From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
Quentin Tarantino makes a horror film...scary concept, no? Actually, he only wrote and co-starred in this movie. He left the direction and editing up to one Robert Rodriguez, a man with a brilliant eye for fast-cut shots and unconventional direction, which mixes nicely with Tarantino's unconventional script.
Seth (George Clooney) and Richie (Quentin Tarantino) Gecko are two fugitives from the law. They've just knocked over a bank, killing a couple of cops in the process. Now, they're making a run for the Mexican border, with their hostages, an ex-preacher (Harvey Keitel) and his kids (Ernest Liu and Juliette Lewis). When they stop at a dive called the Titty Twister, all hell breaks loose in a very literal sense. Yes, of all the bars this cadre of misfits could've gotten drunk at, they picked the one infested with vampires.
The plot above doesn't quite do justice to the way Tarantino structures his script. The entire first half of the film is a criminals-on-the-loose movie, with nary a reference to horror anywhere along the way. It's well done, and if Tarantino had chosen to just go with this plotline, he would've had a hit on his hands anyway. However, he decides to throw a curveball to everything by introducing the bloodsucking undead, thus significantly changing the dynamic of the whole film (but in a way not...the violence level is only slightly higher for the vampiric portions of the movie).
Kudos must be given to KNB EFX Group for their outstanding makeup work. These vampires are grotesque, demonic badasses who look like they would rip the throat off their own mother if given half a chance. They're pure evil, especially Satanico Pandemonium (Salma Hayek), who in her human form is quite lovely, and as a vampire...she's still quite lovely, despite the makeup.
The cast is excellent, led by such fine actors as Clooney, Keitel, and Lewis. Cheech Marin appears in three seperate roles, and Tom Savini pops up as Sex Machine, a biker well equipped for the task (whatever it is). Tarantino, at least early in the picture, gives a perfect picture of criminal neuroses. The only not-so-great performance was Liu's, but it wasn't bothersome. It just wasn't that good.
Director Rodriguez knows his trade well, and does some interesting things with it. Check the brief flashes of images when Richie is explaining to Seth why he had to kill somebody. However, the real genius is in the action sequences. The battles move fluidly, with not a moment of boredom or awkward editing. Also, there's this great one-take shot of the Geckos walking out of an exploding building as Seth is talking about subtlety to his brother.
The VHS tape I have of From Dusk Till Dawn has some great interviews with the cast and director at the end. The best parts are when Lewis states (with tongue firmly implanted in cheek) how worshipful Clooney is of her talents. The movie itself is much like the Lewis interview: fun, weird, but not to be taken seriously. Rent it or buy it, and have a good time.
