![]() Our entry point into the film opens the action perfectly with what on the surface appears to be a generic scene between a sheriff and a gas station proprietor. His low-key psychopath is effective and I love his soft delivery of lines when his brother is not in the room to hear him. ![]() The relationship between the two is classic and I don’t see Tarantino giving a better performance ever. His temper leads to many great one-liners and his release of tension when they cross the border successfully gives us even more. Seth is the brains of the operation and understands all the angles. Quentin’s Richard is a lunatic, pedophile/rapist who recently broke his brother Seth out of jail so they could complete this job. The dialogue is sharp and with himself and George Clooney starring, the delivery is spot-on. Tarantino has crafted a tale with just enough realism to keep it from going too far overboard. While Rodriguez handles the directing well, showcasing some nice special effects and make-up work, it really is the script that shines. What is first a crime tale of men on the run soon turns into a fight for survival against the supernatural. This specific bar, however, is inhabited by vampires who feed on its customers once the sun goes down. Taking the family hostage, they make their way south to a sleazy topless bar awaiting said partner’s arrival. They kill and steal along the way until meeting up with a pastor who has lost faith and his two children in an RV. The Gecko brothers have pulled off a heist and need to get to Mexico in order to pay off their partner. The laughs are many, the pop culture references are sprinkled throughout, the characters are all fully fleshed no matter how little screen time they are given, and the action is great to watch. Sure Tarantino’s dialogue is at the forefront for much of the film’s duration, but when the action amps up and the vampire gore starts splattering, one can see the connection with Rodriguez’s later film. Revisiting this film, however, showed how he didn’t stray too far from where he had already been. I remember while watching Planet Terror thinking how overboard Rodriguez was going, and loving every minute of it. One could argue that their production of From Dusk Till Dawn laid the seeds for that schlock-fest extravaganza. This year’s Grindhouse was not the first of such collaborations between Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino.
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