Passes the Bechdel test
Machete
2010. Directed by Ethan Maniquis and Robert Rodriguez, written by Robert Rodriguez and Álvaro Rodríguez.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
3 / 3
Passes
-
Yes
1. At least two women
12 women characters. 6 of them speak. -
Yes
2. Who talk to each other
In 2 scenes out of 157. -
Yes
3. About something besides a man
In those scenes, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.
Second opinion
Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 3 out of 3.
The film
The highly skilled Federale Machete is hired by some unsavory types to assassinate a senator. But just as he's about to take the shot, he notices someone aiming at him and realizes he's been set up. He barely survives the sniper's bullet, and is soon out for revenge on his former employers, with the reluctant assistance of his brother Cheech Marin, who has become a priest and taken a vow of nonviolence. If you hire him to take out the bad guys, make sure the bad guys aren't you!i
- Released
- 03 Sep 2010
- Genres
- Action, Crime, Thriller
- Rated
- R
- IMDb
- 6.6 / 10
- Metascore
- 60 / 100
- Awards
- 2 wins & 6 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Elektra 102 lines
- Machete 81 lines, man
- Benz 77 lines
- Luz 32 lines, woman
- Mclaughlin 30 lines, man
- Sniper 28 lines, man
- Padre 26 lines, man
- Von 23 lines, man
- Boss 16 lines
- April 14 lines, woman
Full cast, 45 people
- Danny Trejo as Machete
- Michelle Rodriguez as Luz
- Jessica Alba as Sartana Rivera
- Robert De Niro as Senator John McLaughlin
- Steven Seagal as Rogelio Torrez
- Cheech Marin as Padre Cortez
- Lindsay Lohan as April Booth
- Electra Avellan as Nurse Mona
- Elise Avellan as Nurse Lisa
- Tom Savini as Osiris Amanpour
- Don Johnson as Von Jackson
- Billy Blair as Von's Henchman
- Jeff Fahey as Michael Booth
- Shea Whigham as Sniper
- Daryl Sabara as Julio
- Tito Larriva as Culebra Cruzado
- Gilbert Trejo as Jorge
- Felix Sabates as Doc Felix
- Alicia Rachel Marek as June
- Marci Madison as Nurse Fine
- Tina Rodriguez as Tristana
- Stacy Keach as Doc Franklin
- James Parks as Edgar McGraw
- Ara Celi as Reporter
- Mayra Leal as Chica (Naked Girl)
- Tommy Nix as Dishwasher
- Alejandro Antonio as Chief
- Juan Gabriel Pareja as Rico
- Roland Ruiz as Luis
- Nina Leon as Machete's Wife
- Jason Douglas as Patrolman #1
- Mitchell Lance Adams as Patrolman 2
- Vic Trevino as Federale Officer
- Jim Henry as Guard
- Nimród Antal as Booth's Bodyguard #1
- Alcides Dias as Booth's Bodyguard #2
- Brent Smiga as Sniper's Henchman
- Chris Warner as Hospital Security Guard
- Greg Ingram as Cristos
- Cheryl Chin as Torrez's Henchwoman
- Hugo Perez as Van Driver
- Doran Ingram as Billy's Henchman
- Dimitrius Pulido as Bodyguard #3
- Scottie Jefferies as Bodyguard #4
- Edgar Arreola as Dishwasher
Who talks, scene by scene
Lines of dialogue in every 4 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 40% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.
Women
Men
Scene 1 Scene 157
Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.
Show the numbers
| Scenes | Women's lines | Men's lines |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 to 8 | 2 | 4 |
| 9 to 12 | 9 | 7 |
| 13 to 16 | 0 | 8 |
| 17 to 20 | 10 | 10 |
| 21 to 24 | 0 | 6 |
| 25 to 28 | 2 | 12 |
| 29 to 32 | 3 | 2 |
| 33 to 36 | 0 | 3 |
| 37 to 40 | 0 | 2 |
| 41 to 44 | 0 | 24 |
| 45 to 48 | 2 | 2 |
| 49 to 52 | 0 | 15 |
| 53 to 56 | 0 | 0 |
| 57 to 60 | 0 | 5 |
| 61 to 64 | 2 | 2 |
| 65 to 68 | 8 | 5 |
| 69 to 72 | 14 | 4 |
| 73 to 76 | 0 | 2 |
| 77 to 80 | 0 | 0 |
| 81 to 84 | 0 | 0 |
| 85 to 88 | 0 | 0 |
| 89 to 92 | 3 | 20 |
| 93 to 96 | 0 | 24 |
| 97 to 100 | 6 | 1 |
| 101 to 104 | 0 | 18 |
| 105 to 108 | 5 | 9 |
| 109 to 112 | 0 | 7 |
| 113 to 116 | 2 | 6 |
| 117 to 120 | 2 | 8 |
| 121 to 124 | 0 | 5 |
| 125 to 128 | 0 | 8 |
| 129 to 132 | 2 | 8 |
| 133 to 136 | 0 | 9 |
| 137 to 140 | 1 | 7 |
| 141 to 144 | 0 | 2 |
| 145 to 148 | 0 | 6 |
| 149 to 152 | 0 | 5 |
| 153 to 156 | 0 | 14 |
| 157 to 157 | 1 | 3 |
The evidence
- Straight from the script
- Counted from the script and the credits
Tap an exhibit to open it.
Exhibit A: the passing scenes
The scene our parser counted as passing, word for word.
APRIL: That either. I have priorities. JUNE: Good for you.
APRIL: Mom? Where are we? I'm scared. JUNE: Me, too, honey. RNewman / Endeavor Draft 58. APRIL: What is this place?
Exhibit B: every 100 lines
Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 21 are women's.
74 lines from women, 276 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who's in it
12 women and 26 men in the cast. 6 women and 12 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit D: who gets heard
The first woman speaks at line 8 of 582.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 59 lines.
Every line of dialogue, first to last
- First line by a woman
- Longest stretch with no woman speaking
Words spoken
Women speak 21% of the words (623), men 79% (2,317).
Exhibit E: the test the other way
Two named men talk to each other about something besides a woman. It passes the reverse test.
Conversations between two named characters
Two women
5
Two men
12
Exhibit F: behind the camera
3 of the 15 people in these jobs are women.
Across the whole crew, 18% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- Robert Rodriguez (man), Ethan Maniquis (man)
- Written by
- Robert Rodriguez (man), Álvaro Rodríguez (man)
- Produced by
- Rick Schwartz (man), Robert Rodriguez (man), Elizabeth Avellan (woman)
- Shot by
- Jimmy Lindsey (man)
- Edited by
- Robert Rodriguez (man), Rebecca Rodriguez (woman)
- Music by
- Chingon (gender not listed)
- Production design by
- Christopher Stull (gender not listed)
- Costumes by
- Nina Proctor (gender not listed)
- Cast by
- J.C. Cantu (man), Mary Vernieu (woman)
The crew, department by department
-
Camera
0 women, 3 men, 8 not listed
-
Other crew
1 women, 7 men, 1 not listed
-
Lighting
0 women, 1 men, 8 not listed
-
Production
2 women, 5 men, 2 not listed
-
Art
0 women, 1 men, 6 not listed
-
Costume & Make-Up
1 women, 0 men, 2 not listed
-
Directing
0 women, 3 men
-
Editing
1 women, 1 men
- Women
- Men
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit G: how old the stars were
Women: 27 on average. Men: 64 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Lindsay Lohan 24, Electra Avellan 24, Elise Avellan 24, Jessica Alba 29, Michelle Rodriguez 32
Men
Steven Seagal 58, Tom Savini 63, Cheech Marin 64, Danny Trejo 66, Robert De Niro 67
Exhibit H: the money
It made 4.3 times what it cost.
- Budget
- $10.5 million
- Box office
- $45.5 million
From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 157 scenes and 582 lines of dialogue. The bechdeltest.com rating comes from that site’s readers. How the test works
