I still remember how brilliant the promotion for this film was. From what we were shown, this appeared to be another crime caper from Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Well, they sure as hell got me!
My friend Jeremy and I used to go to this mall every week, on pay day, and visit the arcade and the theater. We had seen previews of the new Tarantino film and had already decided that this would be our weekly film. This time, we brought along another friend, Dan, who graciously provided us with a hallucinogen to help heighten the experience. The entryway to the theater was bizarre and had blinking lights arching over the walkway to each theater, and really helped to set the mood for our current venture.
We enter the screening room and found our seats. As the film started our trips began and I was instantly engulfed in the film. It starts with a very tense liquor store robbery that escalates into the murder of a lawman (Michael Parks) and the store blowing up as two brothers, Seth (George Clooney) and Richie (Quentin Tarantino), exit the store arguing. The dialog was purely Tarantino, but I felt like the scene was something I would see if Kevin Smith wrote a caper movie. Maybe it was just the drugs?
So, anyway, cut to some time later and the brothers Geko, Clooney and Tarintino, kidnap a traveling family, former minister Jacob (Harvey Keitel), Kate (Juliette Lewis), and Scott (Ernest Liu). This is when we discover that the brothers are seeking refuge in the town of elRay in Mexico. They plan on using the family and their RV to smuggle them across the border.
At this point I recall being completely sunken into my seat and hanging on every word of the dialog as our merry band of travelers cross the border and approach a bar that is supposed to serve as a rally point for the Geko's and those meant to get them to elRay. This is when a sober version of me would have realized that something was about to go very wrong, but instead found myself laughing hysterically at the bar's doorman (Cheech Marin) giving a spiel of all of the different kinds of pussy that's available at the "Titty Twister"!
Our group sits down and begins taking shots and enjoying the entertainment. That's about the time I fell in love! Danny Trejo delivers an introduction to a sensual dancer and as her music begins, out comes the extremely beautiful, breath-taking Salma Hayek. I believe I started drooling. As her hips seductively sway, she sets her eyes on Richie and walks across table tops until she is right in front of him. As the song ends, several "hard" patrons of the bar approach their table and attack the Geko's.
The brothers quickly dispatch the mob and as blood drips from Richie's injured hand, the seductress dancer suddenly changes from beauty into a hideous "creature"!!! I, in shock, raise from my seat and shout at the the screen, "What the hell is that?" The surprising turn of events leaves me in a state of complete disbelief as I am pulled back into my seat by my friends.
So much carnage and mayhem ensue and our brothers and their captors are forced to band together for their very survival. The Titty Twister is packed full of great cameos like that of make-up effects royalty Tom Savini (Sex Machine) and Greg Nicotero, as well as Fred Williamson as the Vietnam veteran Frost. Additional cameos by John Saxon, Kelly Preston, and John Hawkes make this film very fun.
This was an excellent collaboration between Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. You can really tell the extreme dividing point between the two, although the directing and feel of the film, overall, is seamless. This movie was awesome then, and still holds up. The casting and performances were spot on and well delivered. I loved how Cheech Marin was given multiple roles as a throwback to his Cheech and Chong variety shows. And I never would have thought I'd see Harvey Keitel playing a minister!!! And finally, to see George Clooney get back to fun, horror films was so glorious! Just glad his hair was better than it was back in his "Killer Tomato" days!
There is an extreme amount of violence and nudity, so it's not recommended for anyone under 15. That being said, it is also a load of fun! Also, this was written by creator of The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman, in a superb example of the great writer he is.
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