From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

"Where are you taking us?"
"Mexico."
"What's in Mexico?"
"Mexicans."


What a crazy film we have here! Directed by hit or miss film maker Robert Rodriguez (you know, the guy that brought us the atrocious Spy Kids films!?) and written by (and starring) the great Quentin Tarantino From Dusk Till Dawn is an unique blend of one half action and one half horror.

The story starts out with two men introduced to us as the Gecko brothers Seth and Richie (Tarantino and George Clooney). Seth is a nerdy rapist whose erratic behaviour has left a trail of blood closely behind the pair. Richie is the cooler of the two constantly having to watch out for his brother's behaviour making sure he doesn't get them caught. On this occasion they have just robbed a bank and are on the run from police, heading for the safety of the Mexican border, destination The Titty Twister, a strip club open from dusk till dawn. After holding up a store, killing two men in the process, they stop at a motel and, in order to raise their chances of crossing the border successfully, kidnap a father (Harvey Keitel) and his son and daughter (Juliette Lewis) who were holidaying in their motor home.

Upon arriving at and entering The Titty Twister things quickly take a turn for the absurd as it becomes apparent that the club is populated by vampires. A camp, B-movie-esque, over the top splatter fest then ensues and the brothers and the kidnapped family attempt to exit the club without being bitten by the blood thirsty vampires. Quite a change in genre don't you think?

I guess the main question that can be asked of such a drastic change in genre is 'Does it work?' to which I would answer a firm 'Yes!' From Dusk Till Dawn was never advertised as a pure action film with a hidden twist. It was advertise as the crazy picture that it is so I suppose that most viewers are aware of the vampires prior to watching it. Those that are not aware of the twist and are expecting a pure Tarantino-esque film will be surprised and most likely disappointed and perhaps even angered at such a twist but personally I think there is more than room in the film industry for such a unique film like From Dusk Till Dawn. Many people do level this criticism at the film but personally I feel we have plenty of films that go along in their entirety like From Dusk Till Dawn's first half and not enough genre breaking films such as this when viewed as a whole and for this bravery I really do applaud it.


On a performance level I think Tarantino and especially Clooney both put in great performances. Tarantino was perfect for his nerdy role, his voice and his manner fitting the bill perfectly. As for Clooney's character we both sympathise with him for both the situation the pair find themselves in and for his own personal situation of having to deal with his brother but we gasp at his lethal ruthlessness, yet he still seems a totally likeable and believable character. Tarantino and Clooney bounce off each other very well, displaying some great chemistry together. In fact one of the more negative aspects of the film would be that these performances are clouded over somewhat once the vampire nonsense kicks in but this is not too much of a loss as the introduction of vampires makes for real enjoyment at the performances of actors expense. Furthermore, Keitel's character as the priest does seem somewhat underdeveloped.

Finally, the script displays some excellent witty and highly quotable dark humour that had me laughing out loud on several occasions. Many people will dislike this film but those people are viewing it in the completely wrong fashion. If you are expecting something serious or something displaying great technical prowess then From Dusk Till Dawn really is not for you but if you do not mind extremely violent content and want a good laugh and to enjoy a really fun, easy to watch, well made picture with aspects of many genres then you, like me, will thoroughly enjoy it. Rodriguez' best effort to date.

Rating: 8/10 - Recommended