Plotwise, it's shoddy, but--

Rating: Null/10 (5 July 1999)

As for as plotline goes for "From Dusk Till Dawn," it's all pretty threadbare and nothing that hasn't been done before...and better. In fact, it can be summed up like this: two renegade brothers, one slicker than snot (George Clooney) and the other a homicidal maniac (Quentin Tarantino) kidnap a former preacher (Harvey Kietel) and his two kids (Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu) in order to take their camper and flee to the Mexican border to escape the law. Stopping at a bar called the Titty Twister, they meet a trucker with an unusual gun (Tom Savini) and a fearless Vietnam vet (Fred Williamson), and together, the seven humans must battle bloodthirsty vampires who are in control of the bar.
Predictable? You bet.
There's not much to the plot. It's so cliched....so overused, that it doesn't really come across as anything exciting. But it is because of this fact that director Quentin Tarrintino is able to reveal his brilliance in filmmaking. His direction is moody and colorful--exactly what a vampire film needs-- with the monsters not even showing up until the second act, in Mexico. Therefore, because everyone knows this is a vampire flick, a lot of anticipation is built up. You want the vampires to show up, but you are also enthralled with the plotline that comes before it, setting all the stages up.
The actors are also strong, as well as the characters that they portray. Not going too much into detail, this is exactly how characters from Pulp Fiction would respond if given the opportunity to fight undead monsters. Enough said. The three who come off the best are George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, and Fred Williamson. Harvey Keitel also brings in his usual charm and Tom Savini of the Night of the Living Dead fame is interesting in a supporting role.
But the best thing about this movie--and what separates it from other, better vampire movies is the vampires themselves. These are some of the most interesting ideas centered around vampires that I have ever seen. Never have they looked so horrifying or so nervewracking. With great gross-out special effects, this might be the first vampire film ever in which a vampire, having been shot with arrows and wounded, transforms into a giant, half slug-half dog and attempts to eat a human whole. It is absolutely amazing to watch, and I'm sure if Bram Stoker was alive, he would have watched it, rubbed his chin, and "Wow. Why didn't I think of that?"
Also amazing is the ideas used to kill the vampires. It's the usual stake-in-the-heart routine, but Tarintino aims for outrageousness and hits the mark right on the head. The ideas they use to kill these guys--and the vampires themselves for that matter-- are so original--so imaginative-- that you no longer care that this movie is cliched....you just want to see what happens next.
This is a perfect film to watch if you just leave your brain at the door and decide to be entertained. It's probably the best vampire film to come out in years, and the most imaginative one to appear since 1979's Nosferatu. Give it a try, and enjoy!
"Everybody be cool. You-- BE COOL!"
****1/2 out of *****