[DL] Deadlands Movie Review: From Dusk till Dawn 3

[GMSkarka@aol.com]

Folks--

Just caught a new video release last night:  "From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The 
Hangman's Daughter".

Short review:  Worth the rental, especially for DL fans.

Longer review:  This direct-to-video sequel to the marginally cool original 
movie (as well as it's pretty lame video-release follow-up, "FDTD2 Texas 
Blood Money") takes the tale of the Vampire-infested Mexican cantina back 100 
years to the Wild West.  The story features Ambrose Bierce (right before he 
disappeared while looking to join Pancho Villa) meeting up with a 
bible-toting couple (including Rebecca Gayheart), and an outlaw named Johnny 
Madrid who has recently escaped from execution, along with the titular 
"Hangman's Daughter", Esmeralda.  Of course, the Hangman himself is on their 
trail, trying to get his daughter back, and the whole bunch of them end up at 
the Vampire Lair that will go on to become the "Titty Twister" of the first 
movie.

All in all, it's a pretty cool little flick, well worth the marginal little 
rental fee that it costs.  The film does suffer, however, from the same 
abrupt shift that marks the first film:  Initially its played as a pretty 
straight western (albeit cliched and fairly cheesy) and then switches over to 
a vampiric survival flick.  Personally, I think that the mood of the film 
would have been greatly improved by a little foreshadowing: i.e. maintaining 
the creepy mood throughout.  But hey, that's just me.

For the gun fans out there, BTW, Johnny Madrid does use a couple of 
broom-handled Mausers with rifle-stocks, which is kinda unique (although 
personally not being an arms historian, I wasn't sure of the possible 
anacronism there).

Outlaws, tin-horn preachers, drunk writers and mexican banditos all wrapped 
up in a tasty tortilla with blood-sucking vampires!  How can ya go wrong?

Just my two pesos, 

Gareth-Michael Skarka