From Dusk Till Dawn

So "Seth" (George Clooney) and his nasty brother "Richard" (Quentin Tarantino) leave a trail of death and mayhem as they head to the safety of Mexico after robbing a bank then trashing a convenience store and a motel! Close to the border, they abduct a pastor "Jacob" (Harvey Keitel) and his family and use them to slip un-noticed across the border before heading to a lively brothel "Titty Twister". Once there, and suitably tanked up with booze, they discover that there is something distinctly fishy (and it's not just with the stockings) as darkness descends and the clientele, well let's just say they get hungry... What now ensues is a bloodbath worth of any Hammer film - and frankly, it's of about the same standard. Tarantino may well be formidable behind the camera, but in from of it he is hopeless. Clooney fares a little better but it's really only Keitel who manages to keep this increasingly farcical film moving along for what seems like an age. I found what passed for humour to be pretty vulgar and tawdry and to be honest, I was rather bored with the relentlessness and repetition of the whole thing one we had got past the obligatory violent stages of the plot development. Was it supposed to be a comedy? You tell me - but either way, I won't bother watching it again.

**_Intelligent writing, cool style, kinetic thrills, cartoony horror, good cast and Salma Hayek_** Two violent thugs in Texas (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) take hostage a disillusioned ex-minister (Harvey Keitel) and his son & daughter (Ernest Liu & Juliette Lewis). They escape into Mexico where they stop at a desert strip joint in order to rendezvous with their contact in the morning (Cheech Marin). Horror ensues. "From Dusk Till Dawn" (1996) is a crime thriller/horror directed by Robert Rodriguez from Tarantino's script. Mixing "Pulp Fiction" (1994) with the basic plot of "Vamp" (1986) and bits of "The Lost Boys" (1987) and "The Evil Dead" (1981), it pulsates with hip energy and flair. Clooney shines in his first feature film as the antagonist-turned-protagonist. Salma Hayek's dance routine is jaw-dropping and iconic. The movie blends weighty spirituality with extreme irreverence, violence, gore and comic booky evil for a entertaining flick, if you can stomach the nasty elements. It's not scary at all; but it's fun and thrilling in an increasingly farcical context, with thoughtful dialog and black humor. The film runs 1 hour, 48 minutes, and was shot in Barstow, Lancaster, Calico Dry Lake and Los Angeles, California; as well as Chihuahua, Mexico. The cast also includes: Tom Savini, Fred Williamson, Danny Trejo, Michael Parks, John Saxon and Kelly Preston. GRADE: B