Cult Classic Corner: From Dusk Till Dawn

By Nate Storey

I have been lucky enough to be allowed to continue the Cult Classic Corner; along with describing cult classics, my goal is to introduce you, the reader, to movies that you may not have seen yet, but most certainly should see, because they are classics after all. I would like to begin with one of the best recent cult movies out there, From Dusk Till Dawn.

Synopsis: Seth and Richie Gecko (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) are fugitives on the run from the law following a bank robbery. At gunpoint they kidnap the Jacob Fuller (Harvey Keitel) and his family and head into Mexico to meet up with Carlos, a contact of the Gecko’s. At the meeting place, an all night bar called The Titty Twister, open from dusk till dawn, unexpected twists occur and the mixed group must work together to survive until dawn.

Why it’s Great: The movie was written by the amazing Quentin Tarantino (who also wrote Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill) and directed by his good friend, Robert Rodriguez, of El Mariachi and Sin City fame, so you know that there’s about a hundred different levels of genius going into this movie.

Best Scene: (spoiler warning) If I said any other scene than the one when the vampires first appear, it would be a lie. Two thirds of the way through this traditional (for Tarantino, at least) criminals-on-the-run movie, with smart dialogue and good acting, when, BAM, there are vampires. From out of no where. It’s the single greatest twist ever. All of a sudden, the bartenders and the dancers and the waitresses and everyone (including Salma Hayek, Cheech Marin, and other staples of Rodriguez’s movies) is suddenly a vampire and in maybe five minutes in a free for all, they have killed everyone but the main characters and few others.

Trivia: The movie contains references to previous movies from Tarantino, including Big Kahuna Burgers (from Pulp Fiction), as well as references to Assault on Precinct 13, That Darn Cat! and Robert Rodriguez’s earlier movies Desperado and El Mariachi.

Great Quotes: I should point out that since this is a Tarantino movie, much of the dialogue contains strong language.

Seth: Peachy, Kate. The world’s my oyster, except for the fact that I just rammed a wooden stake in my brother’s heart because he turned into a vampire, even though I don’t believe in vampires. Aside from that unfortunate business, everything’s hunky-dory.

Jacob: Has anybody here read a real book about vampires, or are we just remembering what a movie said? I mean a real book.
Sex Machine (a biker at the bar): You mean like a Time-Life book?

Kate: Are you okay?

Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Starring
Harvey Keitel…Jacob Fuller
George Clooney…Seth Gecko
Quentin Tarantino…Richard Gecko
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence and gore, language and nudity
Run Time: 108 minutes