Machete (2010)

The American exploitation action film, Machete (2010), was helmed by directors Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis. In the story, Mexican Federal Machete Cortez and his younger partner embark on a rescue mission for a kidnapped girl in Mexico. Tragically, during the operation, Machete’s partner is killed while the girl stabs him in the leg before meeting her own fate. To make matters worse, Machete’s corrupt Chief betrays him to powerful drug lord Rogelio Torrez, who not only kills Machete’s wife but also implies that his daughter may be next. As a result, three years later we find Machete struggling to get by on yard work in Texas. Local businessman and spin doctor Michael Booth informs him that corrupt Texas State Senator John McLaughlin plans to deport hundreds of illegal immigrants, which would greatly reduce the pool of available laborers.

To prevent this from happening, Booth offers Machete $150,000 to carry out the murder of McLaughlin. After being threatened with his own death by Booth, Machete agrees to the contract. He positions himself on a rooftop during a rally and aims his rifle at McLaughlin, but is interrupted when one of Booth’s henchmen takes aim at him. The henchman shoots Machete in the shoulder and then fires at McLaughlin’s leg. It is eventually revealed that Booth planned the botched assassination as part of a false flag scheme to gain public support for McLaughlin’s strict border policies. By framing an outlawed illegal immigrant like Machete as the shooter, they can deceive the public into believing that someone who opposes illegal immigration tried to kill the senator.