15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"You have no idea what you have unleashed....", May 27, 2003
This one is simple. If you saw and liked the original "From Dusk Till Dawn" then you are going to like "From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter." Even better, if you did not like "From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money," you will find this one more to your taste . In fact, you can skip the first direct to video sequel in favor of this film and not miss a thing because this second sequel is actually a prequel. The bad news is that what makes this one succeed might spell the end of the series, because, after all, how many times can you draw water from the same well? Therefore, we may well be at the end of the Aztec/Mexican Vampire Bloodbath movies.
"From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter" is set during the Mexican Revolution, tied to that period of history by the presence of Ambrose Bierce (Parks), American newspaper columnist, satirist, essayist, short-story writer, and novelist, an enigmatic figure who disappeared south of the border and is presumed to have died during the siege of Ojinega in January 1914. Bierce is in Mexico to bring something of great value to Pancho Villa, but he is also ill and has something of a death wish.
At the other end of the spectrum is the outlaw Johnny Madrid (Marco Leonardi, "Like Water for Chocolate") who not only escapes from the hangman (Temuera Morrison, "Six Days, Seven Nights"), but the takes the hangman's sensuous daughter Esmeralda (Ara Celi) away with him. Madrid and Bierce first meet up when the outlaw's gang robs the stagecoach on which the writer is riding to join Villa (there is something to be said for having a blind man ride shotgun on a stage). But they meet again after the hold up when Bierce and a young newlywed missionary couple, Mary and John Newlie (Rebecca Gayheart and Lennie Loftin), end up that night seeking shelter at the combination bar and bordello that we recall from the first film (Danny Trejo is still behind the bar as Razor Charlie). Meanwhile, the hangman is still on the trail of his daughter. Eventually, wackiness ensues.
The film returns to the essence of the original, which finds a ground of humans forced by dire circumstances to band together against a horde of bloodsucking fiends. The first time around the scene was set in a Mexican biker bar. This time around it is essentially the wild, wild west, even if it is still early in the 20th century. The movie has a touch of class with Sonia Braga as Quixtla, the proprietress of the establishment, although the Bierce character also brings some dignity and ironic wit to the proceedings. Orlando Jones even plays it essentially straight in his role as an Andalusian brush peddler in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The script is by Álvaro Rodríguez, based on a story he co-wrote with original director Roberto Rodríguez. Director P.J. Pesce ("Body Waves") does not have the cinematic flair of Roberto Rodriguez, but then who does? The main thing is that he treats the first half of the film seriously as we deal with the possible romance between the outlaw and the hangman's daughter, the stagecoach robbery, and Bierce's deathwish. Then it becomes party time in the bar and all hell breaks loose. The special effects are over the top, but intentionally so; they are just part of the menu. The last half of the movie is simply a question of going along for the ride and waiting to see who makes it out of there alive.
Actually, I think "From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter" might be more enjoyable than the original. It is more of a classic horror film without the "Pulp Fiction" sensibilities that writer Quentin Tarantino brought to the table the first time around (with the exception of this film's "dance number"). As always when it comes to such films, whether we are talking Tarantino or vampires, it comes down to questions of taste. Either way, this film deserved better than the fate of being direct to video.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An action packed begining !, March 25, 2000
Virtually as soon as the film begins, so does the action. The movie starts with an outlaw who at the begining is about to be hanged by the "hangman", but the outlaw escapes with the hangmans daughter and throughout the movie the hangman pursues the outlaw. The main story however is the origin of Princess "Pandomonium"(salma hayek's part in "dusk till dawn") and where all the vampires came from. Overall an action packed vampire film with a great story line that clears a lot up that dusk till dawn 2 did not only being surpased by "dusk till dawn". The DVD has only a deleted scene, but the picture and dolby 5.1 sound is superb!
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24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Good, The Bad, And The Bloodsuckers, September 1, 2001
To truly appreciate this movie, you should first watch FDTD1, The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly and the Twilight Zone episode 'An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge'. Familiarizing yourself with Ambrose Bierce and the history of Mexico during the early 20th century couldn't hurt. FDTD3 is basically a spaghetti western meets vampire flick taking as its starting point the fact that Ambrose Bierce did disappear in Mexico in 1914. The movie isn't brilliant, the movie isn't as good as FDTD1, but it isn't awful like many of the reviewers make it out to be. FDTD3 is definitely one of those lazy weekend afternoon gratuitous sex and violence movies. [My wife says not to forget to mention the heavy lesbian overtones, but I know that cultured readers of reviews on this site probably aren't interested in lesbian overtones.] Always keep in mind that if you see a movie you don't like in the movie theater with a date at matinee prices, you'll be out at least 13 bucks with nothing to show for it. If you buy a DVD you don't like, you can always recoup some of your funds by selling it used. And if you like the movie on DVD, you get to watch it again and again. FDTD3 is not a classic, but well worth watching.
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