From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

This movie is directed by Robert Rodriquez and has a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino who also has a role in the film. This is actually one of the first movies by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino that I watched and from then on I pretty much became a fan of them both. So, when it came out on Blu-ray a while ago I had to get it for the collection of course.
When I and my dear wife first watched this movie we did not really know what it was all about. We thought it was just another robbery/criminal story and the first half of the movie it is indeed “just” a robbery/criminal story. It is a fairly violent one at that which should be no surprise given who it is that have their fingers in the movie.
Then half way into the movie everything goes wild when the vampires enter the scene. I remember going “what the f…” when I first saw it since I wasn’t really expecting it to be a vampire movie at all.
The movie is quite a rollercoaster ride which bears all the trademarks, in particular lots of bizarre violence, of the Rodriguez/Tarantino couple. Needless to say this is one of my favourite cult/bizarre movies.

**_Intelligent writing, cool style, kinetic thrills, cartoony horror, good cast and Salma Hayek_**
Two violent thugs in Texas (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) take hostage a disillusioned ex-minister (Harvey Keitel) and his son & daughter (Ernest Liu & Juliette Lewis). They escape into Mexico where they stop at a desert strip joint in order to rendezvous with their contact in the morning (Cheech Marin). Horror ensues.
"From Dusk Till Dawn" (1996) is a crime thriller/horror directed by Robert Rodriguez from Tarantino's script. Mixing "Pulp Fiction" (1994) with the basic plot of "Vamp" (1986) and bits of "The Lost Boys" (1987) and "The Evil Dead" (1981), it pulsates with hip energy and flair.
Clooney shines in his first feature film as the antagonist-turned-protagonist. Salma Hayek's dance routine is jaw-dropping and iconic. The movie blends weighty spirituality with extreme irreverence, violence, gore and comic booky evil for a entertaining flick, if you can stomach the nasty elements. It's not scary at all; but it's fun and thrilling in an increasingly farcical context, with thoughtful dialog and black humor.
The film runs 1 hour, 48 minutes, and was shot in Barstow, Lancaster, Calico Dry Lake and Los Angeles, California; as well as Chihuahua, Mexico. The cast also includes: Tom Savini, Fred Williamson, Danny Trejo, Michael Parks, John Saxon and Kelly Preston.
GRADE: B