Starring George Clooney, Harvey Keitel, Quentin Tarantino
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Between his stint as George the handyman on "The Facts of Life" and being considered one of the sexiest men alive, George Clooney starred in this horror-cum-action flick as a thief with a wicked neck tattoo on the run from the law with his brother, a bespectacled Quentin Tarantino. After kidnapping a fallen preacher (Keitel) and his kids, the brothers use the family to escape to Mexico and a strip club where they're supposed to wait out the night and meet their partner in the morning. One problem: the club is an all-night buffet for vampires.
Co-written by Tarantino, Dusk is full of the kind of wit and humor fans have come to expect. Of course, this was 14 years ago so it's safe to say Dusk help set the Tarantino tone. And, as expected, the violence is brutal and over-the-top and the woman are beautiful (Dusk features a serpent-handling Salma Hayek).
But does it hold up over a decade later? As a story, sure. It's an interesting set-up, but the execution is a little choppy. What doesn't hold up are the special effects, but only in terms of what we've come to expect. The Titty Twister is no Pandora, but it's actually sort of refreshing to see monsters become so sans CGI.
Bottom line: I'll pick Dusk every day of the week and twice on Sunday over Twilight and as a vamp flick with a sense of humor, you could do a lot worse.
