From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

This movie is directed by Robert Rodriquez and has a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino who also has a role in the film. This is actually one of the first movies by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino that I watched and from then on I pretty much became a fan of them both. So, when it came out on Blu-ray a while ago I had to get it for the collection of course. When I and my dear wife first watched this movie we did not really know what it was all about. We thought it was just another robbery/criminal story and the first half of the movie it is indeed “just” a robbery/criminal story. It is a fairly violent one at that which should be no surprise given who it is that have their fingers in the movie. Then half way into the movie everything goes wild when the vampires enter the scene. I remember going “what the f…” when I first saw it since I wasn’t really expecting it to be a vampire movie at all. The movie is quite a rollercoaster ride which bears all the trademarks, in particular lots of bizarre violence, of the Rodriguez/Tarantino couple. Needless to say this is one of my favourite cult/bizarre movies.

Outrageous! It was probably the most fun I had at the cinema back in 1996. I absolutely love "From Dusk Till Dawn", very much one of those films that you either buy into or you don't. There's no surprise element with the film, you get everything that director Robert Rodriguez and writer Quentin Tarantino said you would get - a hard buttocked road movie that turns into a raging "B" horror movie gore fest. The plot, for what's it's worth, sees two criminal brothers, Seth (George Clooney) & Richie Gecko (Tarantino) on the lam after Richie breaks Seth out of prison. They are heading for the haven of Mexico with wads of cash garnered from a robbery. After overcoming a couple of fatal (for others) hiccups, the brothers, in need of a vehicle, kidnap faithless minister Jacob (Harvey Keitel), his daughter Kate (Juliette Lewis) and adopted son Scott (Ernest Liu). From here they must make it to a rendezvous point in Mexico - a bar called "The Titty Twister", where they will exchange cash with a friend of Seth's and start their new lives as Mexican civilians. Trouble is, is that "The Titty Twister" isn't no ordinary bar, it's a vampire stronghold and the Geko's - and their newly acquired captives, are on the menu. Can they make it till dawn and let the daylight be their saviour?. Swearing, blood, limbs severed, nudity, violence, sexual references, guns, more violence, more blood, other weapons, lots of teeth, bats, a snake, more violence. On it goes really, yet as Rodriguez and Tarantino start thrusting a blunt blade into your stomach, you really should be feeling them also caressing the funny bones in both your arms. For it's a key point that "From Dusk Till Dawn" is a damn funny film as well, something that bizarrely many critics have failed to understand. Honestly you can go to various sites and read people saying the characters are shallow, or the plot is preposterous!! Dear me, it staggers the mind. Hey don't like the film by all means, but failure to understand its genre leanings and homage persuasion is as funny as Cheech Marin is in the movie (one of many awesome "B" cult movie actors in the pic). It's bonkers and silly as hell, but once a fan of "From Dusk Till Dawn", you are a fan for life. Well as long as you don't venture out to "The Titty Twister" yourself of course.. Welcome To Slavery. 9/10

So "Seth" (George Clooney) and his nasty brother "Richard" (Quentin Tarantino) leave a trail of death and mayhem as they head to the safety of Mexico after robbing a bank then trashing a convenience store and a motel! Close to the border, they abduct a pastor "Jacob" (Harvey Keitel) and his family and use them to slip un-noticed across the border before heading to a lively brothel "Titty Twister". Once there, and suitably tanked up with booze, they discover that there is something distinctly fishy (and it's not just with the stockings) as darkness descends and the clientele, well let's just say they get hungry... What now ensues is a bloodbath worth of any Hammer film - and frankly, it's of about the same standard. Tarantino may well be formidable behind the camera, but in from of it he is hopeless. Clooney fares a little better but it's really only Keitel who manages to keep this increasingly farcical film moving along for what seems like an age. I found what passed for humour to be pretty vulgar and tawdry and to be honest, I was rather bored with the relentlessness and repetition of the whole thing one we had got past the obligatory violent stages of the plot development. Was it supposed to be a comedy? You tell me - but either way, I won't bother watching it again.

**_Intelligent writing, cool style, kinetic thrills, cartoony horror, good cast and Salma Hayek_** Two violent thugs in Texas (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) take hostage a disillusioned ex-minister (Harvey Keitel) and his son & daughter (Ernest Liu & Juliette Lewis). They escape into Mexico where they stop at a desert strip joint in order to rendezvous with their contact in the morning (Cheech Marin). Horror ensues. "From Dusk Till Dawn" (1996) is a crime thriller/horror directed by Robert Rodriguez from Tarantino's script. Mixing "Pulp Fiction" (1994) with the basic plot of "Vamp" (1986) and bits of "The Lost Boys" (1987) and "The Evil Dead" (1981), it pulsates with hip energy and flair. Clooney shines in his first feature film as the antagonist-turned-protagonist. Salma Hayek's dance routine is jaw-dropping and iconic. The movie blends weighty spirituality with extreme irreverence, violence, gore and comic booky evil for a entertaining flick, if you can stomach the nasty elements. It's not scary at all; but it's fun and thrilling in an increasingly farcical context, with thoughtful dialog and black humor. The film runs 1 hour, 48 minutes, and was shot in Barstow, Lancaster, Calico Dry Lake and Los Angeles, California; as well as Chihuahua, Mexico. The cast also includes: Tom Savini, Fred Williamson, Danny Trejo, Michael Parks, John Saxon and Kelly Preston. GRADE: B