Let's get right to the point: This movie rocked my ass. The first half is your standard Quentin Tarantino script. George Clooney and Tarantino are the Gecko Brothers. Seth is the calm, smooth talking, ultra-hip gangster and Richie is the crazy, sex offender, pederast... you figure out which actor is playing which character. They go on a crime and killing spree from the midwest down through Texas. They run into former pastor and widower Harvey Keitel and his two kids, played by Juliette Lewis (in one of the few roles where I don't hate her guts) and Ernest Liu (wearing a shirt that references John Carpenter flick Assault on Precinct 13). Anywho, the Geckos commandeer the family's RV and force Keitel to drive them to Mexico.
The second half of the movie does an about face. It goes from violent crime picture to violent horror picture. The characters arrive at a sleazy bar/strip club called the Titty Twister, where they soon are under attack by vampires. The remainder of the film is an extended battle between the heroes and the undead monsters. Lending some help are FX wizard Tom Savini as a biker named Sex Machine and former pro football player and Blaxploitation star Fred "The Hammer" Williamson as a tightly wound Vietnam Vet. The fight lasts for a long time, and every gory detail is done well.
The movie's got lots of other good points, like Cheech Marin playing three different characters. The soundtrack is very good, with some sweet Tex-Mex rock from the Blasters, ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan and others. And then there's my favorite part: an extended dance with a snake by Salma Hayek that's got to be seen to be believed. I'm in love. |
