Illegal aliens are heroes in Robert Rodriguez's 'Machete'

A knife-wielding illegal immigrant from Mexico turns into an unlikely hero in "Machete," a provocative action film mixing blood, humor and immigration issues.

The unusual film is the latest offering from director Robert Rodriguez - of "El Mariachi" fame - and opens in Europe on Wednesday and in the United States on Friday.

A hitman with a gift for slashing his enemies every which way, Danny Trejo as Machete takes on corrupt officials on both sides of the border, sharing top billing for the first time along with Robert de Niro, Steven Segal, Don Johnson and Lindsay Lohan.

The star-studded cast turns the daily troubles of the dangerous US-Mexico border into a satire about drug traffickers, sadistic border guards and politicians on the take.

"Recently, immigration has really become a huge issue here in America, and so I wanted to make something that really looked into the corruption that exists in the system beyond what you see on the news," Rodriguez, 42, told reporters in Beverly Hills.

"People always want to debate immigration but they never want to talk about the corruption that exists between the US and Mexico governments when dealing with the issue," the Texan said.

"That's why filmmakers create these kinds of super-heroes, like Rambo or even Machete... to solve the problems that just can't be solved in reality," added the director of the award-winning "El Mariachi" (1992).

Shot in English, Rodriguez's film casts Trejo, Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez as Latin American heroes, even though some of them can barely speak Spanish.

"That's part of today's reality in United States. We're all from this country," said "Avatar" star Michelle Rodriguez, a 32-year-old Texan with roots in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

The action-packed film bears all of Robert Rodriguez's directing trademarks, including gory, blood-soaked fights, sarcastic dialogues and high-speed car chases reminiscent of 1970s Hollywood movies.

Any reflection on actual sociological or political realities on either side of the border clearly takes on an exaggerated tint in Rodriguez's purely entertaining movie.

"The timing for a hero like Machete is perfect, and how the immigration issue that currently plagues our society is the perfect issue to tackle in a gritty film like this," Rodriguez said.

The idea for "Machete" came from a mock trailer included in "Grindhouse" (2007), which Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino co-produced and co-directed.

That movie was a double feature film - "Planet Terror" by Rodriguez, and Tarantino's "Death Proof" - derived from the popular B-theater matinees held across the United States in the 1970s

The two Grindhouse films were seen separately by foreign audiences.

"Robert has been training me for this movie since we did Desperado (in 1995). He's been telling me about the character of Machete since way back then, and everything we've done together has been leading up to this movie," the tough-looking, tattooed Trejo, 66, told reporters.

Accustomed to his supporting roles in movies, Trejo said he found it difficult at first to adapt to the grueling work and responsibility of a lead actor, but later discovered it had its compensations.

"It was tough, but now being the lead meant that I got to kiss Jessica Alba and a lot of other ladies so that was fine with me."

On the controversy Machete could unleash, especially among more conservative viewers, Trejo said: "People are going to be offended equally and be happy equally."

Rodriguez was equally circumspect.

"If anything the film is out of step with usual Hollywood fare where Hispanics are constantly portrayed as villains. But even then, I made this in a way that includes all audiences.

"I didn't design this to turn off audience segments. The movie is extremely fun and for everyone."