From Dusk Till Dawn
While basking in the earthshattering success that was Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino decided that he wanted to try his hand at the horror genre, so he cranked out this script about vampires, then brought Robert Rodriguez on board to direct so he could focus on playing a key leading role, and what resulted was this 1996 release that in many ways was a greater, much more visceral experience than Fiction that spends its first half telling a stylized crime drama before bringing on the undead monsters shockingly and suddenly with brilliantly having no foreshadowing whatsoever. George Clooney, whom at the time was solely thought of as a TV star and after this became locked in for the movie stardom he enjoys to this day, gives the most badass, swaggering performance of his career to date as Seth Gecko, a so-called “professional thief” who is broken out of jail by his brother Richie (Tarantino), a perverted rapist and sex offender, after which the pair rob a bank and take off for Mexico, their destination being some sort of criminal haven called “El Wray” where they plan to retire in freedom together. Unfortunately, when they realize that crossing the border is going to be easier said than done, they are forced to take hostage a family traveling along in a mobile home which consists of the father (Harvey Keitel), a former preacher who has lost his faith after the death of his wife in a horrific car accident, his wide-eyed yet nubile teenage daughter (Juliette Lewis), and his guitar playing Asian son (one hit wonder Ernest Liu). Together, they take off for the border, and the script does a wonderful job developing the characters and their relationships during the course of their journey, as Clooney tries to bond with Keitel who obviously detests him but still shares some insight into his life with his captor, and Tarantino’s sicko rapist (whose sexual predilections are even despised by his brother) keeps his eyes and obsessions squarely on Lewis (probably playing the most innocent role of her career). It is then when these characters arrive at their rendezvous point (a wild and crazy strip club called The Titty Twister) that the movie goes into sensory overload, with nudity and amazing set design along with a staff at the bar that includes Salma Hayek steaming up the screen as the feature attraction stripper, Cheech Marin as the motormouth doorman, and the legendary Danny Trejo as the gruff bartender. As our main characters settle in and have a reconciliation of sorts and the story appears to be winding down, then BAM! The vampires (who use the bar as their hunting ground) begin their attack and the movie rises to such a level that even the word overdrive can’t do it justice. In fact, it’s almost something akin to all out onscreen war, as our stars must join with two bikers played by NFL Legend Fred “The Hammer” Williamson and Cult Horror Icon Tom Savini (best known for his makeup FX work) in an unforgettable turn as “Sex Machine”, a guy who carries a bullwhip and sports a crotch guard where he keeps a hidden pistol. At this point, it’s best to just hang on and ride the movie out until the end and enjoy it for what it is, an unbelievable thrill ride that packs more adrenaline into its last forty minutes than most action movie franchises do across three or four films, with the added bonus being that the early character development allows us to really care about these people’s fates, which is especially effective given the fact that nobody here (even the most likable characters) are even remotely safe, and that there’s no telling who’s going to get taken out next, with the most frightening part being the fact that becoming a vampire in this film is somewhat akin to demon possession, so that when you turn, any human, compassionate qualities you have immediately evaporate and you’re very much liable to attack (and kill) even your loved ones at that point. So, you have all this plus a smattering of cameos from such eclectic names as Michael Parks (as Texas Ranger Earl McGraw), John Saxon, Marc Lawrence, Kelly Preston, and John Hawkes, which gives you a film that functions nearly as pure, perfect entertainment, something that’s not looking to win an Academy Award per se but is eminently watchable and entertaining upon every viewing and stands to reason as one of the best films Tarantino was ever involved with (and much better than most of his directing efforts), as well as being perhaps the Grand Masterpiece of the supremely talented Rodriguez, and even perhaps the best pure Vampire Horror Movie of any era, ever, in the history of cinema…
10/10