From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Director:

Robert Rodriguez

Writers:

Robert Kurtzman (story)
Quentin Tarantino (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 January 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A terrifying evil has been unleashed. And five strangers are our only hope to stop it.

Plot:

Two criminals and their hostages unknowingly seek temporary refuge in an establishment populated by vampires, with chaotic results.

Plot Keywords:

Stockholm Syndrome | U.S. Mexico Border | Extreme Gore | Heart Ripped Out | Female Vampire

Awards:

4 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Harvey Keitel	...	Jacob Fuller
George Clooney	...	Seth Gecko
Quentin Tarantino	...	Richard Gecko
Juliette Lewis	...	Kate Fuller
Ernest Liu	...	Scott Fuller
Salma Hayek	...	Santanico Pandemonium
Cheech Marin	...	Border Guard / Chet Pussy / Carlos
Danny Trejo	...	Razor Charlie
Tom Savini	...	Sex Machine
Fred Williamson	...	Frost
Michael Parks	...	Texas Ranger Earl McGraw
Brenda Hillhouse	...	Hostage Gloria Hill
John Saxon	...	FBI Agent Stanley Chase
Marc Lawrence	...	Old Timer Motel Owner
Kelly Preston	...	Newscaster Kelly Houge

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and gore, language and nudity.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Ireland:18 | Philippines:R-18 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Belgium:KNT | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:R | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 (re-rating) | France:-16 (original rating) | Germany:16 (cut) | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 (re-rating) (2004) | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) (1998) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Poland:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #34314)

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

A Band Apart

Trivia:

This is one of several movies directed by Robert Rodriguez that feature tattooed tough guy Danny Trejo. He was also in Desperado (1995) and Spy Kids (2001). In all three movies, his character had a "knife" name: Navajas in "Desperado" (navajas is Spanish for "folding knives", which his character used as throwing weapons), Razor Charlie in this film and Isador "Machete" Cortez in "Spy Kids". Rodriguez has announced that he's planning to make a full-length direct-to-DVD movie with Trejo called "Machete", expanding the fake trailer he made for Grindhouse (2007).

Goofs:

Continuity: Seth's t-shirt changes color when he falls on the floor after being hit by Satanico Pandemonium.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Pete Bottoms: Hey, Earl
Earl McGraw: Yes, sir.
Pete Bottoms: What do ya know?
Earl McGraw: Well, it's a hot goddam day

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Good, the Bad & the Bloody: Inside KNB EFX (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Willie The Pimp (And His Cadillac Coffin)

Silly fun

'From Dusk Till Dawn' is kind of brilliant, brutal, bloody, Tarantino, horror, silly and funny. It is brilliant, brutal, bloody, horror, silly and funny the way Sam Raimi's 'The Evil Dead'-series is all those things, the twist here is a screenplay written by Quentin Tarantino. This means the first hour is just brutal and bloody, sometimes a little funny, in the 'Pulp Fiction' kind of way.

We see two brothers named Seth (George Clooney) and Richie Gecko (Quentin Tarantino). They are bank robbers, although they do the occasional killing as well. We learn they want to reach the Mexican border. That the entire state of Texas and the FBI are looking for them is a problem so they force the Fuller family to bring them across the border with their motor home. Father Jacob (Harvey Keitel) used to be a minister but gave up faith after his wife died in a car crash. He travels with his adopted son Scott (Ernest Liu) and his daughter Kate (Juliette Lewis).

So we have the first hour, filled with Tarantino-stuff in its dialogue and references, and then the party arrives at a bar called the Titty Twister. Not long after they are inside it is revealed that every crew member from the bar is actually a vampire, feeding themselves on bikers and truckers that visit the place. The Fullers and Geckos survive together with a guy who calls himself Sex Machine (Tom Savini) and a guy named Frost (Fred Williamson). Now they are a team and face vampires as their opponents.

You see how this movie is actually two movies. Especially the second part will find a smaller audience and in a way I was a little curious how the first part would have ended if they kept it as serious as it was. Still, because the movie shifts the way it does it becomes quite original. We have a crime movie to start and a horror comedy, really in the Sam Raimi way, to end. If you are able to take it the way it comes, not too serious, there is a good chance you might like it. Even the gore is presented in a silly way, making it less gory.

Clooney's cool performance, the fitting soundtrack, some hilarious moments, Tarantino's fine touches all make this a highly original, quite bloody, vampire adventure. If you are a genre fan don't miss it, if you are not you might give it a try and be pleasantly surprised.