Solid Entertainment

Rating: 8/10 (22 August 2004)

My Rating: *** out of ****.
Not every film that has Quentin Tarantino's name on it is a masterpiece but each film he's been somehow involved in is at least of good quality(I'm not counting Natural Born Killers since he disowned the film). From Dusk Till Dawn is not an exception. For this film, Tarantino wrote the script but instead his good friend, Robert Rodriguez is in the directors chair. While this collaboration is not without weaknesses, these two talented filmmakers turn out solid entertainment.
From Dusk Till Dawn is actually not a story of Tarantino's. On the set of Reservoir Dogs, the make up artist for the film, Robert Kurtzman, told Tarantino that he would work for free if he turned a story(about vampires) he wrote into a film. So four years after Reservoir Dogs, From Dusk Till Dawn arrived in theaters.
Even though this is not Tarantino's story he puts his stamp on it (even if that means having a sizeable role in the film). The first half of the film is more dialogue than action. The dialogue that Tarantino penned for this film is not quite up to what he wrote for Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown but there's still some snap to it. The second half although more concentrated on action, still has some good lines ("Psychos do not explode when sun hits them. I don't care how crazy they are.").

The second half of the film is when director Robert Rodriguez gets to shine. Rodriguez has always had a talent for shooting action and that shows here. The over the top action is shot with flair and flawlessly edited (Rodriguez also handled the editing). Rodriguez never allows a dull moment in the entire movie.
If theres a major flaw in the film its that I found the film too gross. I know it is supposed to be that gross by intention but it was just a little too much for me. There's nothing wrong with the make-up work though, which is excellent.
This is not an actors film, but the performances work here. George Clooney is excellent here. He's given the best lines from Tarantino's script and deliver's them flawlessly. Tarantino himself is acceptable in his role. Effective work is provided by the rest of the cast.
From Dusk Till Dawn will probably not appeal to everybody. If you dislike gory films than you should probably avoid From Dusk Till Dawn. I enjoyed it as a bloody, stylish and not too serious piece of entertainment.