Danny Trejo in a mech suit – boom. Do I need to say more? When I was choosing the next film to review, I noticed Trejo in the cast list, and my eyes lit up. I needed to watch this movie. It sounded like a perfect mix of violence, robots and overacting. So, strap yourselves in to see if Cartel 2045 is a double barrel thrill ride or simply a limp pistola.
The year, unsurprisingly, is 2045. Weaponised robot drones have been developed to assist in maintaining law and order. Unfortunately, a vile, bloodthirsty band of criminals have gotten their hands on some of these drones and have repurposed them for their own nefarious ends. Danny Trejo (Machete 2010, From Dusk Till Dawn 1996, Spy Kids 2001) is Angel Maldavo, the leader of this cartel, and devout in his adoration of a death god, he is prepared to do whatever it takes in order to…? Well I’m not really sure. Kill people? Be a robot king? I guess just become a badass mechanical overlord. Fair enough.
Anyway, that’s not important, what we’ve come for, is ridiculously impossible action and cheesy quips. Cartel 2045 is an over-the-top, crazy, kitschy, comic-book action movie. It was written and directed by Chris Le and is his first directorial feature. He is ably assisted by Cinematographer Cammon Randle, musical maestro Ricardo Castelin, and a list of Producers as long as my arm. Ex-Power Ranger Alex Heartman, and Brad Schmidt (The Birth of a Nation 2016, House of Lies 2012) head off the cast list to great effect, and together they bring to the small screen this big and beautifully ambitious project.
The idea of weaponised robots that you can control with your brain is one that has been used as a plot-line many times before, what Cartel 2045 does really well though is to play the movie very much tongue-in-cheek. The film has a really grim feel to it, it’s dirty, dusty and makes you think that literally anything could happen. Importantly it’s funny and it’s entertaining. Trejo’s character really doesn’t give a monkeys about anyone but himself, and he goes full-on crazy badass in his efforts to kill anyone who stands in his way. The last scenes of the movie are well worth the wait and it is pure magic when we finally see Trejo suit up and become a mega Mech Warrior. It just looks so wrong yet so very right to see the grizzled actor with a ‘Jarvis style’ HUD visual effect. It will blow your mind, or rather blow your arms off. -wink wink-
The whole movie is edited with an old celluloid filter which is a nice touch, and although the CGI at times is proper dodgy, it is totally forgivable – let’s say it adds to the movies charm. The camera work is good, the score is adrenaline pumping, and the film feels like a top-quality b-movie. The robot soldiers are hard as nails, but surprisingly worse with a gun than a 70’s Stormtrooper. A fun movie, but if I had to make one real criticism of Cartel 2045, it would be that there isn’t nearly enough Danny Trejo.
Watch Cartel 2045 now via Amazon and decide for yourself.
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