Steve Sailernoted in 2002 that Hispanics, despite growing to a larger proportion of the population than blacks, had virtually no pop culture impact in films because
“…in our imaginations, America remains a white and black country. When American moviegoers think about ‘celebrating diversity,’ what they think about are films with black cops and white cops learning to overcome their differences as they pursue the bad guys.”
In an attempt to fill this void comes Robert Rodriguez’sMachete—a filmsubsidized by the state of Texas (Rick Perry, Governor) and distributed by Fox.
Machete spoofsBlaxploitation films from the 1970s, and iswidely described as“Mexploitation”.
WhileShaft andSuperfly are seen as the seminal Blaxploitation movie,Machete takes its cue from the poorer produced and cheesier and more anti-white movies B-Movies such asDolemite (1975)—a pimp repeatedly framed by racist whites whom he ends up killing, after he sleeps with their wives.