25/06/2012: From Dusk Till Dawn [1996]

After just finishing a murder mystery crime thriller, I decided that I wanted to finish the night off with some kind of action packed movie. I searched my movie uncertainly until I realized that I needed to watch From Dusk Till Dawn again. I gotta say, it more than satisfied, and on the second watch, I loved it more than the first. While it isn’t no reinvention of cinema, you can easily appreciate it for all that it is. 

First off, I have stupidly neglected to mention the Tarantino Blogathon I am participating in over at The Smoking Pen. As you might recall, I had a Tarantino weekend myself, wow was it really four months back? Anyway, after I posted those reviews, I came across The Smoking Pen, and since it is always great to meet a fellow Tarantino fan, I joined in on her Blogathon. At that point however, I had kinda knocked off the first few months, and so haven’t had to watch anything new for it. Then I realized that this month is From Dusk Till Dawn, which I had yet to review and would need to rewatch. So with no real excuse needed to watch Tarantino, let’s see what I thought the second time. (Blogathon links below.)

I’m pretty sure it is because I have greatly expanded my knowledge of movies, particularly in both the Tarantino and Rodriguez departments, since I first saw FDTD all those years ago, that upon the second time watching it I loved it. I appreciated it so much as a fan of both Tarantino and Rodriguez’s movies, and of such movies in general. That is not to say that it was not great the first time, I remember it was one hell of a party the first time. But the second time, it was one hell of a hooting and hollering shindig. Everything about FDTD is as it should be. The cast, the effects, the story and the shear absurd epicness of it.

Got to give it to him, he just wouldn't give up. Also, I think this clears him of being a vampire.

When I put it on, I remember three things about From Dusk Till Dawn. One, it involved a bar called the Titty Twister filled with vampires. Two, it was directed by Robert Rodriguez, and three Quentin  Tarantino acted in it. While that formula is already pretty much golden, when the opening credits rolled it just kept getting better. Sure most people from Hollywood boulevard might not recognize the cast for an all star cast, but any movie buff should be able to tell you how loaded this cast is with heavy hitters. First, we do have someone for everybody who has ever seen a movie to recognize. George Clooney. I mean this isn’t exactly Clooney’s usual territory, but it might be one of my favourites. Then of course we have Tarantino himself trying his hand at acting. No stranger to small parts in his own movies, he has teamed up with his good friend Rodriquez to have a smashing good time. Together, Tarantino and Clooney play a pair of outlaw brothers on the run to Mexico with a bunch of cash. However, things don’t go exactly as expected at the drop-off point.

Already boasting some great names, FDTD hits me with another. Harvey Keitel. Keitel always gives us the best characters, and changes things up a bit as the good guy, a preacher who has lost his face. Of course, that is before he finds it again and becomes a mean motherfucking son of god. Or something along those lines. Then, just when it can’t get any better, it does. Juliette Lewis is fantastic, along with the Chinese kid who plays her brother, sorry but I didn’t recognize him. It doesn’t stop there though, there is still Salma Hayek, Cheech Marin in three roles, Danny Trejo, Fred Williamson and Tom Savini. That is one hell of a cast.

This guy really knows his spiel.

 Tarantino isn’t the only guy trying out acting from his standard role in From Dusk Till Dawn. Tom Savini, himself is famous as a special effects artist, but he is memorable as hell for his role as Sex Machine. I’m not sure if he is involved as much in the special effects in FDTD as he is the acting, but I’m sure he had a few pointers. One thing about vampire movies is that there is really a couple hundred or so ways to portray them. FDTD opts for a rather wrinkled and batty appearance, (I will refrain from a sparkle joke here) but really, almost everyone of the vampires is pretty original. Particularly in the initial fight, wherein almost every vampire dies in its own unique and spectacular way. While I’m not sure if FDTD falls all the way into the grindhouse, the amount of blood and guts and body parts flying around is pretty large. While the first half of the movie isn’t light on the violence, the second half turns into a real bloodbath, and a particular well done on at that. Anyone who can make a movie with a one hour bar fight against vampires without it getting boring is skilled, as impossible as it might seem to make such a thing boring.

Another thing that puts From Dusk Till Dawn high above many other such bloody action movies is the characters I think. You almost don’t realize the character development until suddenly someone is dead, and you feel sorry, regardless of how rotten that character might have been. FDTD also manages to mix together a rather mixed bunch and make them into a group where you want everyone to survive as they struggle against enemies that, as rotten as some of the group may be, the vampires are easily identifiable as the greater evil. Then to top off the great cast and characters, and the fact that they are fighting vampires in a bar in Mexico, we get a dream arsenal of vampire killing weapons. Forget your fancy ultraviolet bullets and silver ninja stars, in FDTD we get shotguns, crossbows, holy water supersoakers, some kind of wooden stake jackhammer and Sex Machine’s crotch gun. (what would you call it?)

This place must be really jumping with 2012 coming up.

Really, Rodriquez gives us the entertaining and fun vampire battle we have always wanted. No questions about morality, or love, just simply survival and a bloody bar fight you won’t soon forget. Mix in every other great element and From Dusk Till Dawn is one great movie. I think that understanding exactly what it is, and knowing how great every part of this movie is made me really appreciate it the second time. I’m not sure exactly why I want to use the word appreciate, but it is the one I want to use. If you haven’t yet seen From Dusk Till Dawn, well, The Titty Twister is open dusk until dawn.

Make sure to check out the rest of the reviews in the Tarantino Blogathon, which I will hopefully remember to link below. Next month is Jackie Brown, or at least I think it is. I might be one month ahead again. Either way, check out the future and previous post for all things Tarantino and see why he is the best. As for the sequels to From Dusk Till Dawn. Well, I’ve seen maybe half of the second, and saw the thirds name on a list of the worst horror movie sequels, so I’m not really motivated to dig them up. Then again, maybe you’ll see them down the road.

 Link:
From Dusk Till Dawn IMDb