The movie reminded me of the Clint Eastwood spafhetti Westerns. It was almost stupid and clumsy but at the same time the syupidity amd clumsiness was a red herring making the underlying messages acceptable.
Instead of watching a documentary depicting the power of druh cartels ansd the abuses of illegal immigration, Machete depicts these themes almost in a comical way. Making it such helps the viewer nevertheless realize the reality of these very serious themes without getting all depressed. You can’t help but laugh at the goofiness of this movie and at the same time you also realize what it is saying about the seriousness and danger of the US-Mexico norder.
The movie makers knew how to make this movie so you would watch it to the end by breaking up the positivley depressing aspects of illegal immigration with near slap stick scenes.
I still don't think it is nearly as well done as the original movie in the El Mariachi trilogy though.