Machete Kills has an interesting history. As part of Grindhouse (a double billing of Planet Terror and Death Proof) several fake trailers were created to promote movies such as Werewolf Women of the SS and Hobo with a Shotgun. The trailers starred Nicolas Cage and Simon Pegg among others, and were directed by Edgar Wright, Eli Roth and Rob Zombie. Buzz for these fake trailers led to three movies, Machete, Hobo with a Shotgun and now Machete Kills.

Following up on the events of the first Machete, Machete (Danny Trejo) winds up in some legal difficulty and is offered full American citizenship and a clean record by President Rathcock (Charlie Sheen). In return, all he has to do is kill a revolutionary armed with a nuclear device in the heart of Mexico. Along the way, he tangles with a shape-shifting assassin, a prostitute vigilante gang and a conspiracy to plunge the world into nuclear chaos.

This film will offend everyone. It takes it so far, it comes out the other side. If you are the easily offended type, either go see something else or start drawing up your protest placard now. It’s a stupid, loud, over the top, blood spatterin’, hard drinkin’, hard fightin’, ugly, ugly movie. It’s incredible fun, with a mind boggling cast. Charlie Sheen as the womanizing, gun toting, weed smoking Rathcock is perfectly cast, and Mel Gibson is amazing as the sci-fi loving Tony Stark-esque mastermind, with Cuba Gooding Jr., Antonio Banderas and Lady Gaga as El/La Chameleon, and Vanessa Hudgens as the hooker with a heart of gold to round out the cast.

The story bounces from a chase movie to a sci-fi to action and back again, gleefully flipping off everything and everyone along the way. There is also some pretty sharp social commentary which works really well within the plot(s), and some great send ups of classic movies.

Enjoyable, but ultimately not as good or memorable as Hobo with a Shotgun.

Donal O’Connor