It’s been five years since the last time I watched From Dusk Til Dawn so I thought it would be a good time to re-watch it for this year’s Countdown to Halloween. Robert Rodriguez directs the script written by Tarantino and it is their take on the vampire legend. Lots of star power with George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino playing the Gecko brothers; two criminals who are on the run after a bank robbery. Trying to get to safety, which lies on the other side of the Mexican border, they encounter Jacob Fuller played by Tarantino stalwart Harvey Keitel (Inglorious Basterds, Pulp Fiction, and Reservoir Dogs). Jacob is a man of the cloth who is currently experiencing a crisis of faith after the death of his wife.
The Gecko brothers kidnap Jacob and his family in order to use their motor home as their new getaway car. Playing Jacob’s daughter Kate is Juliette Lewis (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Natural Born Killers, and Cape Fear) and Ernest Liu plays Scott his adopted son Scott. Once in Mexico they stop at The Titty Twister which is a grimy strip club that at night doubles as a Vampire hangout. The Gecko brothers and their hostages will now have to fight off the vampire hoard if they want to make it through the night. Great cameos, decent special effects, and a solid script makes this a classic modern day horror film. I mean we throw around the claim that a movie has everything, but this movie really has everything.
Tom Savini and his pecker pistol plays Sex Machine, Tito and the Tarantulas performing as the bar band, Cheech Marin plays three different characters, Greg Nicotero from The Walking Dead fame is in there somewhere, and you have one of the hottest performances by a Go-Go dancer I’ve ever seen and that part is played by Selma Hayek. This is probably my favorite Robert Rodriguez directed film. I know some will argue it’s Sin City but that’s not him by himself, this is. OK with the help of Tarantino, I get it. Then screw it, I’ll call Planet Terror his best film. Wait is that with Tarantino too? OK, I give up. Lot’s of blood and gore, some funny spots, and over all a fun movie. Four Super Soakers filled with holy water out of five for this classic splatter horror. Maybe it's Desperado then?
Haven't rewatched this in years myself. Might need to rectify that. Something good amongst all the... other films I watch. ;)
ReplyDeleteYeah for sure Joe, you have to dangle that carrot in front of the horse so it gets us over the bumps in the road that is paved with all the lousy horror films.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Joe; it's been too long since I've watched this. However, I would've thought your favourite Rodriguez film would definitely be SPY KIDS. . .
ReplyDeleteI've seen Spy Kids but that is my least favorite Rodriguez film.
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