Harvey Keitel, George Clooney and Juliette Lewis in the Robert Rodriguez movie ‘From Dusk till Dawn’

The intermingling of genres brings us a continued look into the horror film genre this month, adding a decidedly action and crime elements bent to boot. Robert Rodriguez, originally from San Antonio, Texas produced and directed From Dusk till Dawn (1996), a work co-written by Quentin Tarantino, originally from Knoxville, Tennessee and Robert Kurtzman, originally from Crestline, Ohio. The film is set in Mexico and Texas, United States.

(From left, Quentin Tarantino as Richard ‘Richie’ Gecko and George Clooney as Seth Gecko in the Robert Rodriguez movie From Dusk till Dawn).

The movie From Dusk till Dawn begins with clear elements of crime and violent action as the opening feature with the introduction of Benny’s World of Liquor. We meet brothers Seth Gecko and Richard ‘Richie’ Gecko, portrayed by George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino, respectively, robbing the liquor store based in Texas.

(From left, Michael Parks as Texas Ranger Earl McGraw and John Hawkes as Pete Bottoms in the Robert Rodriguez movie From Dusk till Dawn).

Pete Bottoms clerks at the store while Earl McGraw, a Texas Ranger, happens upon the scene during the commissioning of the crime. Things quickly occur in an unexpected way for one of the Gecko brothers, with the decision to act without subtlety in bringing resolution to the situation. Without spoiling details, the need to leave takes on an urgency that leads Richie and Seth to seek a path south. In the pursuit of that outcome, the object of hiding out at a hotel turns crudely violent while one of the brothers gets food. John Hawkes portrayed Pete Bottom as Michael Parks portrayed Earl McGraw.

(From left, George Clooney as Seth Gecko, Ernest Liu as Scott Fuller, Harvey Keitel as Jacob Fuller and Juliette Lewis as Katherine ‘Kate’ Fuller in the Robert Rodriguez movie From Dusk till Dawn).

On vacation, the Fuller family arrives at the inn where the Gecko brothers are staying in a recreational vehicle. The father, Jacob Fuller as portrayed by Harvey Keitel, is a widowed pastor traveling with his daughter Kate and son Scott. Juliette Lewis portrayed Kate as Ernest Liu portrayed Scott. The Gecko brothers threateningly coerce the Fuller family to drive them across the border into Mexico in order to meet their contact that is due to escort them to sanctuary, El Rey, at dawn the next morning.

(From left, Salma Hayek as Santanico Pandemonium and Richard “Cheech” Marin as Border Guard, Chet Pussy and Carlos in the Robert Rodriguez movie From Dusk till Dawn).

The contact for getting the Gecko brothers to sanctuary is portrayed by Richard “Cheech” Marin. The crew is directed by the contact to a Mexican strip bar named Titty Twister. Landing there with the Fuller family to experience a shocking experience that presumably will last until morning offers plenty of comedic territory, which begins with the introduction of performer Santanico Pandemonium. Salma Hayek portrayed Pandemonium, whose flamboyant routine brings on a bar fight. The true nature of the employees of this strip club / bar propels the transition of the movie into the horror movie that brings the story home.

(From left, actor and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino and director Robert Rodriguez on site for the Robert Rodriguez movie From Dusk till Dawn).

The movie From Dusk till Dawn takes you on a wild ride of a story that seeks to keep the audience guessing about the direction headed next. The themes of heinous crime, gratuitous violence, assaults on familial and personal innocence, and an unexpected turn to horror beg the audience to set aside traditional expectations and ask how twisted a story can work. That the payoff feels deliberately comedic at the same time lends itself to what cult following the film has won since the movie’s release. With a nod to the campy aspect delivered here, I grant From Dusk till Dawn as directed by Robert Rodriguez 4.0-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, October 22, 2022

Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck and the film ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’

A recent conversation with Airport Friend and others brought me to a Western directed by Andrew Dominik set in the aftermath of the American Civil War. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) includes true characters from the history of the United States, including outlaw Jesse James, criminal Robert Ford, and others. This blog post highlights the movie and offers a rating on whether you should tune in.

(From left, Mary-Louise Parker as Zee James, Brooklynn Proulx as Mary James, Dustin Bollinger as Tim James and Brad Pitt as Jesse James in the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford).

The core family of Jesse James, as portrayed by Brad Pitt, included Mary-Louise Parker as Zee James as well as the children James and Mary. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford shows Jesse James to ostensibly be a caring and engaged father with his kids, as additions to the leader of thieving outlaws that he also was. A part of the crew when Robert Ford introduces himself into the fray was Robert Ford‘s brother, Charley Ford.

(From left, Casey Affleck as Robert Ford and Sam Rockwell as Charley Ford in the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford).

Casey Affleck portrays Robert Ford whereas Sam Rockwell portrays Charley Ford. Charley Ford is the elder brother of Robert, which proved to be part of the way Robert Ford was introduced to the outlaws. Robert’s initiative with the brother of Jesse James, namely outlaw Frank James, played a part.

(From left, Sam Shepard as Frank James and Garret Dillahunt as Ed Miller in the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford).

The notion of family grows through the telling of the movie The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Frank and Jesse James were legends in their own rights, which were parts of the credibility and backstory many viewers brought into this film. The brothers had mutual trust and respect, though the mechanics of that story weren’t the feature narrative of this film. The relationship of Jesse James with the band of outlaws, including Ed Miller as portrayed by Garret Dillahunt, proves to have significance.

(From left, Paul Schneider as Dick Liddil and Jeremy Renner as Robert Woodson ‘Wood’ Hite in the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford).

Jeremy Renner played Robert Woodson ‘Wood’ Hite, first cousin to the James brothers in film. Dick Liddil, as played by Paul Schneider, joins in the story in furtherance of the background story for Jesse James and Robert Ford. Comic relief as well as that backstory were the relevant takeaways I made for the presence of Liddil and Hite. Without giving things away, and generally thinking audience’s can infer as they please from the titles of movies, I perhaps have pointed you to an important dramatic thrust for the film.

(From left, film director and screenwriter Andrew Dominik with Brad Pitt on location for the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford).

I appreciate the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which works hard to establish mood through narrative and cinematic storytelling. Music, imagery, and camera angles all contributed to the move the notion of Western away from some of the conventional movie tropes that accompany the genre. Addressing whether the proposed assassination was in fact cowardly, and the perceptions of some key characters within the storyline helped. How the final threads came together were weaker for me than I would have preferred, though I do like the path Andrew Dominik took in getting us to what finished fully. I rate The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford at 3.75-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Saturday, October 10, 2020

Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, and John Goodman in ‘Argo’

Winning Academy Awards for best picture, best writing, and best achievement in film editing, the film Argo (2012) tells a story based on actual events depicted in a book written by a CIA operative and a 2007 Wired magazine article. The underlying events of the story traced back to a three year hostage crisis in Iran that began in 1979. Based on the fact that the end result was something I knew walking in, I found the movie better than it had to be.

(From left, Bryan Cranston as Jack O’Donnell and Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez in Argo).

Argo stars director Ben Affleck as American intelligence officer Tony Mendez, Bryan Cranston as Jack O’Donnell, Alan Arkin as Lester Siegel, and John Goodman as John Chambers. Mendez, O’Donnell, Siegel and Chambers were key members of the American effort to get six members of the American embassy in Tehran in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution of 1978-1979. The film took pains to provide the historical context of the time, along with the series of bad ideas to get six Americans to safety.

(From left, John Goodman as John Chambers and Alan Arkin as Lester Siegel in Argo).

The six Americans holed up in the Canadian embassy in Tehran were Kathy Stafford as played by Kerry Bishé, Joe Stafford as played by Scoot McNairy, Mark Lijek as played by Christopher Denham, Bob Anders as played by Tate Donovan, Lee Schatz as played by Rory Cochrane, and Cora Lijek as played by Clea DuVall. Mark and Cora Lijek were a couple.

(From left, Kerry Bishé as Kathy Stafford, Scoot McNairy as Joe Stafford, Christopher Denham as Mark Lijek, Tate Donovan as Bob Anders, Rory Cochrane as Lee Schatz, and Clea DuVall as Cora Lijek in Argo).

Argo as a film was praised for its cinematic experience, as well as the acting in particular of Alan Arkin and John Goodman as film producers that helped bring the fiction of a film within Argo called the same thing. Historical complaints of note for the film included that the Canadian embassy’s part in the rescue was larger than portrayed, that British and New Zealand embassies had turned the Americans away,  and that the actual danger for the six American captives, Mendez, and Ken Taylor (as played by Victor Garber) may have been less than portrayed.

(From left, Victor Garber as Ken Taylor and Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez in Argo).

The story of the “exfiltration” of six Americans from Tehran, Iran in the midst of a political revolution in the late 1970s during the presidential administration of Jimmy Carter made for good cinema. I appreciated the movie at the time of its release, and I enjoyed it again upon watching the film just recently. My recommendation is that you watch the film. I offer the movie Argo 4.5-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Saturday, June 13, 2020