One Of The Greatest Vampire Films Ever Made. An Excellent,Thrilling,Over The Top Action-Horror-Thriller Cult Classic From Robert Rodriguez And Quentin Tarantino.

Rating: 10/10 (15 December 2014)

From Dusk Till Dawn is one of the greatest vampire films ever made,an excellent and over the top Action-Horror-Thriller that combines terrific direction,a fantastic cast,a great script,a memorable score and soundtrack and outstanding special effects. All of those elements make From Dusk Till Dawn a Cult Classic that is Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino at their best.
From Dusk Till Dawn tells the story of criminals and brothers Seth(George Clooney)and Richie Gecko(Quentin Tarantino)who are on the run from the cops and have to get across the border to Mexico with their hostages Jacob Fuller(Harvey Keitel)and his kids Kate(Juliette Lewis)and Scott(Ernest Liu). When the Geckos and the Fullers arrive in Mexico they go into a bar called the Titty Twister which is filled with bloodsucking Vampires. Now,The Geckos and Fullers have to fight the Vampires and stay alive.
From Dusk Till Dawn is a brilliant and memorable Action-Horror-Thriller that was a collaboration between film directors and best friends Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino(who wrote the screenplay). Together Rodriguez and Tarantino combined their respective talents and crafted one of the best Vampire films of all-time and is a film that spawned a Television show and two Direct-to-DVD sequels and is a Cult Classic from the moment you watch it. From Dusk Till Dawn is a terrific and truly unforgettable genre film that is like a gigantic fireball that hits you in the face right from the start and has an intensity that never stops until the very end. From Dusk Till Dawn is a film that embraces it's B-movie roots giving the audience a bloody,gory and over the top Vampire movie that doesn't take itself too seriously and basically tells the viewers to have a good time giving viewers a Grindhouse movie that throws in everything but the kitchen sink giving us a Horror movie,Action film,Crime Drama and Western all in one with a dark Comedic style. One of the things that I have always enjoyed about FDTD and one of the reasons it stands out from other Vampire flicks is the way the movie is structured. The first half of the film is more like a Crime Drama focusing on the Geckos and the Fullers and the efforts to try to get to Mexico with mostly dialog getting viewers to know the main characters who are interesting and have depth. It's very much like a Quentin Tarantino film. The second half of the film is just pure Action-Horror and is very much like a Robert Rodriguez film because it is filled with Vampires,blood,guts and carnage all around with tons of excitement and chaos. The dialog and character driven style of Tarantino and the wild over the top Action of Rodriguez go together well with nothing feeling uneven or mismatched. And Speaking of dialog,the screenplay by Quentin Tarantino is wonderful with memorable dialog that is well-written and interesting. And while the dialog in FDTD isn't iconic or fresh like Tarantino's other efforts it's still a great screenplay with terrific lines. The Vampires in FDTD are ugly,vicious and brutal and are not the kind of Vampires you want to be friends with because when they attack a human the Vampires tear a person to shreds. These Vampires in FDTD are not the romantic type but are ugly and disgusting creatures who at the drop of a hat(or in this case a drop of human blood)will kill anyone with a heartbeat and suck the blood out you. The blood and gore in FDTD disgusting and comes out like water and truly feels like a Splatter movie. The Action is explosive,fiery and fast and will have viewers on the edge of their seat because the Action comes you never know what's going to happen or when. The Action scenes in FDTD are Robert Rodriguez at the top of his game. The ending of From Dusk Till Dawn is amazing and filled with tons of Action and gore that is filled with tons of chaos and mayhem that perfectly goes with the rest of the film. A terrific and memorable conclusion.
The cast is wonderful. George Clooney is excellent and at his best as Seth Gecko,with Clooney being charismatic and cool. Harvey Kietel is terrific as Jacob Fuller,a preacher. Quentin Tarantino is outrageous and memorable as Richie Gecko,Seth's mentally unstable brother. Juliette Lewis is fantastic as Kate Fuller,Jacob's daughter. Ernest Liu does a good job as Scott,Jacob's son. Salma Hayek is outstanding and sexy as Santacio Pandemonium,an exotic dancer. Cheech Marin is incredible in his trio of roles(Border Guard,Chet Pussy,Carlos). Tom Savini(Sex Machine)and Fred Williamson(Frost)do great jobs as guys that the help the Geckos and Fullers against the Vampires. Danny Trejo(Razor Charlie),Michael Parks(Texas Ranger Earl McGraw),John Hawkes(Pete Bottoms,Liquor Store Clerk),John Saxon(FBI Agent Stanley Chase),Marc Lawrence(Old Timer Motel Owner),Kelly Preston(Newscastor Kelly Houge)and Brenda Hillhouse(Hostage Gloria Hillhouse)give good performances as well.
The direction by Robert Rodriquez is terrific with Rodriguez always moving the camera and giving the movie a stylish look with zooms,close-up as well as high and low angles while doing a great job with the Action scenes. Wonderful job,Rodriguez.
The score by Greame Revell is great,intense and fits with the tone of the movie. Fine score,Revell. There is also a great soundtrack with songs by The Blasters(Dark Night),ZZ Top and Tito And Tarantula. Cool soundtrack.
The Special Make-Up and Practical Effects by the always great K.N.B EFX Group is amazing as always with make-up effects that add to the film. Terrific job once again,K.N.B.
In final word,if you love Robert Rodriguez,Quentin Tarantino,Vampire movies,Horror Films or Action movies,I highly suggest you see From Dusk Till Dawn,one of the greatest Vampire movies ever made and an excellent Action-Horror-Thriller Cult Classic that you can watch again and again. Highly Recommended. 10/10.