From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		2.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		1.5

From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter Blu-ray Movie Review

At least it's better than part two.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 7, 2011

Death is the end of pain.

In the From Dusk Till Dawn series, all roads lead to the Titty Twister, or La Tetilla del Diablo as it's known in From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter. Unfortunately, those roads are wildly uneven; the first is paved with gold, the second is miles and miles of nothing but quicksand, and the third is a rocky and hilly but traversable path that will leave some blisters and tired muscles but that's far preferable to the death trap that is that middle stretch. For those not keeping score at home, the first film in the series may be considered a borderline classic of the macabre, a movie that's brilliantly split between exemplary exposition and character development and human-versus-vampire ultra-violence within the confines of a seedy border town bordello. The sequel, well, just forget that it even exists. As for the third entry, it's not a particularly good movie when taken at face value. It's a total loser next to the original From Dusk Till Dawn, and it's an Oscar contender compared to Texas Blood Money. The truth is that it falls somewhere around that "not particularly good" observation. It has its moments -- as few and far between as they may be -- but it also has its fair share of problems, making it best enjoyed by series completists and fans of relatively bad and pointless moviemaking.

Um, yeah...

Following the cessation of hostilities of the American Civil War, noted Author Ambrose Bierce (Michael Parks) disappeared into Mexico with the intention of joining Pancho Villa's revolutionary forces. He was never heard from again, and this is his story. Sort of. An outlaw named Johnny Madrid (Marco Leonardi) has been sentenced to hang, but he's freed in a daring rescue by a wannabe member of his gang, the young and exuberant but naive Reece (Jordana Spiro). Madrid escapes with the hangman's daughter Esmerelda (Ara Celi) in tow and learns from Reece of Bierce's efforts to join Pancho Villa and the possibility that he may be transporting something of great value. Bierce's stagecoach -- also carrying newlywed missionaries John and Mary Newlie (Lennie Loftin and Rebecca Gayheart) -- is hit in a well-orchestrated raid. Ultimately, all roads for all involved lead to a dilapidated and seedy establishment called La Tetilla del Diablo where a night of rest, relaxation, and sin promises to turn into a hellish nightmare the likes of which few have ever seen -- let alone survived -- before.

From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter is a fairly stylish film, but that style wears thin after a time. Not only does the overly red, sunbaked texture suck all of the life out of the movie, but the filmmakers seem intent on copying the Robert Rodriguez style that helped make the first film such a success. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but sadly, neither imitation nor flattery do much of anything to elevate this movie beyond the level of pond scum. Making matters worse, the picture operates on what is obviously a shoestring budget. The production values are close to zero, the acting isn't much better, and the script is an exercise in tedium. It's the very definition of a movie that just tries too darn hard. Attempting to keep in the same style as the superior original -- which includes a deadly long and incredibly dull opening two-thirds stretch before getting to the "good stuff" -- is ultimately this film's downfall. There's a better movie here to be sure, one that might have enjoyed a fair bit more success had it been allowed to operate on its own time rather than conform to the impossibly high standard and structure set by the first film.

Indeed, From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter takes so long to get going that the movie may be declared dead before it really finds its stride. That's not to blame the story -- it's decent -- but rather the film's insistence on mimicking the bold structure of the original. Sadly, where From Dusk Till Dawn worked, this movie simply fails to sustain its dialogue- and character-intensive first half-plus because its script, actors, and characters are significantly weaker. By the time everything and everyone are in place for the vampire "reveal" -- which in this movie comes as no surprise considering it's following the exact same basic structure as its predecessors -- fatigue has long since set in and the action becomes a string of hopelessly meaningless drivel that's made of decent makeup, bad special effects, and a general lethargy that's thanks in large part to the "been there, done that" sense of déjà vu. Fortunately, the action is loud and the gore so plentiful that it will at least shock audiences back into the movie for a moment, but there's only so many ways a film can show steaks through the heart, vampire transformations, melting bodies, and the like, and only so many times audiences can watch it play out before growing tired of the same-old, same-old.

From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter arrives on Blu-ray with an unattractive 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer. It's difficult to tell where the overly stylized, director-intended look ends and the Blu-ray's faults begin. The transfer appears to be the victim of some serious noise reduction; it's impossibly smooth, flat, and lifeless, with grain visibly frozen in place in some scenes and textures appearing completely washed away in others. Facial details are near zero, and rarely is there an instance where fine detailing is anything more than standard-definition acceptable. Contrast wildly fluctuates in a few scenes, and colors have fallen prey to an excessive red filtering that only gives way in the final act, revealing still-dull hues that are at least a welcome reprieve from the film's heavy-handed sun-baked artificialness. Black levels waver but are generally solid. Unfortunately, the image is plagued by a myriad of quality control and image-destroying issues, including occasional edge enhancement, unsightly blocky backgrounds, sporadic noise, and a few jagged lines. Combine the Blu-ray's issues with the film's inherent ugliness and the result is one unattractive transfer.

From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter features a bare-essentials DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is never quite as crisp as one might hope, but then again this is an older, lower-budget movie appearing on a hastily-assembled Blu-ray, so the results are about as expected. Music is probably this track's best asset. It's sufficiently robust and spacious and, while lacking the absolute clarity of better lossless presentations and more precisely-engineered soundtracks, the results are acceptable. The low end can be a touch unrefined and sloppy to the point that it's sometimes difficult to tell what a sound symbolizes, whether a part of the music or a distinctive sound effect, such as a clap of thunder. A few sound effects are tossed into the back channels seemingly for the sake of giving the surrounds more to do; while some atmospherics, action effects, and music all contribute to what is a fairly robust surround presentation, there's no doubt the track is a bit overzealous when it comes to engaging all five speakers. Gunshots, running horses, screams, and other action-oriented sound effects are suitably energetic and halfway clear. Dialogue is firmly entrenched up the middle and plays with no appreciable problems. This track is by no means a winner, and it's by no means a disaster. It's a routine presentation, and is probably the high point of this release.

From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only supplement appearing on this Blu-ray release of From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter is Robert Rodriguez at the Premiere (1080i, 3:44), a short piece featuring the acclaimed Director discussing the movie.

From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter is a real drag of a movie; it's slow, pointless, and not very good at copying the style of the original. It's vastly superior to Texas Blood Money, but then again so is weeks-old and well-soiled kitty litter. From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter has a decent story to tell but is absent the technical ability to transition it into a good film. That's a shame, really, but at least there's always the original, a superior picture in every regard that refuses to have its good name tarnished by its deadbeat, leeching sequels. Echo Bridge's Blu-ray release of From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter features subpar video, a passable lossless soundtrack, and one extra. Skip it.