I have a theory why From Dusk Till Dawn wasn't given a kind reception when it came out, and it has a lot to do with the way Dimension marketed the film. FDTD is the kind of movie where you shouldn't come in knowing it's a vampire movie. It's like knowing Marion Crane dies in Psycho; the expectation outweighs the experience, and as a result, people got bored during the first hour of FDTD.
Why? Because every ad made it clear that this was a vampire movie, and the first hour is nothing more than a crime film. Because we're anticipating vampire action, all of the tension at the border is nonexistent, all of the build up about Richie (Tarantino) and Kate (Juliette Lewis) is irrelevant. We know what kills people, and it's those damn vampires, so make with it.
Tarantino and Rodriguez have gone on record stating they wish that the movie had been marketed as a crime flick, so when Salma Hayek turns for the first time at the hour mark, the movie has its "what the fuck!?" moment, instead of "well, it's about time!" Imagine you didn't know you were watching a horror movie, and suddenly the Titty Twister goes crazy with vampires. That's the kind of movie they were shooting for.
Still, for people who want to see their test run for Grindhouse, From Dusk Till Dawn is a great example of a couple of A-Listers making a B movie, complete with B movie faces (Michael Parks, John Saxon, Fred Williamson), plus giving Cheech Marin three parts in one movie, and turning almost everyone into a vampire so they can kill and be killed in the most gruesome fashion.
Which isn't to say the crime half of the movie is a wash. The opening liquor store scene is executed perfectly, building and building until there's nowhere left to go but to blow it all up. Tarantino keeps the pop culture schtick to a minimum, and instead gives you the kind of macho bullshit you'd expect from a thief and a psychopath who kidnap a minister and his family. The way Rodriguez handles the reveal of the bank teller's death, by giving us quick flashes and forcing the audience to decide what happened to her is much more disturbing than the over the top gore later in the film.
And, most importantly, it ends the way a good B movie is supposed to; Seth (Clooney) goes his way, and Kate goes hers. Sure, she wants to go to El Ray with him, but as Seth puts it:
"I may be a bastard, but I'm not a fucking bastard."
…and the he speeds off. As she leaves, we get one last shot of the bar, giving a nice sense of scope to The Titty Twister's modus operandi.
The Day the Earth Stood Still is on TCM right now, but I think I'm going to pop in something else. You'll know what when I'm done with it...
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