Unreal Movie Vault: From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

While at the steak-dinner-at-Wolfgang’s portion of Nattyb’s bachelor party, I was talking movies with one of his friends who I had never met before.  We discussed the different types of movies we liked, which actors were good, and which directors we liked.  One of us mentioned From Dusk Till Dawn, and the friend commented that it was the worst movie he had ever seen.  I knew immediately that I should stop talking to this person, for his dislike of one of the greatest films ever made meant that he wasn’t the type of person I wanted to be around.  Ever.

Directed by Robert Rodriguez, written by Quentin Tarantino, and featuring George Clooney’s coolest role to date (which is really saying something), From Dusk Till Dawn is perhaps the most fun, enjoyable movie I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching.  Keep reading my review to find out why.

I enjoy well-made films as much as anybody.  I’m into arsty-fartsy indies as well as foreign films, and admittedly I may even be a bit of a film snob.  The fact that From Dusk Till Dawn is essentially a glorified B-movie didn’t deter me, though, because it was friggin’ FUN.  The difference between a movie like From Dusk Till Dawn and, oh, I don’t know, Transformers, is that the former doesn’t take itself seriously.  Instead of setting a tone of melodrama, From Dusk Till Dawn lets you know right way that it’s meant solely for entertainment – not an “epic saga” – and throws violence and sex in your face.  You don’t like violence and sex?  Then hit the “Back” button on your browser right now, square.

You have George Clooney as Seth Gecko, one of the greatest movie characters ever.  I will not debate this.  We’ll get to his tattoo in a bit, but has there ever been a man as handsome and confident and tough as Seth Gecko?  Don’t bother responding, the answer is a resounding “no way!”  The film starts off simple enough:  The Gecko Brothers have done did some bad sh*t – robbing banks and a rape and murder sprinkled in here and there – and need to make their way into Mexico to get away from the po-pos.  On the border, they encounter the Fuller family, taking them hostage and hiding out in the Fullers’ Winnebago in an attempt to cross into Mexico and meet up with Carlos, the man behind the man.  Or something.

The movie starts out as a classic, somewhat generic mid-90s crime drama, with the Gecko Brothers doing what they can to evade the authorities.  Halfway through, though, the movie goes through an enormous twist – the brothers and the Fullers arrive at The Titty Twister, and a majority of the patrons turn into vampires.  Yeah, sorry for the spoiler if you’ve never seen it, but I’ll assume you knew the twist to begin with.  Better than watching the movie is watching the reaction of a person watching the movie who is blindsided by the twist – it sorta comes out of nowhere.  After the movie transitions into “absurd” mode, all grounding is lost (save for Clooney), and the gore and ultraviolence are released.

Limbs and heads are everywhere, we see a gun attached to a crotch, and Seth Gecko continuously delivers the coolest lines in the history of cinema.  The fact that reputable actors like Harvey Keitel and Juliette Lewis are stars of this movie as well only adds to the absurdity.  Plus, Danny Trejo and his enviable tattoos and traps.  Word.  Not everyone makes it out of The Titty Twister alive, and the violence is completely over the top.  Add to that a killer soundtrack (Stevie Ray Vaughn, anyone?) and one of the sexiest dance scenes to be shown on the big screen, and the movie is non-stop fun.  For a “B,” fun movie filled with violence, hot chicks, and tough guys, From Dusk Till Dawn is tops.  I don’t know many people who don’t like this movie, and that’s a good thing.  If you haven’t seen it, check it out and enjoy.  If you have and for some reason didn’t like it, go away forever.  For reals.  I don’t care about our traffic; I don’t want morons infecting our website.

You ever see this movie?  It’s the tits, right?  And really, Seth Gecko’s tattoo?  We see a bit of it creep up onto his neck, but at the end of the movie when he reveals the tat on his entire arm?  I must have seen over a dozen dudes with some type of variation of that tattoo.  If I wasn’t such a wuss, I’d have it myself.  Not that I’m ashamed of the butterfly on the small of my back.  Holla!!!!