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From Dusk till Dawn (1996) - Robert Rodrigez



Someone in our group had a screener copy of this movie. I remember that the jacket had PROMOTIONAL COPY printed in gold letters, stamped on the front of the case. And it had a hole cut out of the UPC Code. We watched this movie non-stop. Hanging out after high-school, eating pop tarts, watching From Dusk till Dawn. 

This movie is interesting. It was written by Quentin Tarantino, so that is already a plus. But it is directed by Robert Rodriguez. No rookie. If you are not familiar with Rodriguez or Tarantino, I suggest you watch more film before continuing to live your life. They are cinema gods. Two guys that understand movies so well. This is no let down either.

It tells a story about the Gecko Brothers, a nefarious pair that loves breaking the law. However, it's also about a former "Real McCoy" preacher that has lost his faith and how far he would go to protect his family. Then the movie also tells us the story of the Titty Twister, a hole-in-the-wall dive in Mexico that also happens to hold a large stock of vampires and creatures. 


The Gecko Brothers are on the run after breaking Seth Gecko out of prison. They are trying to keep a low profile and end up hijacking a ride with an ex-preacher and his kids. The Gecko's want to get to Mexico and they promise a good time for all. However, once they get to Mexico things get a whole lot darker. Can this group survive the night in a dive-bar full of Vampires? 



The cast your dealing with here is not light by the least. Harvey Keitel, Quentin Tarantino, Juliette Lewis, George Clooney, and newcomer Ernest Liu. Not to mention the supporting cast like Tom Savini, Danny Trejo, Cheech Marin, Salma Hayek, Fred Williamson, John Saxon, Michael Parks, and John Hawkes just to name a few. These types of cameo heavy occurrences are pretty normal for Tarantino or Rodriguez movies. At the time Clooney was pretty much only known for his work in ER. He wasn't the witty, cool, clever guy yet. This became popular enough that it essentially started his mainstream success. 

Richie is an amazing character. Tarantino does a masterful job playing himself. Clooney plays an iconically awesome character. The supporting cast is so well flushed out it's insane. This movie is really awesome even with the effects they had. They took the Evil Dead approach but did it pretty well. It isn't pretty but it's effective.

It's pretty insane how this movie takes such a big turn right in the middle. It goes from being this awesome Tarantino crime movie to an awesome Rodriguez vampire survival film. Some people have noted that they believe it's one of the biggest filps in film history. The entire tone changes. It didn't have the biggest budget but that's where these guys flourish. 

This movie is another submission to the already huge world that Tarantino had created. Depending on who you talk to this movie loosely ties in to a number of universes including movies from Django Unchained to Spy Kids 3D. Don't worry I included a chart at the bottom of this article. 


I highly recommend this movie to anyone. It's action packed throughout and has a good number of laughs. You can enjoy the cameos as there are a lot. Casual viewers will appreciate the quick wit of Tarantino's script while simultaneously being entertained by the skin and gore. Like I said above it isn't pretty but it's effective. 

Director: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, and Juliette Lewis
Style: Vampire Action Horror
Country: USA
Studio: Miramax

Did ya know...
Terrantino wrote this in return for the ear slicing scene in Resivour Dogs, provided by Robert Kurtzman.

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