A violent new film from cult director Robert Rodriguez is declaring war on Arizona with a “special Cinco De Mayo message” in the wake of the state’s controversial illegal immigration law, FOXNews.com reported Thursday.
That message is: “They just f—ed with the wrong Mexican.”
“Machete,” which features a knife-wielding Mexican assassin out for revenge against double-crossing gringos, won’t be in theaters until September, but it is already sparking a political melee over Wednesday’s stab at the Grand Canyon State.
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In the trailer for the film, the title character is hired to assassinate an anti-immigration U.S. senator played by Robert De Niro. Protesters are seen waving nationalist signs as the senator speaks to a charged-up rally: “We are at war,” he booms. “Every time an illegal dances across our border, it is an act of aggression against this sovereign state — an overt act of terrorism.”
But before the trailer even begins, the battle-scarred title character stares out from the screen as he tells viewers that what’s about to unfold — an immigration-laced slasher grindhouse flick — is about the current border battle in Arizona.
The trailer was released Wednesday, just 24 hours after an envelope filled with a still-undetermined white powder was sent to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, temporarily closing the State Capitol in Phoenix. The powder spilled out when a staffer opened it Tuesday morning, sending Hazmat teams scrambling through the governor’s offices. No one was sickened, but state police and the FBI are investigating the incident.
It was just the latest development in a debate that is growing more rancorous by the minute.
Some outspoken critics of illegal immigration took umbrage at the movie trailer and its swipe at Arizona, which is the entry point for one-third of all illegal immigrants in the U.S.
In “Machete,” the protagonist, played by Danny Trejo, is a former Mexican Federale now looking for work as a day laborer in Texas. He charges $70 a day for yard work, but an oily businessman makes him an offer he can’t refuse: $150,000 to take out a senator bent on deporting illegal immigrants.
The film, which is set to be released Sept. 3, is produced by 20th Century Fox, a production company owned by News Corp., which also owns Fox News and NewsCore.
Through a representative, 20th Century Fox said that Rodriguez speaks for himself on political issues. The studio approved the release of the movie trailer on Cinco De Mayo, but it said it has no political stake in the immigration debate.
Representatives for Rodriguez did not return requests for comment. But the head of the production studio handling the international release of the film said “Machete” is a classic grindhouse picture typical of the man who made “Desperado” and “Sin City.”