***SPOILERS***

I’ve been waiting for Machete to hit theaters for a long time. When SB1070 had been signed into law, I remember the film trailer being a hit and reaching various communities of practice within days. One of the reasons the trailer became so popular is because there is a social commentary woven into one of the first Latino superhero films. Check out the trailer below:

In a small room filled of mostly men, I was one of maybe three people whose gender expression and identity I read as women. It’s not often we see character actors of Color gain leading roles. We did see Samuel L. Jackson emerge from such a space, but it is a rarity. One of the many reasons I’ve wanted to see Machete was because of lead Danny Trejo. If you don’t know who Danny Trejo is I really don’t know what to tell you about yourself. He’s been in as many films as James Edward Olmos but rarely gets the recognition, which he seems all right with. I’ve noticed that many character actors feel this way and are happy to be able to get work on a regular basis. Trejo does play the same character in many of his roles, but that’s why I love him: he don’t play. He plays himself and I believe he can murder someone with his bare knuckles even if he is tied to a chair.