Robert Rodriguez' Machete could use some serious cuts
. Despite adopting the tone of a lean, mean exploitation flick, the film feels flabby and is burdened with too many characters and a convoluted plotline that reduces the screen-time of its Mexploitation hero. It's particularly frustrating when what works in the movie works so damn well. The action is exciting and the jokes are hilarious. But Rodriguez runs up against the same problem he had with Once Upon a Time in Mexico when he reached for an epic and neglected the power of the angry little bloodbath at his disposal.