Boys With Toys

Rating: Null/10 (21 April 2000)

* * * (3 out of 5)
Cartoonish horror spoof and B-movie salute, mostly memorable for late and sudden change into corny (and silly) gore. Produced and co-written by Quentin Tarantino but directed by friend and colleague Robert Rodriguez, From Dusk till Dawn is self-aware 90s genre crunching as seen through the very eyes of Tarantino (who also has a supporting role). Strictly to be regarded as such too.
A stylistic homage with many honorable mentions and artistic nods - most notably to George Romero (originator of the zombie movies), John Woo (elaborate scenes of violence), John Carpenter (the godfather of modern day B-movies) and even Tarantino himself (look for the Kahuna Burgers from Pulp Fiction at the motel) - that comes across more like a boys-with-toys extravaganza than as any typical hip noir Tarantino effort.
Both trademark directorial styles are present: the first half plays (somewhat) like a regular self-indulgent Tarantino gangster movie (as in Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown and Reservoir Dogs), while the last half is El Mariachi or Desperado by way of tongue-in-cheek Evil Dead. Packed with famous faces - Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Tom Savini, Salma Hayek, George Clooney and Cheech Marin - some of which seem oddly out of place (Keitel), while others are clearly having the time of their life (Cheech Marin of the Cheech & Chong movies).
The opening sequence is charmingly atmospheric - a superb Michael Parks as Texas Ranger Earl McGraw buying Jack Daniels at Benny`s World of Liquor - yet promises more than the movie ever delivers. It wrongly oozes the familiar Tarantino vibe only to abruptly abandon it and literally splatter all over the place.
George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino portray the outlaw brothers and men-in-black hoodlums Seth and Richard Gecko. Packing impressive silver hardware that goes boom, dressed in immaculate "Reservoir Dog"-ish suits and riding a dusty and overly thick-wheeled Cougar, the horrors of their crimes (blatant murder, rape and kidnapping to name a few) are never completely believable. The brothers casually blast their way through Texas and seem more like cartoon super heroes than actual bank robbers with a purpose.
Seth is the smart, cool and decisive one (Clooney), while Richard is the nerdy and geeky brother who continuously makes a point out of killing innocent people. Due to his unstable psyche we learn. Uh huh.
The story here is George Clooney. An actor of intelligent charisma despite a flood of raw sexual appeal. He is suave, calm and given some ridiculously cool dialogue ("Okay, I want him out of here, in his car, and down the road or you can change the name of this place to Benny's World of Blood."). Clooney went on to other and better roles (forget Batman & Robin) after the success of From Dusk Till Dawn, but it was this performance that completed his transition from the shadows of TV (the series ER) to big screen fame and credibility.
We are also treated to another memorable performance by Tarantino (he also starred in Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs). Memorable for all the wrong reasons. His acting - or lack of it - is nearly a disaster. Pretentious and downright embarrassing in parts, it can only be deemed completely amateurish. In sharp contrast to his directorial skills it heavily taints the flow of the movie.
However; From Dusk Till Dawn contains a couple of scenes that keep your eyes peeled (the before mentioned opening sequence and a seductive dance by Salma Hayek are two major standouts) - not forgetting the meticulous Oliver Stone-Light direction and editing of the end sequence where everything and everybody is either exploding, burning or bleeding. Tarantino and Rodriguez actually keep things entertaining and enough sparks flying around throughout.
Watch for the snappy dialogue (Seth: "Now, is my s**t together, or is my s**t together?" Richard: "Your s**t is forever together!"), the stylish camera angles (as in filming through the bullet wound in Tarantino's hand) and the awesome Mexican inspired biker-bar soundtrack (ZZ Top, Robert Rodriguez himself and more) and you just might - just might - witness the scale on your "Cool-O-Meter" go up.