Well…Bruce Campbell is here for one scene!!
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999)
Directed By: Scott Spiegel (Intruder)
The Prologue
Coming off the very great, From Dusk Till Dawn, was two direct to video sequels in 1999. The first of which was, From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money. A film directed by Scott Spigel, who is a well known pal to Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. With Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodríguez taking on producer roles, one could have went into this film with a whole lot of hope, all things considered. What comes from this film is a good attempt, but it just ultimately lacks the cool factor and polished touch that the original had. It’s by no means the worst film ever, but it had a very hard act to follow.
The Movie
A bank-robbing gang of misfits heads to Mexico with the blueprints for the perfect million-dollar heist. But when one of the crooks wanders into the wrong bar (one you might remember from the first film) and crosses the wrong vampire (one we should all recognize), the thieving cohorts develop a thirst for blood to match their hunger for money. What follows is a stylish, yet somewhat disappointing followup to the classic original film, From Dusk Till Dawn.
I just want to start off by saying that I am a fan of Scott Spiegel. The man did write Evil Dead 2 and he did make Intruder, which I feel is one of the more underrated films out there. And while I do feel that From Dusk Till Dawn 2 is shot very stylishly, with the trademark creative camera work of Scott intact, it just falls short on more than a few levels. One level being it’s not as well written as the original. The characters aren’t as cool or as fun to watch. The story isn’t anything new. And to top all of that off, it’s just nowhere near as cool as the original film came off being. It’s stylish, but it’s just kinda dull.
Now there’s a little bit of fun here and there. Mostly due to the cameos by legend Bruce Campbell and my old Save By the Bell Crush, Tiffani Thiessen. But the cameos are just that and when they are gone, the thrill seems to be gone too. I have no clue the workings of this film, but had they talked Bruce to have a real role in this (and a few other tweaks), this film may have went on to be a lot better than it is. It has the vampires, it even has the look of the original, but I hope you won’t think I’m overstepping any lines by saying it just lacks the heart of the original.
Now don’t get the wrong idea and think I’m just basing all of my opinions on this film in comparison to the original film. If you take the original out of the whole equation this film still leaves a lot to be desired. The ending isn’t very climatic, and it gets a little silly and corny on top of that. There’s no real life in the cast and everyone seems to be going through the motions. Overall, it’s got some blood and some cool camera tricks but that’s just about it. And make no mistake about it, it pains me to say that.
The Conclusion
Well, perhaps on it’s on you could call this film very passable. BUT, you can own it and the much much better original together on a double feature blu-ray disc HERE at Echo Bridge. Counting films that Scott directed that I’ve seen, I’ll say he’s 1 for 2. Let’s hope Hostel III turns out to be a little more Intruder and a little less, From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money.
The Rating (5/10)
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