From Dusk Till Dawn

The first half-hour is brilliant! The stifling karma surrounding Tarantino’s psychopathic killer could be cut with a knife and the dusty desert setting adds to the film’s bleak atmosphere. You can feel bad things coming. But from the moment the vampires take the stage, Robert Rodriguez fails where Peter Jackson (Braindead) is the intrepid king. From Dusk Till Dawn is a prime example of the fact that it takes a special talent to tastefully combine bloody brutality with humor. (11/04/2002)

A film with two utterly different halves. While the first half, lead by the suave thief Clooney and his crazy brother Tarantino, is flawless, the second one, full of blood and ugly creatures, completely ruined my initial impression and brought the rating down from 5* to the final 3*. Moreover, in the first half, Rodriguez clearly proved to me that he can make a serious gangster movie, because he sketched the relationship between two dangerous criminals and an unfortunate family in the best possible way. Unfortunately, then came the aforementioned slaughter, the atmosphere completely disappeared and the stupidity of the following minutes was all the more pathetic because the director went into it voluntarily and with all his verve. To be honest, though, this is still an action masterpiece compared to Planet Terror. (13/06/2012)

From Dusk Till Dawn is a very controversial film, where it is possible to understand a wide range of ratings from movie fans. On one hand, there is the traditional Quentin Tarantino style combining elements of extreme violence, eroticism, and classic horror with a strongly comedic exaggeration and necessary catchphrases, additionally supported by the participation of well-known and top actors. On the other hand, the screenplay is openly not among the best that have been written in this genre. Moreover, the pace of the story is quite uneven. Overall impression: 60%. In some moments, Robert Rodriguez explicitly wastes traditional horror props and begins to bore. (05/04/2008)

"From Dusk Till Dawn" remains a great film even after all these years - it's tough as a razor blade, yet incredibly entertaining. Additionally, it features actors that you know and love. Clooney, given his current roles, is able to surprise, while the beautiful Salma Hayek effortlessly enters your nighttime fantasies. This is a cult film and I almost wish that the Rodriguez/Tarantino duo would join forces again and make something in this style. (09/04/2015)

The first half hour follows the Quentin movie template to the letter. Perfect dialogs and flawless black humor. "If it’s not too much trouble, could I possibly borrow your ice bucket? I promise I’ll bring it right back." The second part is more reminiscent of Rodriguez’s Desperado - fast moving, action and a massacre in the bar. The turning point between these incongruous halves comes in the form of the “devilish dance performed by the gorgeous and wonderful Salma Hayek (Quentin just has a knack at arranging these things ;-). Maybe it is this incongruousness of the two halves that stopped me from giving this movie a full five stars. Although I found this difference less disruptive when watching for a second time. Maybe third time round I will work up to five stars. Cheech Marin is certainly worth a mention for playing three roles in this one movie: the border guard, the MC of the Titty Twister and Carlos. (09/07/2006)