Review of From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) by Kai82 — 12 Jul 2021

This movie has cult status for some and I see why. It is famous for having Quentin Tarantino as actor, George Clooney playing not a good / heroic character and the Salma Hayek scene that even Rammstein covered in one of their music videos.

There is also a dividing twist in the movie that is hated by some and praised by others and sadly I cant give you an advise here because of spoilers. I can however say it is one of the movies you either love or hate.

For me this twist made the movie more unique and appealing as I have not seen something like this before (Even M. Night Shyamalan cant compete here). Story: The criminal brothers Richard and Seth Gecko are on the run from the police to Mexico after they broke out of prison and robbed a bank while the media enjoys this for the audience ratings (Outlaw heroes).

They run into the former priest Jacob, his daughter and adopted son in a motel. So starts the adventure unlike anyone before. The story is fully entertaining and will become something you will never expect.

I truly enjoyed it but I repeat my warning that the twist is what many say ruined the movie for them. For me it makes the movie memorable and discuss-worthy. I think this does not even change if you hate the movie.

As a sidenote while Robert Rodriguez is the director the script was done by Quentin Tarantino so you can count it as Tarantino film too. Lastly I want to praise the dark humor of the movie here. Actors: We got a good cast here.

Lets begin with George Clooney as Seth Gecko. I think he enjoys the chance to be not typecast as the hero / good character. He delivers his role excellent. Then we have Quentin Tarantino as Richard Gecko.

He is now on the other side of the camera and it answers the question if a great director is also a good actor with a no. But I must admit he is quite entertaining and so I will give him a free pass. Harvey Keitel plays Jacob Fuller and is probably the best actor in the movie in a sneaking way.

Unforgettable is Selma Hayeks performance as Santanico Pandemonium (That is not a typo). Like I said there are countless homages and parodies for the scene including the Rammstein one. Lastly I want to praise Ernest Liu as Scott Fuller, Juliette Lewis as Kate Fuller and of cause Danny Trejo as Razor Charlie.

In total we have a good performance and all characters work as well as intended. Presentation: It has the style you expect from a mixture from Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Everything looks convincing and enhances the atmosphere.

The soundtrack is excellent and has tracks from The Mavericks, Tito & Tarantula and ZZ Top to name a few. I will say again it enhances the atmosphere. Overall this is a dividing movie which I already put in the love or hate category.

For me it works well and is entertaining. I recommend it alone for its strength, humor and being able to discuss it with friends but warn you that it is not for everyone. You can find it silly or hate it with passion too and to be fair I see the point and its validity.