The sibling connection is the only thing that keeps them from killing each other. Richie, on the other hand, is a psychopath and a complete loose cannon. We learn early on that Seth is measured and rational while still being deadly. The film takes so much of its time setting up the characters that when they finally encounter the unbelievable truth, their actions are totally believable for the situation. It begins as a cross-country crime spree movie with touches of Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Badlands (1973), and Natural Born Killers (1994). One of the most brilliant aspects of the film is its ability to be several different kinds of movies that seamlessly merge together. The film is ultimately the product of a brilliant collaboration between two different but highly compatible voices. The dusty settings, camera work, staging, and editing are clearly the work of the stylish action director. This is most apparent in the visual style of the film. But even with all the hallmarks of early Tarantino, From Dusk Till Dawn is without a doubt a Robert Rodriguez movie.

In its setup, it is similar to the opening of Natural Born Killers or Pulp Fiction, taking place in a common business and beginning with its focus on characters that are ultimately peripheral to the main plot. The pre-credit scene that begins with a Texas Ranger, played by veteran actor Michael Parks, is vintage Tarantino. I had seen Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction and the lead characters of Seth and Richie Gecko, played by George Clooney and Tarantino himself, fit right into the world that had become so enticing and familiar from those films. No Interviews.” The movie starts out very much in the vein of other Tarantino scripted films of the time.

I had not seen the trailer or even heard its tagline: “Vampires. I was lucky enough to go into my first viewing of From Dusk Till Dawn having no idea what it was about. It also had an unexpected twist halfway through-a Mexican strip bar populated by vampires. The script was filled with the style and dialogue that Tarantino was becoming known for. Rodriguez was blown away by what he read and immediately expressed interest in making it. Kurtzman wrote the treatment in hopes of creating a film to showcase the work of the make-up effects company he created with Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger: KNB Effects Group. While Tarantino was writing Pulp Fiction and Rodriguez was writing Desperado (1995), Tarantino told Rodriguez about a script he had written a few years earlier based on a treatment by special effects artist Robert Kurtzman. The two had become immediate friends at the Toronto Film Festival during the tours of their debut films. Robert Rodriguez also made his directorial debut in 1992 with El Mariachi, a film that wowed critics and audiences worldwide. He had become as big of a movie star as the actors that appeared in his films and a darling of the independent film movement. After the one-two punch of Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994), it seemed that Quentin Tarantino could do no wrong.

From dusk till dawn cast movie cast