Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Cartel 2045'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

What I’ve always loved about motion pictures as a whole, is that they can do so much for us. Movies can be filled to the brim with emotional moments that leave us in tears. They can allow for our spirits to soar by way of inspirational stories and they can drop our jaws on a moment’s notice with stunning visuals and effects, or they can just outright scare the living crap out of us. However, what I’ve always enjoyed most about film, is that it is fully capable of teaching us something important about our world and our humanity. 
 
But while it is amazing that film can accomplish such wonders on a consistent basis, sometimes we simply don’t want any of that. We just want to lose ourselves in a story for a couple of hours and outright be entertained, and maybe devour a bowl of popcorn in the process and let’s be honest, there’s nothing wrong with that because at its core, film is designed to be pure entertainment and recently, I had the opportunity to watch a motion picture that does a fine job of accomplishing just that in Cartel 2045.
 
Now in this motion picture we are transported to the year 2045, wherein robotics have seen some incredible advancements in our society, to the point where they have found their way into the art of warfare and unfortunately for the good people of Juarez, Mexico, the Malvado Cartel sees this kind of weapon as the advantage they need to survive and they snatch up as many robots on the black market as possible to solidify their standing as the most powerful cartel south of the border and it is up to a rag tag band of soldiers to put a stop to this menace before the Malvado Cartel becomes too powerful to control…

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​So, let me just say this now, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie for several reasons. The first one being, it’s genuine. At no point does Cartel 2045 try to be anything more than an action flick where U.S. Soldiers and Robots shoot at one another and that unambiguous approach to the story is really what makes it work. Because you know exactly what you’re getting into and that allows for you to get lost in the story and the action and just have a good time as the bullets fly, but the film does actually have a lot more to offer than just explosions and gunfights, like the fact that it takes the time to pay homage to the Grindhouse films of yesteryear.
 
In fact, in many ways this is a Grindhouse flick through and through since it features so many staples of the genre and it’s so aware of this fact, that Director and Co-Writer Chris Le went so far as to ‘age the negative’ to give it that 1970’s feel and well, that only added to the popcorn experience of this flick. But truly, while it’s watchable and enjoyable in its own right, what gives this motion picture that extra little push is the fact that it features the always amazing Danny Trejo as Angel Malvado, the boss man of the cartel and well, Danny is in his element here. He plays the bad guy with a zest and zeal that only he can bring to life and he’s simply a joy to watch in this film and he steals every single scene he’s in.
 
In the end, it’s really about having fun when it comes to this movie, and I appreciate the fact that this one knows how to entertain through and through and if by chance you’re looking for a way to just switch off the ol’ brain for an hour and change and just enjoy the sights, then this the movie to do it with. Because you can’t go wrong with robots and soldiers spitting bullets at one another, and of course…you can never go wrong with a movie featuring Danny Trejo and if you’re looking to check this one out, the good news is, it’s available via Video on Demand today and it’s one I definitely recommend because it most certainly put a smile on my face. 

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