So wrong (and yet so right!)

Rating: 9/10 (17 July 2018)

There are some films that, in principal, shouldn't work and yet everything comes together in a 'perfect storm' of memorable film-making. 'From Dusk Till Dawn' is one such example. Okay, so back in 1996 Quentin Tarantino was well within his rise to fame and everything he seemed to touch was well-received, so perhaps it's no surprise at how well this film did. Or rather this FILMS (plural!) did. Basically, it started off as two of his scripts that got fused together to become one, making it - almost literally - a film of two halves.
I would say that there are 'spoilers' ahead, but, if you've watched the trailer, the big 'reveal' was shown for all to see. Basically, you have one half of the film is about bank robbers, the Gecko brothers, played by George Clooney and Tarantino himself. They're on the run and take a family hostage (Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis and a boy you've probably never heard of!) in order to get across the border to Mexico. What you have here is a crime/road movie... until they get across the border and are awaiting in a bar to meet their criminal contacts in their new home country. Here, things get a little crazy and the genre totally changes when they find themselves under siege from a seemingly never-ending army of vampires.
There's much to love about this film, whether you enjoy one excellent performance after the next (who says Tarantino can't act?! Although it is worth noting that he only writes and stars in this - he hands over the directorial work to Robert Rodrigez), the crazy and deliciously over-the-top gory effects of the vampires being despatched in one creative way after the next, or the banter and classic Tarantino dialogue (and for the real fan-boys - such as myself - there are plenty of in-jokes, nods to other works and reoccurring actors playing different characters).
In fact, 'From Dusk Till Dawn' is so enjoyable it's quite hard to find a flaw in it... assuming you like your films cheesy with a healthy dose of self-knowing and black humour. Don't take it seriously. It makes sure it never does. Oh, and probably best to warn people not to bother with the sequels and the belated TV show is just an extended remake. Stick to the original (and best, obviously).