Horror Movie Friday: From Dusk Till Dawn

Director: Robert Rodriguez
Writers: Robert Kurtzman (story), Quentin Tarantino (screenplay)
Released: 1996
Labels: Vampire|1990's|Thriller

On the run criminal brothers Seth and Richard Gecko take a vacationing family hostage on their way to the Mexican border. Once safely across, they hole up at a bar for the night and insist that the family wait with them. Things take an unexpected turn as the group and their fellow patrons find themselves on the bar menu and fighting for their lives, as all the working strippers, bar staff and even the house band turn into vampires.

"From Dusk Til Dawn" is clearly defined by its two halves, first is the escape from the US by the two brothers. The direction of Rodriguez and the pen of Tarantino are clear to see - it's slick, witty stuff with smart-assed dialogue and some trademark gunplay and explosions thrown in for good measure. George Clooney is excellent as Seth in this early film role and really steals the show for much of it.

The film's second half, inside the bar, shifts up a gear - the wit and dialogue remain but the action gets a whole lot crazier. The battle with the Vamps is messy, chaotic and relentless as if Evil Dead era Sam Raimi were given this section to play with. The Vampires look great, they beef up, become all gnarly and scaly and look more monsterfied than the usual pasty-faced romantics that we see nowadays. There's a really imaginitive use of the plentiful SFX with some inventive and often hilarious deaths of both human and vamp (watch out for the clever range of weaponry the heroes come up with). Expect solid, safe performances from the likes of Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis and Tarantino himself. Also noteworthy are appearances from Salma Hayek, Tom Savini and Rodriguez favorites Cheech Marin and Danny Trejo.

It does look a little tired around the edges at times, particularly the dated CGI but it has such an energy that it still remains an exhilarating watch.