheets, by the nurse's belt.

As the sniper and his henchmen see the ruse, they all turn toward the door but Machete was hiding under the stretcher, hidden by the sheet. Using the surgical instruments, he kills a number of the sniper's henchman, ripping a hole open in one's midsection and grabbing his intestine, using it as a rope to go through the window and rappel down.

Machete is staggering down a street when he is found by Luz, en route back home with her taco-stand truck. She tells him that he's all over the TV and ushers him inside her truck, driving him to her house.TV news updates show that the assassination attempt on Senator McLaughlin has pushed his ratings to a commanding lead in the re-election race. That he was shot by an illegal immigrant is convincing people that harshly strict border security is now necessary.

Machete sees various newspaper clippings on Luz's bedroom wall showing her dressed and armed as a revolutionary soldier-- strongly hinting that she is the legendary 'Shé' who leads the support Network. Luz sadly tells Machete that while she is the Network's leader, the figurehead of 'Shé' is an imaginary avatar she's created to give the people she helps, a sense of hope and purpose. If she really was this figurehead, Luz wouldn't be operating a taco truck. Luz originally just tried to provide food for immigrants and try to discreetly get them jobs, but now Von and his border vigilantes are hunting her and her people like dogs. Machete tells Luz that she is a fighter and can stop the injustice.

Sartana is on Machete's trail, searching for him. Her computer, tapping into identification databases, finally identifies a photo of him and Sartana is astonished as she reads the file on Machete, his background as an ex-Federale, his impressive credentials.

A sniper is arriving with more henchmen at Luz's house. Machete awakens, alone, finding Luz gone. The sniper's henchmen, automatic weapons at the ready, prepare to open fire as one of them knocks on the door. A steel machete bursts through the door, through the henchman's forehead and out the back of his skull. Seeing this, the sniper orders his remaining henchmen to burst in and get him.

Machete ambushes one of the henchmen, gruesomely killing him with a wine corkscrew. Hearing the man's death-scream, the sniper reaches into his car and pulls out a wired C4 brick, hurling it through one of the windows. As Machete kills the remaining henchmen, Sartana drives up to the house, looking to question Luz about Machete. She sees the sniper drive off as Luz's house explodes, hurling one of the dead henchmen away from the blast to land right on the hood of Sartana's car. She screams in horror and jams on full reverse, driving away. Machete is limping away from the house when Sartana finally finds him. Pulling her gun, she orders him into her car and calls him 'Agent,' revealing she also knows who Machete is.

As Sartana drives, she and Machete talk. Sartana reveals she is with ICE, but she doesn't plan to bring Machete in she'd rather have valuable information that she knows Machete has. Sartana is looking to transfer to a different job within her company, tired of working over Luz and the laborers who gather at her taco stand, admitting that the guilt arising from her own Mexican heritage is getting to her. She questions Machete on the assassination attempt and he tells her that he was planning just to shoot McLaughlin in the neck, rendering him mute and stop his propaganda campaign. He then reveals it was all a set-up and another shooter was there. Sartana is taken aback and asks who it was.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Machete grabs the gear shift for Sartana's car and yanks on it, causing Sartana to lose control of her car and forcing her to jam her foot on the brakes before she crashes. Machete disarms her quickly and points the gun at her, telling her to resume driving. Calming down, Sartana reveals she knows what happened to Machete's family, but she begs him to trust her, because she believes the system works here. She continues trying to plead with him, looking to put Machete into witness protection if he just tells her who hired him for the hit on McLaughlin but Machete doesn't answer.

Booth and the sniper are getting a fax that identifies just who the 'nobody' day laborer they hired for the hit, really was, finally understanding that he is serious business. A wireless conference call on Booth's laptop is connecting him to Torrez, who asks if the sniper is the man Booth assigned to kill Machete. He's disappointed at Booth's high tolerance for failure-- but Booth says he is not tolerant, and proves it by garotting the sniper to death right in front of the monitor so Torrez can see. Booth then announces he is calling in Osiris Amanpour, the deadliest, most notorious professional hit-man in Texas, to deal with Machete. But this is not clearly isn't enough to get Booth off the hook-- Torrez warns Booth that he has 24 hours. If that doesn't work Torrez will come up to Texas himself-- and if he has to do it, then after he kills Machete, he will kill Booth as well.

A day laborer named Julio and a friend of his are arriving at Luz's house, horrified to see it in ruins... but Luz comes up behind them, showing she is alive and well, and can't be taken down that easily. She thinks that Von was behind the bombing of her house and tells Julio that Von's gone to war with them. Smiling slyly, Luz tells them she wants to show them something. She does not notice Sartana driving up to the house.Luz takes Julio and his friend to her garage, showing an impressive arsenal of high-tech firepower. Still, she says, it's not enough for 'the revolution.' She's not going to be around forever, and if something happens to her, she says, Julio needs to find Machete and tell the people that they need him.Sartana walks in and confronts Luz, gun drawn. When she asks where Machete is, there is a brief moment of panic, Julio certain that Sartana is looking to deport them all. Sartana assures Julio and Luz that Machete's told her that they were not involved in the McLaughlin shooting. Still, she knows that the garage is a hiding place for something, and she wants to know what.

Warily, Luz shows Sartana everything. The garage has been the headquarters for The Network. The walls are covered with cork boards on which are placed photographs with notes on people she's helped get across, find work, and she makes sure they all do their part in becoming productive workers that help others in turn. She also has a board for people that are missing, presumably to Von and his vigilantes. Another board has photos and clippings of Von and his men. Luz doesn't know who is funding him, but Von's efforts are making a mess of Luz's operations. Sartana reassures Julio that she's not going to blow the whistle on what she's learned. She's going to walk away quietly and pretend she hasn't seen it.

Machete goes to a Catholic church. The Padre there was once a fellow Federale with Machete, who has retired from that business and joined the Priesthood. And yet, he is the one Machete is now turning to for help with Booth and all his henchmen. Padre hesitantly agrees to try to help Machete however he can.

Taking Machete into his office and turning on a TV, Padre shows Machete footage of McLaughlin and Booth giving a press conference shortly after the assassination attempt. Machete points Booth out as the man who hired him and finds out for the first time just who Booth really is-- he's an aide to Senator McLaughlin himself. Booth comes into Padre's church a lot to make confession. Padre gives Machete a 'file' he compiled on Booth: typed transcripts and audio CD recordings of confessionals showing that Booth had confided a great deal of his life's goings-on to Padre. Padre has been keeping this file ever since he found out Booth was running his own drug cartel, a dealing Padre believes that even McLaughlin doesn't know about. The question at this point, which neither Machete nor Padre have any idea on at the moment, is why Booth would hire Machete to kill McLaughlin if the Senator is Booth's own boss. Padre tells Machete that his presence in the church isn't safe-- for Padre himself. He gives Machete a hurried, tossed-off church absolution and ushers him out.

Machete goes to Booth's house. As Machete goes on his way, the guards resume their idle conversation; one is sardonic about how people will let any Mexican person into their home when they're carrying gardening tools, when in fact they could also have a chainsaw or a machete.

The guards whirl around just in time for one of them to get whacked by a thrown tool. Machete knocks both guards out, ties them up and dumps them in some high foliage around the front yard. He then finds his way to the swimming pool, where April is setting up a hidden video camera to shoot more footage of her making out with a man, to post on the internet. And this time, her mother, June, is going to join in for a threesome. April and June note that Machete is not the usual gardener, but deciding that he looks more than ruggedly handsome enough, they invite him into the pool.

Machete gets in the pool, making out with both April and June. He's then seen taking the video camera and depositing April and June, both still naked and now unconscious from the drugged tequila, into the back of the hearse he borrowed from Padre. He goes to Booth's office and steals a number of recordable DVD's which he knows contain a lot of sensitive information, although he finds they are encrypted so he cannot access and view them on Booth's laptop. Finally he puts the video camera, with a sticky note saying, 'watch me,' into the box where Booth kept the DVD's.Machete then takes the still-unconscious April and June to the church. Padre is incensed but is reluctant for Machete to simply dump the two women in the street somewhere.

Booth arrives home, disconcerted at finding the whole house seemingly unoccupied. He goes to his office and sees his DVD box open. He finds the video camera and plays its footage as the note directs him to, shocked and horrified as he sees the footage of April and June making out with Machete. Booth's cell phone rings. Thinking it's Machete, he furiously demands to know where his family is. The call, however, is from Osiris. He's found out about Padre, and his relation to Machete.

We then come back to Von, who is talking to his right-hand man, Billy about the shooter. Von knows he's gone underground. He tells Billy that he way to find him is to find the Network. He then says they need to call their 'special friend' and ask him to send a lot of heavy firepower if he's serious about wanting the border shut down. A monitor near Von lights up to show his 'special friend" is Torrez.

Machete brings all the evidence he has on Booth to Sartana. She plays them on her laptop. One shows video footage of Booth explaining the assassination idea to, of all people, Padre. It would seem a motive for the set-up is finally revealed and if an assassination attempt on the Senator by a Mexican was foiled, and McLaughlin ended up with only a flesh wound in the leg, enough public sympathy would be generated to not only get McLaughlin re-elected, but even become a viable White House candidate. Machete has to find out what is on the encrypted sub-folders on the DVD's are and finally guesses the password to be 'I (heart symbol) April.' Instantly the encrypted files snap open and Sartana is astonished at what they reveal. Everything comes together now: the partnerships between McLaughlin and Booth, Von Jackson... and Torrez. Machete is grim as he finds out that Torrez is the kingpin behind everything. Sartana finds that Torrez is funding McLaughlin's re-election campaign because he actually wants the electrified border fence built. The DVD also shows special 'weak spots' along the fence, spots that would allow Torrez to gain a complete monopoly control over all illegal drugs being run from Mexico into the United States.

Luz is closing and locking up her garage when she is confronted by Von and Billy. Von believes that Luz is behind the shooting of McLaughlin. He's found out she's with the Network and believes she is at the head of practically all of McLaughlin's problems. Luz tells Von that she doesn't work that way, but if Von wants a war, she'll give him one. Von suggests instead an eye for an eye... before pulling his gun and shooting Luz-- right in her eye, leaving her barely alive and clinging to life.

Soon after we see men go after Padre, but he sees them coming first. Knowing the layout of the church grounds far better than the would-be assassins, Padre gains the element of surprise and takes out all of the henchmen, leaving Osiris alone against him or so Padre thinks. Padre nearly gets the drop on Osiris as well, but his leg is suddenly gravely wounded by a firearm blast coming from Booth, who coolly walks in and greets Padre sardonically.

Booth and Osiris crucify Padre, nailing his arms to the cross that is at the church's altar, interrogating him to learn Machete's whereabouts. Padre is aghast at the thought that Booth hates Mexican people that much, but Booth denies it and says it's all about money and profit; a more secure border that only Torrez knows how to circumvent limits drug supply and drives prices up. Booth gives Padre one last chance to tell him where Machete is. But Padre tells him nothing, knowing he is dead either way. Driving more nails in as hard as he and Osiris can, Booth gives Padre his death.

Machete slowly awakens and starts to roll Sartana off of him. She's reluctant, but Machete is not being merely modest this time... he sees silhouettes through the curtained windows. More assassins have found them. Machete and Sartana spring into action, killing all of their would-be slayers. Sartana winning a hilariously choreographed one-on-one battles using a pair of stilleto-heeled shoes as weapons against the masked leader of the assassins. She pulls off his mask, stunned to recognize him as Culebra Cruzado, an elite professional hit man. Sartana and Machete realize that if he was called in, then Booth knows about Sartana and is looking to have her taken out as well. Machete suddenly mumbles, 'my hermano' and rushes off to the church with Sartana.

Staring at Padre's crucified body, Machete takes out the cell phone Booth gave him. He sends Booth a stern warning via text message: 'You just f[CENSORED]ed with the wrong Mexican.' As Machete leaves the church, Sartana glances up and happens to notice a security camera that she realizes caught footage of Padre's murder.

Booth receives Machete's text, knowing that Machete is coming after him now. Torrez appears on Booth's monitor via conference call. Behind Torrez is a view of the Texas capitol building, showing he is in Austin. He's come to kill Machete and he tells Booth that Machete's death is the last thing Booth will see. In desperation, Booth tries to bribe Torrez by telling him about Sartana, saying that she is an ICE agent who now has enough evidence on both Booth and Torrez to bring down the entire operation.

Sartana is on the phone with her boss, Jonas, telling him all about the conspiracy she's uncovered. She listens in complete disbelief as Jonas rails on, only about Machete being Mexican and an illegal alien. Telling Jonas that she's going to do what's right, she hangs up and walks up to a Spanish-language news building, handing over an envelope to one of the news correspondents.

As he is released from the hospital, McLaughlin goes to meet with the press; Booth beside him. Booth has given McLaughlin a cane so he can feign a more serious injury to milk the crowd for sympathy. McLaughlin launches smoothly into his anti-immigrant propaganda, quickly bringing out his heavy-artillery words of 'terrorist' and 'invader.' But the correspondent who met with Sartana is attending the conference, and she quickly lowers the boom on McLaughlin and Booth. The press coverage quickly shows everyone video footage not only of Booth murdering Padre, saying, out loud, that he was martyring McLaughlin to get the border fence built but also of McLaughlin cold-bloodedly killing the young Mexican man and his pregnant wife in the border shooting with Von Jackson.

McLaughlin and Booth race out of the hospital into McLaughlin's limo where they have it out in a heated exchange of words. Booth furiously shouts that he was practically McLaughlin's personal Jesus and virtually owns his soul. McLaughlin angrily pulls a revolver and shoots Booth several times in the chest, before carjacking a taxi to make his escape. Machete arrives then, his trademark machete ready to carry out his own execution but finds himself late to the party; Booth mortally wounded in the rear seat and McLaughlin nowhere in sight. Like a sinner making deathbed repentance, Booth tells Machete everything he needs to know about the partnership with Torrez, using the orchestrating shooting of McLaughlin to ensure that Torrez would gain complete control over the Mexican drug runs into the United States.

Day Laborers are gathered at Luz's taco stand, laying wreaths and memorials. As Machete arrives, Julio quickly finds him, telling him that Von's vigilantes killed Luz and are now after Machete. Speaking like a leader himself now, Julio tells Machete that the people need him to spearhead the war on Von. Despite being adopted, he wants to help. Machete starts to rebuff Julio's offer, when Julio stuns Machete by repeating Machete's own words three years ago to his slain partner: 'if not us, then who?' strongly implying that Julio is the son of the partner killed at Machete's side in the encounter with Torrez three years prior.

Sartana arrives at the taco stand, trying to question the Day Laborers about Machete. But the laborers, none of them trusting Sartana any further than they can throw the taco stand, quickly turn their backs and walk away from her-- until Sartana finally climbs up onto the hood of her car and passionately begs the workers to join forces and fight against the people who are trying to get them expelled from America. Finally renouncing everything she's worked for in front of the laborers and defining the difference between laws, and what is right and wrong, Sartana wins over the laborers and earns their respect. They shout in unison, ready to organize the whole Network into action.

Cell phones spring to life all across the city; Mexican laborers spreading word as the Spanish-language Noticias news station reports on Booth's murder at the hands of McLaughlin after the revelation of Torrez having funded McLaughlin's re-election campaign. At the chop-shop, Julio tells Machete that McLaughlin and Torrez have gone to Von's armory to prepare for battle, and that Sartana is now Torrez's captive. Getting into cars and onto motorcycles, the laborers all follow behind Machete and Julio.

McLaughlin arrives at Von's compound, but finds the welcome nowhere near as warm as he'd hoped. Considering McLaughlin in league with Mexican illegal immigrants and guilty of treason against the state of Texas, Von is preparing to have McLaughlin executed, and the execution broadcast on live TV. As McLaughlin is led away, Billy orders all the other men to their posts to prepare for the assault that they know Machete is going to lead on the compound.

Tied to a chair in a shed, McLaughlin is forced to announce in front of a camera that he has betrayed his oaths of office and deserves to die as a traitor. Meanwhile, the convoy of laborers-turned-revolutionaries arrives at Von's compound. Julio's car is fitted with hood-mounted RPG launchers that blow open the gate and take out a high tower suitable for Von's men to launch artillery fire of their own. The revolutionaries charge into the compound and the battle erupts. Doc Felix's ambulance, and out of the ambulance steps Luz; alive and well; an eyepatch over the eye she was shot in, dressed and armed like Rambo's daughter.

Von and his firing squad must postpone the execution of McLaughlin and rush outside to help battle the revolutionaries. Luz and some revolutionaries find their way into the shed, where Luz tells McLaughlin that if he wants to live, he needs to become Mexican quickly. Happy to fight for whatever side will ensure his own survival, McLaughlin dons denim clothes and a hat similar to the revolutionaries' attire, and is given a pistol.

The battle quickly escalates into a hilarious blend of Rambo meets the A-Team. McLaughlin is suddenly struck by a hearse that pulls into the compound. The fallen senator isn't quite sure he trusts his own senses when he sees a beautiful young Catholic nun walk up to him. He pleads with her to give him last rites, thinking he's dying. But the nun is April, wearing the habit she'd taken from Padre's office and ready to carry out her own form of justice. She shoots Mclaughlin three times in the chest, before picking up an automatic weapon and joining the battle.

Machete has one last battle to fight. Torrez confronts him; his henchwoman/slave girl holding Sartana, who is bound and gagged. Torrez uses his katana to free Sartana, before ordering both women to back up and watch the duel.

Torrez baits Machete as they battle; Torrez's katanas against Machete's machetes. Torrez speaks about their past together as fellow Federales before Torrez went for power instead of honor. They killed a lot of 'bad guys' together, but now Torrez is the bad guy.

Machete makes a lunge for Torrez; who disarms him and throws him to the ground. He prepares to behead Machete, but Machete's blade is close by. He grabs it and drives it clean through Torrez's middle. Acting like the wound is hardly serious and that he could kill Machete now, Torrez instead 'relents,' tossing his katana aside and going to his knees, grabbing the machete and disemboweling himself; committing hara-kiri in front of all the combatants The henchwoman/slave girl, the sole survivor of the altercation who was against the immigrants, walks off alone. Machete, Luz, and Sartana all climb up on car hoods as the victorious revolutionaries raise their weapons and cheer in victory.

The next scene is ironic and impactful. In the middle of the night, at the wreckage of the armory, ex-senator McLaughlin awakens; he had been given a bulletproof vest by Luz, which protected him from April's bullets, though his leg and hip are still hurt from being struck by the hearse. Using the cover of night, he goes to the border, looking to escape into Mexico, where he is found by Billy and the few survivors of Von's army who escaped the compound. Not recognizing McLaughlin due to the darkness and McLaughlin's still wearing the laborer clothing, Billy and his men gun McLaughlin down, leaving him entangled in the barbed-wire fence, Billy repeating McLaughlin's own quote from the border shooting: 'welcome to America.'

In the end we see Machete is driving down the road on a motorcycle when a police car pulls up behind him and blares its siren. Machete stops, and Sartana steps out of the car. She's pulled some strings and gotten Machete legal documentation for permanent resident status in America. But Machete refuses the papers, saying he has no need to become a 'real person' again now that he is already a myth among Mexicans struggling to make a life in America. Saying she'll ride with him wherever he goes, Sartana climbs onto the motorcycle as he drives off.

Machete went on to have a sequel but with most sequels the first is usually the best. So, let's take a look at the firepower in this film. My favorite and the unique weapon in this film is a motorcycle with a GE M134 Minigun. The scene it's featured in can be seen here: https://youtu.be/yF0JCB24Ld8

As in the original Grindhouse trailer, Machete is seen mounting and then using a GE M134 minigun onto his motorcycle. Note that when he is driving the motorcycle the Minigun is mounted upside down and in a different type of mount then when he is firing the gun and attaching it to the bike. Likely the scenes where he is firing and attaching the Minigun are from the original Grindhouse trailer, and the other scenes were filmed later with a different mount for the full movie. Also of note is that there is no ammunition for the Minigun until the motorcycle is "airborne" and then a feed chute suddenly appears. Once the bike lands, the feed chute is gone.

GE M134 Minigun - 7.62x51mm NATO

General Electric M134 with first pattern spade grip mount and crosshair sights.

Machete on his Minigun-equipped motorcycle.

Machete installing the Minigun on the handlebars of his motorcycle

This film is fueled by a lot of action sequences involving gunfights so let's just take a look at a couple types used.

Luz (Michelle Rodriguez) is seen also using a side by side sawed off shotgun similar to the Zebala. She keeps the shotgun in a thigh holster that can swivel so she can fire it without drawing.

This is the screen used Short Barreled shotgun

The thigh holster can swivel so she can fire it without drawing

A dirty cop is using a Winchester Model 1300 to apprehend Machete after the assassination attempt. Restaurant workers are also seen using Winchester Model 1300 shotguns during the final shootout.

Winchester Model 1300 - 12 gauge

Restaurant workers are seen using Winchester Model 1300 shotguns during the final shootout.

Robert Rodriguez does a majority of his own music in his films as well, he is a talented director with an eye for creative ways to deliver excitement, violence and plot twists. Grab some friends, grab some food and enjoy some of these great films this weekend.

To find out more about the weapons used in this film go to: http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Machete

Which one of these films was your favorite???

Labels: antonio banderas, cinema, danny trejo, desperado, el mariachi, films, guitar case guns, guns, latin inspired films, leg gun, machete, motorcycle gun, movies, planet terror, robert rodriguez, rose mcgowen