From Gross Till Dawn!

Rating: 7/10 (29 April 2015)

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996): Dir: Robert Rodriguez / Cast: George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Richard Cheech Marin: Horror film with ideas that lurks in the gutter of absolute disgust. That is to say that this film is not for the squeamish. It is clever and energetic with a third act that takes the film in an entirely new direction that plays like the lost reel of another film. Quentin Tarantino breaks George Clooney out of jail and they head for Mexico. Along the way they take a former minister and his two children hostage in their R.V. Once there they stop at a bar that is apparently crawling with vampires. This is where the tone changes and director Robert Rodriguez brings energy and depravity to something that starts out like his Desperado but concludes like Dracula's last rite. Clooney does well as a criminal bent on accomplishing the task with little casualty, but will have to survive an evening more frightening than any crime job. Tarantino overplays his psychotic brother who kills with little recollection until fatality kicks in at the bar. Harvey Keitel and Juliette Lewis succeed as hostages although only one is lucky enough to walk out alive. Cheech Marin makes an appearance as a nightclub owner giving a monologue on female private parts. It is a clever attempt to cross two sub genres into one storyline. Title suggests survival, which leads to a lot of blood shed. Score: 7 ½ / 10