From Dusk Till Dawn

1996

From Dusk Till Dawn

Critics Consensus

A pulpy crime drama/vampire film hybrid, From Dusk Till Dawn is an uneven but often deliriously enjoyable B-movie.

63%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 49

76%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 273,617
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Movie Info

In this action-horror flick from director Robert Rodriguez and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino, Tarantino stars with George Clooney as a pair of bad-to-the-bone brothers named Seth and Richie Gecko. After a string of robberies that left a river of blood in the Geckos' wake, the sadistic siblings head to Mexico to live the good life. To get over the border, they kidnap Jacob Fuller, a widowed preacher played by Harvey Keitel, and his two children, Kate (Juliette Lewis) and Scott (Ernest Liu). Once south of the border, the quintet park their RV at a rough-and-tumble trucker bar called The Titty Twister, where Seth and Richie are supposed to meet a local thug. After a couple of drinks, they realize that they're not in a typical bar, as the entire place begins to teem with vicious, blood-sucking vampires. With the odds stacked greatly against them, the Fullers and Geckos team together in hopes of defeating the creatures of the night. Makeup artist Tom Savini and blaxploitation star Fred Williamson appear as allies against the vampires, and Cheech Marin fills three different roles. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Cast

Harvey Keitel
as Jacob Fuller
George Clooney
as Seth Gecko
Quentin Tarantino
as Richard Gecko
Juliette Lewis
as Kate Fuller
Cheech Marin
as Border Guard/Chet Pussy/Carlos
Fred Williamson
as Frost
Salma Hayek
as Santanico Pandemonium
Ernest Liu
as Scott Fuller
Michael Parks
as Texas Ranger Earl McGraw
John Saxon
as FBI Agent Stanley Chase
Kelly Preston
as Newcaster Kelly Houge
Tom Savini
as Sex Machine
Marc Lawrence
as Old Timer
Danny Trejo
as Razor Charlie
John Hawkes
as Pete Bottoms
Heidi McNeal
as Red-Headed Hostage
Aimee Graham
as Blonde Hostage
Brenda Hillhouse
as Hostage Gloria
Tito Larriva
as Titty Twister Guitarist & Vocalist
Pete Atasanoff
as Titty Twister Saxophonist
Johnny Vatos Hernández
as Titty Twister Drummer
Maria Diaz
as Bar Dancer
Cristos
as Danny
Mike Moroff
as Manny
Chad Dowdell
as Man at Bar (uncredited)
Ernest Garcia
as Big Emilio
Michelle Berube
as Bar Dancer
Neena Bidasha
as Bar Dancer
Veena Bidasha
as Bar Dancer
Ungela Brockman
as Bar Dancer
Madison Clark
as Bar Dancer
Maria Daiz
as Bar Dancer
Rosalia Hayakawa
as Bar Dancer
Janine Jordae
as Bar Dancer
Jacque Lawson
as Bar Dancer
Houston Leigh
as Bar Dancer
Janie Liszewski
as Bar Dancer
Tia Texada
as Bar Dancer
Jon Fidele
as Monster
Michael McKay
as Monster
Walter Phelan
as Monster
Henrik Von Ryzin
as Monster
Jake McKinnon
as Monster
Josh Patton
as Monster
Wayne Toth
as Monster
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Critic Reviews for From Dusk Till Dawn

All Critics (49) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (31) | Rotten (18)

  • "From Dusk Till Dawn" answers the question about George Clooney, but raises a couple about Quentin Tarantino.

    Apr 27, 2018 | Full Review…

    Jay Carr

    Boston Globe
    Top Critic

  • [Robert] Rodriguez pushes the envelope but fails to make any lasting impression except revulsion at the spectacle of acclaimed independent filmmakers wasting their talents on such trash.

    Jan 19, 2018 | Full Review…

    David Hunter

    Hollywood Reporter
    Top Critic

  • Imagine two movies plucked from opposite sides of the video store.

    Nov 18, 2008 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

    Owen Gleiberman

    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic

  • A deliriously trashy, exuberantly vulgar, lavishly appointed exploitation picture, this weird combo of road-kill movie and martial-arts vampire gorefest is made to order for the stimulation of teenage boys.

    Nov 18, 2008

    Todd McCarthy

    Variety
    Top Critic

  • On a mindless exploitation level this is pretty good, but on other levels it seems to make promises that it fails to deliver on.

    Nov 18, 2008 | Full Review…

    Jonathan Rosenbaum

    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic

  • A tired, humorless pastiche of various exploitation genres that is not the least bit imaginative in its campy deconstruction of conventions.

    Nov 18, 2008

    Hal Hinson

    Washington Post
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (49)

Audience Reviews for From Dusk Till Dawn

  • Sep 21, 2015
    From Dusk till Dawn is like The Devil's Rejects meets The Lost Boys, with the harshness of one and the goofiness of the other. Its a fun ride throughout and generally seems to have the right idea about making a film like this, don't take it seriously! With Rodgriguez at the helm it would've been hard to achieve a serious film anyway. Tarantino gives a surprisingly decent performance and isn't doomed to give the kind of acting that directors, singers and models usually give. Clooney steals the show completely and is fantastic as a relentlessly professional criminal/thief. This one really is NSFW, with profanity in almost every single sentence and themes of sexual violence, murder and general demonic possession throughout. The ending is one of the most fascinating play ons for a sequel I've seen in a film and slightly alters the tone from fun to actually quite creepy. Have yet to see the sequels. Recommended.
    Harry W Super Reviewer
  • Nov 06, 2013
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]
    Directors C Super Reviewer
  • Jan 22, 2013
    You can't help but feel that writer Tarantino and director Robert Rodriguez accomplished exactly what they were trying to do with 'From Dusk Till Dawn'. A great B-movie picture, the film is filled with the violence and camp one would expect from such a movie in its final third. The problem is that there is no sense of cohesion or smooth transition between the two genres. The first half of the film feels like a gritty thriller filled with a great performance from Clooney, some well-written dialogue, and important character development. The second half is a blood-fueled mess of vampires and holy water that rarely allows any dialogue at all. It's messy, but you could say its a lot of fun. It's safe to say you won't really see another movie quite like 'From Dusk Till Dawn'.
    Kase V Super Reviewer
  • Nov 16, 2012
    The first hour plus is just like any other kidnapp film then at the end they go to a bar full of vampires, it was very entertaining from start to finish, It just felt like the didn't know how to end the film so they stuck vampires in it.
    Jamie C Super Reviewer
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