Tagline: One night is all that stands between them and freedom. But it’s going to be one hell of a night.
Curiosity: Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez made a vampire/gangster mash-up movie.
Plot: After Richie (Tarantino) busts his brother Seth (George Clooney) out of prison, the two hightail it to Mexico. They leave a trail of destruction along the way before picking up some hostages (a religious family played by Harvey Keitel, Ernest Liu, and Kalifornia’s Juliette Lewis). They plan to hide out for a night at a roadside strip bar, but then vampires show up randomly and start causing hijinx.
Thoughts: One of the things that caught me by surprise when revisiting From Dusk till Dawn was how Tarantino and Rodriguez’s careers have progressed. While he would revisit B-movies on Death Proof, Tarantino also elevated his beloved low culture genres to high art status with flicks like Kill Bill and Inglourious Basterds. Aside from forays into children’s entertainment, Rodriguez keeps making genre trash. Hilarious genre trash, mind you, but I have yet to truly love one of his movies like I did Kill Bill.
The same could be said for From Dusk till Dawn. There’s a lot of great talent involved, and Clooney, Keitel, and Lewis all give great performances. But the movie never quite sizzles. In fact, peaks early with its opening scene, in which the brothers hold up a liquor store. It’s intense, but also cheeky in its way. The downside to this is that the film never recaptures that tension, although Keitel does his best to bring the story some gravitas.
Still, it’s a fun goof of a vampire slick. B-movie icons Fred Williamson (Inglorious Bastards) and Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead) show up for a bit and give the film some much needed silliness. The special effects are cool in some scenes, appropriately tacky in others. Dusk isn’t the best movie for any of the creative forces involved, but it’s still a joy to watch them all work together.
Reflection: There’s just something about watching Tom Savini rock a leather jacket that makes sense, man.
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