Del crepúsculo al amanecer

Anyone trying to do a 'serious review' of this movie needs to lighten up. George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino are the Gecko brothers, two bad, bad men on their way to Mexico. Along the way they pick up a preacher played by Harvey Keitel and his two kids. They're supposed to meet a partner at a bar called The Titty Twister, and once they get there madness ensues. From there it takes a turn that many seem to find infuriating but I personally find highly entertaining. It's humming along like a typical Tarantino picture, and then- BOOM. Out of nowhere, it becomes all too clear that these two bad, bad men are not by a longshot the baddest in *this* bar. All of this can- and *will*, given the right attitude on the part of the viewers- read as a loving high-five to 70s zombie flicks, a homage to the campy fun of those movies. The tough guy dialog continues throughout, the gore level is astounding, and we see via Kate- the preacher's daughter, played by Juliette Lewis- that sometimes a p***ed-off virgin with a crossbow can more than hold her own. On top of that, it has a hella-cool biker-bar soundtrack and Salma Hayek in a bikini. What's not to like?

Coming into this I knew it would be action over content - after all it was directed by Robert Rodriguez. The fact that the script was written by Tarantino didn't really mean anything since I had gathered from various sources that this was Tarantino's homage to the "splatstick" genre (of Evil Dead, etc.) and as a result the script probably wasn't so hot compared to Pulp Fiction.

For the most part this is true. The first half of the movie IS really good in terms of cleverness and Tarantino-style stuff - good dialogue, interesting plot and unlikeable characters...unique. The second half, after they cross the border into Mexico - as others here have pointed out - becomes the Evil Dead segment of the film, where everything turns into some over-the-top, bizarre, gross-out vampire blood-'n-guts movie with bad special effects and cheesy scenes. (Albeit fun ones.) Some have complained that the transformation from seriousness to sudden vampire comic book content is too fast and the story would have been far more interesting had it been rooted in realism for its entire duration. Yes, and no. Rodriguez set out to make an homage to the spaghetti western/Evil Dead genre and did so. Tarantino's script is just the baseline for it all. It's like a bunch of friends got together and decided to make a movie - albeit friends with fairly good reputations as filmmakers. George Clooney, Harvey Keitel, Tarantino - not a bad cast! Had this been presented as an epic crime movie Tarantino would have helmed it. However due to the fact that he provided Rodriguez with the script and even performed a commentary track on the film's DVD release (something he does on none of his own directed films) just goes to show that Tarantino wasn't in it for the praise - he was in it for the fun and experience. Ditto for everyone else.

And in that regard this is a pretty fun movie. Like Rodriguez' DESPERADO, it's a guilty pleasure for viewers and cast - a bunch of highly esteemed actors get together and have a blast.

So no, this is not a great movie. The second half could be replaced with a more serious half and I think it would probably be one of the best thrillers ever if this was done. (Just imagine how great it could have been if it had been brought to a poetically justified ending with some sort of Gecko Brothers/law enforcement shootout a la Butch Cassidy/Bonnie and Clyde.) However I understand that's not what Rodriguez and crew set out to do with this movie - they just wanted to make an entertaining cult popcorn blockbuster flick.

And they succeeded. It's entertaining and hip and stylish. Recommended.

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Review: How bout this? George Clooney in a different role? Yep. For once he tries something different.

From Dusk Till Dawn is something else. This is about two criminal brothers(Clooney and Tarantino)wind up taking a family hostage to make it across the Mexican border to a meeting point, a bar called the "Titty Twister". That's where the Gecko brothers are to meet another group of crooks.....at dawn. This bar is open from dusk till dawn....and is filled with vampires.

This movie starts off as something else at first. More like a gritty crime movie, then becomes a total spatter-fest. This isn't at all bad, just takes a total turn. The vampires here are a bunch of ugly as hell monsters. Think of the Evil Dead movies only the undead zombies and skeletons are vampires instead and that's the score with the very small supply of vampire slayers to take them on.

Like I say, if you are a fan of the Evil Dead movies, then this is the treat for you. It does not have the amount of silly humor like them, but has the gore nailed just right. The makeup effects are dead-on as well. This just happens to be more gritty than the Evil Dead.

The Last Word: I like it. Good for your October needs. Did I forget Salma Hayek and Cheech Marin? They are here as well. Good bloody fun.

I loved this film for many reasons. For one, the switch from a crime thriller to a horror thriller was seamless. I for one had not heard much about this film before I watched it, and I assumed the TV Times were mistaken in called this a gory horror thriller. To me, it was a simple crime thriller, the norm which is expected from Tarantino's pen. However, the switch was such a shock and so fast, that I didn't now what happened I was amazed at this revelation, since there was no word of any horror topics beforehand in the script. It was completely out of the blue, and resulted in a pleasant surprise.

And the thing that's interesting is that BOTH halves to this film, both the crime section and horror section are enjoyable. The first half has less action, but tension does mount between Keitel and Clooney, while Tarantino is in the back, paying special attention to Keitel's daughter. A great premise with an equally great script in the first half. The second section is also great because of the horrific violence and as I heard mentioned before, the unique ways on how to kill vampires.

The script is witty and full of dark humour, "I have 6 little friends and they all run faster than you.", and the intro is certainly one of the best I have seen in months. The characters are well established, with Clooney as the 'gentleman' (well, not really) crook, Tarantino as his psychotic brother (who, strangely, I found difficult not to warm to) and Keitel is the preacher who has lost his faith, the hostage who will help out later when the satanic hordes unleash themselves.

A special mention must go to Salma Hayek for that special dance. ;) While this film was never made out of blockbuster material, it is still very understated, taking a unique and perhaps surreal viewing on the horror genre, all the while using horror stereotypes. As far as graphic violence is concerned, it is on par with the likes of Evil Dead (well, perhaps not THAT bad).

For once, this is a film which doesn't give the viewer all the answers beforehand. You are in the same boat as the characters and you don't know what's in store for them. If you hadn't seen this before, without any knowledge of the movie, you'd be in for a huge surprise as I was.

An 8/10 for it's script (thanks to Tarantino) and the actors who, while not trying too hard, make this an enjoyable horror flick with a difference.

I have to say that this is actually a good movie although it does lose it's way towards the end. The final 15 minutes I thought were a little crappy. I prefer more realism in my vampires but having said that, I cannot fault Tarantino, his is perfect in the role as the twisted Richard Gecko, and although I don't usually like George Clooney he was surprisingly cool as Seth. There are some funny moments that you have to have a slightly twisted humour to appreciate (which I do!) and as long as you don't take it too seriously, it is an entertaining movie. If you like overacting, lots and lots of blood and Tarantino movies then go see.