FROM DUSK TILL DAWN
A film review by Chad Polenz
Copyright 1997 Chad Polenz
**1/2 (out of 4 = OK) 1996, R, 108 minutes [1 hour, 48 minutes] [action/horror] Starring: George Clooney (Seth Gecko), Harvey Keitel (Pastor Jacob Fuller), Juliette Lewis (Kate Fuller), Quentin Tarantino (Richie Gecko), Ernest Liu (Scott Fuller), written by Robert Kurtzman, Quentin Tarantino, produced by Gianni Nunnari, Meir Teper, directed by Robert Rodriguez.
"From Dusk Till Dawn" is one of the most bizarre films I've ever seen, but it's also one of the most original films I've ever seen. The basic premise to the movie is, "What if the tough criminals from brutal crime films found themselves trapped in a cliche, grotesque, horror flick?" The answer should be a great satire, but instead all we get is a violent bloodbath with vampires, bikers, a preacher's family, and Tarantino-style thieves.
Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino are two of the most promising writer/directors working today. Rodriguez has a great sense of action and adventure, and doesn't usually rely on cliches to tell his stories (i.e. "El Mariachi"). Tarantino is a master of uncanny dialogue and great crime stories (i.e. "Pulp Fiction"). The two come together pretty well: we get a bit of the pulp crime genre, combined with a lot of action, but this time both wander into uncharted territory when they approach the horror genre.
The film opens in traditional western/crime style with a liquor store robbery that goes awry when one of the two robbers can't control himself. George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino star as Seth and Richie Gecko, two cliche thieves-on-the-run who happen to be brothers. Seth is the older, smarter brother in charge, while Richie is the mentally unbalanced, trigger-happy, adult brat. The casting of these two is strange as neither can really pass for a mass-murdering, vile criminal. They just don't have the basic look at all, they are too likable.
The first half of the film is quite enjoyable even though little happens. The Gecko brothers kidnap a pastor and his two children, and force them to drive them to the Mexican border. At this point we're not really sure whether to hope they escape the law, or to hope the family escapes them. Harvey Keitel co-stars as Jacob Fuller, a Christian pastor who seems to have lost his faith in God, and only a little explanation is given as to why he has had a sudden change of heart. In an earlier scene he briefly discusses it with his daughter Kate (Lewis) and adopted son Scott (Liu). This is the same type of character as Father Karras in "The Exorcist," and is used in the same manner, so that everything comes down to his faith.
The group find themselves waiting in a Mexican strip club for tough bikers, which has fight scenes written all over it. And then the film turns on a dime and becomes a bizarre horror flick as all the strippers turn into demons and vampires and a huge orgy of fighting and bloodshed ensues. Everything had been relatively normal and a creative up until this point, so the sudden shift is like a punch in the face. Absolutely no explanation is given as to why this supernatural element takes over a seemingly normal reality. Are we actually supposed to be excited because now it's a battle of who is the toughest - criminals or vampires?
That question really can't be answered because even though we had spent the first half getting to know the Gecko brothers and the Fuller family, we hardly recognize them once they become pawns in a cross between a bad horror movie, and a mindless action flick.
Horror movies are essentially all the same, and this one isn't much different. The characters find themselves trapped, surrounded by evil, and of course start to turn on each other. Eventually they team up and escape, but only two of them come out alive.
It seems strange to discuss "From Dusk Till Dawn" in terms of plot because it's really two movies in one. I don't know why such talented filmmakers would dabble with such strange elements. Maybe the whole thing was really just a personal experiment to see what happens when they mix things up. The result could have been brilliant, but perhaps the instructions weren't clear enough.
(1/11/97) (1/29/97) (6/13/97) [see also: "Natural Born Killers"]
please visit Chad'z Movie page @ http://members.aol.com/ChadPolenz/index.html
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