Gruesomely entertaining dark splatterhouse comedy

Rating: 8/10 (11 October 2006)

From Dusk Till Dawn
It is exceedingly difficult to categorize such a film as "From Dusk Till Dawn". Indeed, this may be a founded difficulty, as the film seems almost like two very different films each half completed, then mashed together in the middle. At first, the film seems like a standard Tarantino film, with his standard eclectic sense of dialogue and penchant for heavy violence and frequent profanity, following the story of the Geckos, two fugitive outlaw brothers (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) on the run from the cops, trying to make it over the Mexican border with their family of hostages. (Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu)
However, when they reach the seedy Mexican bar arranged as a safe-house for the Gecko brothers however, the film takes an abrupt face. That's when the Rodriguez influence takes over, and the film suddenly turns into a splatterhouse intentionally bad for the sake of being entertaining monster flick, as it is revealed that the bar's workers are none other than... get ready for this... vampires. If it sounds stupid and incredulous... well, it is, there's no doubt about it, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the most ridiculously enjoyable splatterfest black comedies around.
It's an odd little combination without a doubt, but for whatever reason, the bizarre mash of Tarantino's stylish wordplay and Rodriguez's later gore-fest seems to click, and the film comes together in a surprisingly entertaining fashion. It's nice to recall in this day and age of gravitas in monster movies that it is possible to make a monster flick only for the sake of being macabre and entertaining. The vampire effects are rather terribly done, but this is probably an intentional aspect, as it fits the oddly comedic tone of the picture perfectly. Only in a movie such as this could a director get away with giving a long monologue about Vietnam before being viciously bitten by a vampire, or a guitarist playing an instrument made out of human body parts. Such instances of coal black humour make up the most memorable parts of the film.
Rodriguez also manages to draw impressive performances out of his cast, especially in the case of George Clooney, playing strongly against type in one of his first film roles as Seth Gecko, the tough as nails outlaw who is forced to become a sort of antihero to survive the vampire attack. Harvey Keitel also gives a powerful performance as the father of the kidnapped family, an ex-pastor forced to re-confront matters of faith. Keitel brings a sense of class and dignity to what is without a doubt one of the silliest films he has ever taken part in.
Although Quentin Tarantino has received a lot of flack for writing himself into the script, he actually gives a fine performance as Richard Gecko, Clooney's paranoid and homicidal brother. Tarantino serves as the comic relief for most of the film's first half, especially in his first scene. Juliette Lewis gives a decent performance as Keitel's daughter who is also taken hostage, but Ernest Liu as the final kid in the family gives a rather lacklustre and unbelievable performance, almost (but not quite) ruining the superb scenes when Clooney talks to his hostages while riding their stolen RV. Salma Hayek also makes a sumptuous addition to the film, performing her snake dance, one of the most memorable stripteases in film history... without even removing any clothes!
For those with low thresholds for gore or swearing, or those seeking out a more realistic and enlightening film, it is doubtful From Dusk Till Dawn will prove to your tastes. But for those willing to leave reality at the door and just enjoy a ridiculous yet absurdly entertaining vampire romp complete with intentionally inferior special effects and enough blood and gore to satisfy even the most bloodthirsty viewers, fraught with comedy as black as the night, this is the film for you.
-8/10