From Dusk Till Dawn
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| From Dusk Till Dawn | |
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| Directed by | Robert Rodriguez |
| Produced by | Robert Rodriguez Quentin Tarantino Lawrence Bender |
| Written by | Story: Robert Kurtzman Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino |
| Starring | George Clooney Harvey Keitel Quentin Tarantino Juliette Lewis Cheech Marin Fred Williamson Tom Savini Salma Hayek |
| Distributed by | Miramax |
| Release date(s) | January 19, 1996 |
| Running time | 108 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $19,000,000 |
| Followed by | From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money |
| IMDb profile | |
From Dusk Till Dawn is a 1996 action/horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez, and written by Quentin Tarantino. The movie stars George Clooney, Harvey Keitel, Quentin Tarantino, Juliette Lewis, and Cheech Marin.
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[edit] Plot
The movie opens with the fugitive Gecko brothers Seth (George Clooney) and Richie (Quentin Tarantino) fleeing the F.B.I. and Texas police after Seth has broken Richie out of prison in a bloody shootout. Seth Gecko is a cold, tough anti-hero, while his younger brother Richie is a homicidal sex-fiend who hears voices.
After an apocalyptic scene in a Texas mini-mart/liquor store, the Geckos head to Mexico with a lady hostage bound in their car's trunk. The Geckos encounter the Fuller family, led by disillusioned preacher Jacob (Harvey Keitel), whose wife had just died in an auto accident, his son Scott (Ernest Liu), and his daughter Kate (Juliette Lewis). The Geckos take the Fullers hostage, and then make their way across the border in the Fullers' motorhome. In Mexico, they must meet their contact, Carlos (Cheech Marin, who plays three roles) at an erotic bar called the "Titty Twister" which is open "from dusk till dawn." Carlos will meet the brothers there just before dawn, and provide them sanctuary. However, once inside, the Geckos and their hostages encounter vampires, including a snake- clad erotic dancer "Santanico Pandemonium" (Salma Hayek). The Geckos are joined by whip-wielding biker "Sex Machine" (Tom Savini) and high-strung tough Vietnam veteran Frost (Fred Williamson). Together, they battle the undead creatures until dawn, when Carlos and his henchmen arrive to give the Geckos the money. Seth and Kate are the only survivors. Seth drives off with Carlos, leaving Kate to continue the family vacation alone. As the final scene pans out, it is revealed that the "Titty Twister" was actually an Aztec Temple.
The first half of the movie is a dark, dry, tightly-directed hostage drama. The second half has a dramatically different feel, and becomes a horror movie parody with homages to classical flicks from George Romero and others. The characters recall scenes from horror movies to help them in their struggle. Quentin Tarantino wrote the film as a favor for Robert Kurtzman, who provided the special make up effects for Reservoir Dogs. He was influenced by the 1975 horror/action film Race with the Devil starring Peter Fonda when writing the script, and certain dialogue and plot elements are similar in both films.
[edit] Deaths
- Richie Gecko: Bitten by Santanico Pandemonium, later turned into a vampire and impaled in the heart by Seth.
- Santanico Pandemonium: Impaled by a chandelier that was shot down by Seth.
- Sex Machine: Bit in the arm, thrown through the window of the bar (allowing the vampires to enter), decapitated by Seth, turns into a demon dog, and is finally killed by an arrow.
- Frost: Gets bit by Sex Machine, becomes a vampire, is impaled by a shotgun, and dies when Jacob is about to become a vampire.
- Jacob Fuller: Is bitten by Sex Machine, becomes a vampire, is killed when Scott hits him with a water balloon and shoots him in the head.
- Scott Fuller: Jacob bites him, gets shot by Kate as vampires begin to rip him apart.
[edit] Vampires
Main Vampires.
- Santanico Pandemonium: Vampire queen and main attraction at the Titty Twister. She sparks off the vamps' feeding frenzy when she kills Richie Gecko in a spur-of-the-moment surge of bloodlust, triggered by his bleeding hand. She kills two charcters in the movie, most notably Richard Gecko. The other is featured in the Deleted Scenes section of the Laserdisc and DVD where Santanico (human form) sits on the lap of a dazed and wounded biker (played by Greg Nicotero of KNB Effects). Holding his gaze for a moment a second mouth (resembling a monstrous snake) erupts out of her mouth and bites his head off.
- Razor Charlie: Apparent owner of the Titty Twister. Gruff, surly and untrusting, Razor Charlie is the main bar-tender and he is the announcer for the main show put on for the victims lured for the resident Vampire staff and dancers to devour at a certain point in the evening. Charlie is the one who wounds Richie's already-wounded hand which intitially is what causes the said 'feeding frenzy' mentioned before. He makes no notable kills but during his screen-time he rips a man's arm off and attacks Sex Machine twice- ultimately being staked by him the second time round.
- Big Emilio: Bouncer of the Titty Twister. Big Emilio is as the name goes- he's a big guy. Seth immediately hates him due to a confrontation soon after first entering the Titty Twister due to his first encounter with where he puts his hand on Seth's shoulder as a threat. When Santanico is killed he makes a beeline for Seth, killing all the bikers and truckers stupid enough to attempt to stop him. He is killed by both Frost and Sex Machine. Frost rips his heart out and Sex Machine puts a pencil through it finishing him off.
- Chet Pussy:
"Mouth Bitch" in action - Mouth Bitch: A resident vamp featured in the "Mexican Standoff" scene. The 'Mouth Bitch' originally had a much larger role when the frenzy starts. A gaping, blood-splattered hole is present in her stomach during the standoff but is never explained. The scene which show the origin of the hole had been cut but can be viewed in the deleted scenes of the Laserdisc and DVD. This vampire sits on a biker's lap on which previously held a beautiful waitress. In the scenes the biker looks away from the girl surveying the chaos surrounding them in shocked silence. A moment later, a horrifying realisation dawns on him and he slowly turns round to see a hideous gremlin-like vampire in place of the waitress. She toys with him by sticking her tongue into his screaming mouth as her form of "kissing". They are later encountered by Seth. Mouth Bitch takes notice of him and taunts him by standing up to face him with the biker in tow. Performing a strange sort of 'dance', Mouth Bitch pushes her victim down towards her belly and it rips open to reveal a large mouth which bites the man's head off. This vampire was a design of Robert Rodriguez's and was constantly refered to numerous times in the behind-the-scenes footage on the DVD.
The Rat Man - The Rat Man: The demonic rat monster Sex Machine's body transforms into almost instantaneously after Seth "kills" him. Seth steals Sex Machine's bullwhip during a confrontation during the final onslaught of vampires and decapitates him with it. Dismissing him as another dead vamp, Seth continues fighting for his life, meanwhile a strange metamorphasis takes place in Sex Machine's still body. His limbs stretch out to an almost skeletal extent, his body splits apart and is revealed to have been given an animal-like quality with a arching spine and finally a monstrous head emerges out from the severed neck. The final form is like a demon rodent of sorts, hence its name, the "Rat Man". Seth tackles the rodent with his motorized stake but the Rat Man knocks him over and pulls him underneath its body pinning him. Seth fends off its snaping jaws but is fighting a losing battle. At that point, Kate takes aim at the Rat Man. Getting Seth's attention, he pushes the rodent's head upward and Kate shoots it in the head with crossbow. Gaining an upperhand, Seth plants his feet on the Rat Man's chest and kicks into a nearby fire where it is incinerated.
[edit] Labor issues during production
From Dusk Till Dawn employed a non-union production crew, which is unusual for a production with a budget above $10 million dollars. Rodriguez, Tarantino and producer Lawrence Bender defended this choice because it made for a more team-like atmosphere on the set instead of people having to stick to their certified jobs. Yet the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts targeted the production for strike action seeking to shut down filming, feeling that the film was a large enough production to warrant a unionized crew. Police were employed on set during some shooting days although no strike or rioting ever took place. This issue is covered in the making-of documentary Full Tilt Boogie featured on the film's DVD.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| George Clooney | Seth Gecko |
| Harvey Keitel | Jacob Fuller |
| Quentin Tarantino | Richie Gecko |
| Juliette Lewis | Kate Fuller |
| Ernest Liu | Scott Fuller |
| Salma Hayek | Santanico Pandemonium |
| Cheech Marin | Border Guard / Chet Pussy / Carlos |
| Danny Trejo | Razor Charlie |
| Tom Savini | Sex Machine |
| Fred Williamson | Frost |
| Michael Parks | Texas Ranger Earl McGraw |
[edit] Sequel & Prequel
The film was followed by two direct-to-video follow-ups, a sequel, From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money and a prequel, From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter. Danny Trejo is the only actor to appear in all three, although Michael Parks appears in The Hangman's Daughter. Rodriguez, Tarantino and Lawrence Bender served as producers on all three movies.
[edit] External links
- From Dusk Till Dawn at the Internet Movie Database
- From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money at the Internet Movie Database
- From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter at the Internet Movie Database
- The Script
- Revelations - Official Clive Barker Resource read a snippet of Clive's introduction to the From Dusk Til Dawn screenplay...
| The films of Quentin Tarantino |
|---|
| Directed: My Best Friend's Birthday • Reservoir Dogs • Pulp Fiction • Four Rooms • Jackie Brown • Kill Bill • Grind House • Inglorious Bastards Written: True Romance • Natural Born Killers • From Dusk Till Dawn |
