FULLY LOADED.

A deadly biochemical agent is released into the air, turning its victims into zombies; a group of survivors in Texas try to save themselves.

Director Robert Rodriguez’s homage to old 1970s sleaze flicks certainly looks like one (there’s even a reel “missing”!) and goes very nicely together with Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof. This film may lack the Pulp Fiction director’s dialogue, but Rodriguez turns it into a very entertaining (but overlong) zombiefest. The actors are into it, especially Rose McGowan as a one-legged stripper and Josh Brolin as a cool ER doctor.

Love that opening preview for Machete. 

2007-U.S. 105 min. Color. Directing, writing, cinematography and music by Robert Rodriguez. Cast: Rose McGowan (Cherry), Freddy Rodriguez (Wray), Josh Brolin (Block), Marley Shelton, Michael Biehn, Jeff Fahey, Bruce Willis, Fergie, Tom Savini, Quentin Tarantino, Michael Parks. 

Trivia: Co-produced by Tarantino and Rodriguez. Originally released in the U.S. together with Death Proof as part of a 191-min. long double bill titled Grindhouse; expanded stand-alone versions of the films were released overseas. The faux opening previews were directed by Rodriguez, Eli Roth, Rob Zombie and Edgar Wright; three of them later became movies, Machete (2010), Hobo with a Shotgun (2010) and Thanksgiving (2023). Actors who appear in the previews: Danny Trejo, Nicolas Cage, Udo Kier, Jason Isaacs, Matthew Macfadyen, Rafe Spall, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Will Arnett.