With Tarantino’s version of freak being a surprisingly engaging effort, the rest of the unruly cast acting in From Dusk Till Dawn remains an interesting assemblage of talent.

Released in 1996 the movie features a rather young Clooney, one still a part of E.R.. So, his inclusion here should be lauded simply for shirking expectations and taking a role, which we should assumed he like, that didn’t jive with his then current fan base. The neck tattoo might be a bit much, but Rodriguez most likely worked to toughen up the guy’s image so as to not make the entire vampire fighting thing seem preposterous. Regardless of that, Clooney’s was a strong performance in a film of decent, if not great actors.

Salam Hayeck might have only been on screen for a few scant moments, but she unquestionably impacted not just the film, but her career. This role isn’t why she landed a spot on 30 Rock, but it added to her renown – even if it wasn’t based upon her acting prowess.

Either way, any movie that sports all of the above mentioned folks as well as Juliette Lewis and Harvey Keitel can’t be all bad. The latter’s performance as a wayward minister might be on the heavy handed side of things, but the brooding that simmers just beneath Keitel’s performance throughout the entire film is the stuff of legend. Why he signed on to do such a campy flick, though, is still odd.

As Keitel’s daughter in the film – and her family’s lone survivor – it would have been a boon to the narrative if Lewis’ character was fleshed out a bit. Yeah, she’s young, and Tarantino’s character has unsavory thoughts about her. But apart from making it through the vampire melee and subsequently being abandoned by the Clooney character after asking to tag along, viewers don’t know anything about her.

Perhaps the inclusion of such seventies’ b-movie icons as Cheech Marin (who takes on something like three different roles here) and former football star Fred Williamson is meant to make viewers ignore the film’s transgressions. Sadly, though, the most prevalent faux pas comes during the last scene in the film.

As the camera pulls out for a wide shot of the Titty Twister and its adjacent parking lot, the bar’s reveled to have been an immense temple, hinting at the fact that there are any number of vampires still kicking around down there. Tackling that angle might have been too much for a film, but it’s an avenue that could have enlivened the proceedings.