Third time lucky (From Dusk Till Dawn 3 (DVD))

Member Name: neinel

Product:	From Dusk Till Dawn 3 (DVD)
Date:	15/10/00 (84 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great story, direction, acting and editing; very similar to the original From Dusk Till Dawn; cleverly manipulates the highly speculated mystery of Bierce's disappearance

Disadvantages: Still a step down from the magic of the first film, Salma Hayek's absence

After seeing the terrible letdown "From Dusk Till Dawn 2 : Texas Blood Money", I didn't have very high expectations of this film when I got it out on video. Despite having little involvement from the crew of the original From Dusk Till Dawn, "From Dusk Till Dawn 3 : The Hangman's Daughter" is actually the brainchild of Robert Rodriguez and his cousin, Alvaro. They came up with the story together and Alvaro wrote the screenplay.

Right from the start of the film, you can tell it has style. It is set in 1913 and starts with an American writer, Ambrose Bierce (played by, would you believe it, Michael Parks - Earl McGraw from the first From Dusk Till Dawn) arriving in Mexico, where he wants to join Pancho Villa's army. What is intersting about this character is that he really existed. Ambrose Bierce was a popular American novelist around the late 19th century and disappeared in 1914 while in Mexico. The Rodriguez cousins cleverly intertwine this fact with their main story, which focuses on the hangman's daughter. She is called Esmerelda and, 83 years from when the story is set, can be seen frequenting The Titty Twister under the title of Santanico Pandemonium (played by Salma Hayek in the original film). Sadly, Salma Hayek does reprise her role in The Hangman's Daughter. Her replacement is less beautiful and not a brilliant actress but she fits the role very well.

The main hero is Johnny Madrid (excellently played by Marco Leonardi), an outlaw facing certain death at a town hanging. A coach containing Bierce, the Newlies (a young religous couple) and mysterious teenage boy (who later is revealed to be a girl in disguise) called Reece, has stopped off in the village just before Madrid is about to be hanged. With the help of Reece, he manages to escape, taking Esmerelda with him. The hangman wants them both found either dead or alive (note: this scene borrows heavily from Bierce's novel 'The Occurence at Ow
l Creek Bridge'). Reece follows Madrid and tells him that Bierce is carrying something very valuable in the coach. Madrid and his posse then hold up the coach but Bierce explains that the valuable item he owns is not a possession but simply him as a person; he believes he would be valuable to Pancho Villa's army. The outlaws leave empty handed but Madrid tells them not to hurt Bierce as seems to be a man of respect. Reece tells Madrid she wants to be an infamous outlaw like him but he finds the idea insulting and hangs him/her from a tree. Elsewhere, Bierce and the Newlies are stranded in the desert but eventually stumble across a rundown old tavern called La Tetilla del Diablo (translates into The Devil's Nipple according to my Spanish). Yes, you guessed it. This place is actually The Titty Twister (if I had a penny for every time an unsuspecting hombre walked in that place...) and Razor Charlie is back from the dead - although this is 83 years before he dies I suppose! Shortly after, Esmerelda and Madrid & his men come in after being chased by vampire coyotes. It soon emerges that Esmerelda has a hidden origin her father didn't want her to know about and that fate has brought her to La Tetilla del Diablo. Then, in true fashion of the first film, the doors are bolted shut and the carnage begins.

La Tetilla del Diablo looks very much like the modern Titty Twister but also seems to run a thriving prostitution business. It has many guest rooms and a hatch leading underground that are not shown in the other two films but the owners' method of business is still the same. The format is much closer to the first From Dusk Till Dawn than that of Texas Blood Money and the contributions of Robert and Alvaro Rodriguez are priceless, as is P.J. Pesce's direction. Sadly, Quentin Tarantino only executive produced this film but it still holds up excellently without him being significantly involved. It is a success for every reason Texas Blood Mone
y is not: it has a solid, interesting and action packed story as a basis, the screenplay and direction are spot on and the editing is especially good.

Marco Leonardi is on brilliant form as Johnny Madrid and Michael Parks proves his versatility as a character actor with impressive style. His portrayal as the washed up and jaded Ambrose Bierce is a far cry from the bigoted, red neck, Earl McGraw he plays in the first film. Overall, The Hangman's Daughter does the original From Dusk Till Dawn justice. It comes nowhere near to recapturing the unique brilliance of the first film but it complements it very well. Unlike Texas Blood Money, which really has no business muscling in on the storyline of the original, The Hangman's Daughter is created so well that it is a pleasure to see the vintage Titty Twister and an 83 years younger Razor Charlie. It has a great plot of its own and is not just a tacky spin off from the first From Dusk Till Dawn. It is a lot closer to the original film than Texas Blood Money - despite being set 83 years previously - and comes highly recommended by me.

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