I overrated “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996) in my head because of the great mid-film twist – but upon researching, it’s not a twist; it’s in the trailer. Percentage-wise, it comes earlier in the trailer than it does in the film. But residual grindhouse-style moviegoing was possible for mid-level film fans two decades after the grindhouse era, and two decades before the trailers-at-your-fingertips era, so I was able to enjoy the surprise.
Today, this first collaboration between Robert Rodriguez (director) and Quintin Tarantino (writer and one half of the bank-robbing Gecko Brothers with George Clooney) is a microcosm of the question of whether they are genius entertainers or hacks, or both.
A tale of two halves
The movie’s first half is almost as good as “Pulp Fiction” (1994) as we’re in the magnetic grip of Clooney’s alpha-male energy as Seth Gecko. When he tells a hostage he won’t kill her if she follows orders, we know why she decides to believe him. Utterly matte-black humor comes from how Seth has to keep a close eye on brother Richie, who is mentally unstable and prone to raping hostages.
“From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996)
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Writers: Quentin Tarantino (screenplay), Robert Kurtzman (story)
Stars: Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Juliette Lewis
Needing to reach Mexico in order to get off scot-free, the Geckos meet up with a Texas RV-ing family of father Harvey Keitel, daughter Juliette Lewis and son Ernest Liu – their ticket across the border. As we get to know everyone, “From Dusk Till Dawn” is tight yet slow-burning in that Tarantino way wherein each scene is filled with human detail, and Rodriguez’s directing touches (like deliberately chosen zooms or smash cuts) are similar to his friend’s.
It shows signs of unevenness. When the TV anchor announces that the Geckos are known by law enforcement, and the screen shows a scoreboard-style tally of their kills of rangers, cops and civilians, it’s Verhoeven-esque. But on the downside, we now know getting to Mexico is no safe haven; with that kill count, they will be hunted till they are dead. Yet that’s not the premise: We’re assured that if they make it to a predetermined haven, they’ll be safe.
I guess in a grindhouse world, that can be true enough. But when the twist comes at the Titty Twister (which the set designers very much make into a place), on this rewatch I mark it as the point where the film drops a level and never recovers. You’d think because the five leads are so well drawn, all the personal moments would hit hard – like when they are in danger of being killed by (SPOILERS FOLLOW) vampires.
Vamping for the cameras
But they don’t. It seems like there’s a scene missing that would’ve shown Seth’s switch from wanting to spare vamp-Richie to deciding to kill him. When Keitel’s Jacob tells his kids they must kill him if he turns, it’s a boring cliché rather than anything with emotion.
“From Dusk Till Dawn’s” back half is “Army of Darkness,” but the passage of time has not treated it well because – while there are some nice practical effects (fittingly, one features Tom Savini in an acting role) – the obvious CGI isn’t good. Not when there’s no longer a story to back it.
Tarantino and Rodriguez expect their early character-building will resonate, and it almost does with the idea of criminal Seth and sheltered youth Kate (Lewis) teaming up against a common foe. They expect the casting of Lewis, automatically a precocious ingenue with the camera on her, will create intrigue. But it fizzles even despite Seth’s great line that although he’s a bastard, he’s not a f***ing bastard, and he’s not going to lure the now-orphaned Kate into a life of crime.
Cheech Marin’s casting in three roles is – along with the genre switch – another indication that Rodriguez and Tarantino are putting fun ahead of storytelling in “From Dusk Till Dawn.” (END OF SPOILERS.)
Another notable bit of casting that every teenage boy was talking about in 1996: Future Oscar nominee Salma Hayek plays a role that absolutely does not require a big name or acting skills; it simply requires smoking-hotness and dancing ability. It ranks among the all-time most famous nothing roles. And ultimately, “From Dusk Till Dawn” is a famous nothing movie – and a great one … half the time.