"Los macheteros de Atenco" translated is "the machete wielders of (the city of )Atenco". This film is fashioned after real life incidents surrounding the slaughter of innocents that occurred in a politically unstable region of Mexico (though it can be argued the whole country is). It selects a few fictional characters and fashions a soap opera style story from real life events that were chaos at a grand scale. With the meager budget the film had, the results may have been better titled Los platicadoras de Atenco (the conversationalists of Atenco). The DVD cover art leads one to believe this is an action film, but it's essentially a soap opera style film containing 90 percent talking heads. Some of it interesting, most of it not so much.
The story has rebel minded citizens clashing with the corrupt law enforcement, much of the conversation revolves around the rebel group (the titular macheteros) lamenting their poverty while cursing the corrupt officials and wealthy politicians. One of the only honest cops on the force faces a rough challenge, between having no bullets for his sidearm because "the city budget requires them to be rationed" to his pregnant wife who hounds him about their lack of funds. He also faces pressure from a dirty cop who makes The Bad Leiutenent look like Joe Friday. The corrupt cop employs a low life who moves among the macheteros, hired to break into the home of a political adversary and kill him, leaving no witnesses, the lowlife negotiates with the cop. "What if the children awake, I'll have to handle them, that will cost extra!". No extra, they won't wake he's told. "But if they do, I want more!". Okay, fine, extra if absolutely necessary. Later he murders the man, goes into the sleeping children's bedroom and murders them so as to collect the extra blood money. It's a chilling reminder of the real life evil that exists in the world today.
On a lighter note it's amusing how some of the cast appear to scream their dialog, don't know if this is a technical thing or what, perhaps they wanted to be heard over the city din. Also funny is how characters stroll about town carrying a machete as casually as one carries a cel phone, or stand on a public corner shooting the breeze with friends machete in hand, etc., try picturing that in Springfield, Ohio for instance. Taking the machete to the show, grocery shopping, or while walking the dog! The film is essentially a melodrama, based loosely upon real life tragic events in Mexico.
The story has rebel minded citizens clashing with the corrupt law enforcement, much of the conversation revolves around the rebel group (the titular macheteros) lamenting their poverty while cursing the corrupt officials and wealthy politicians. One of the only honest cops on the force faces a rough challenge, between having no bullets for his sidearm because "the city budget requires them to be rationed" to his pregnant wife who hounds him about their lack of funds. He also faces pressure from a dirty cop who makes The Bad Leiutenent look like Joe Friday. The corrupt cop employs a low life who moves among the macheteros, hired to break into the home of a political adversary and kill him, leaving no witnesses, the lowlife negotiates with the cop. "What if the children awake, I'll have to handle them, that will cost extra!". No extra, they won't wake he's told. "But if they do, I want more!". Okay, fine, extra if absolutely necessary. Later he murders the man, goes into the sleeping children's bedroom and murders them so as to collect the extra blood money. It's a chilling reminder of the real life evil that exists in the world today.
On a lighter note it's amusing how some of the cast appear to scream their dialog, don't know if this is a technical thing or what, perhaps they wanted to be heard over the city din. Also funny is how characters stroll about town carrying a machete as casually as one carries a cel phone, or stand on a public corner shooting the breeze with friends machete in hand, etc., try picturing that in Springfield, Ohio for instance. Taking the machete to the show, grocery shopping, or while walking the dog! The film is essentially a melodrama, based loosely upon real life tragic events in Mexico.