Review of From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (2000) by Sergio E — 16 Sep 2009

This one being a prequel of the first one is slightly better that the second one but none of them actually get to the knees of the first one but this always seem to happen when the originals aren't involved in screenplay directing and the writers either .. and shall we say some actors at least!! and it's understandable but!! better things are made and we have to tell the truth!!!

This one had a couple good acts by notorius actors but it wasn't enough!!

Prelude: "At the end of his life, Civil War hero and author Ambrose Bierce (The Devil's Dictionary) disappeared into Mexico with the intention of joining Pancho Villa's revolutionary forces. He was never heard from again.".

It's Old Mexico. Ambrose Bierce [Michael Parks] is sitting outside a cantina drinking tequilla and watching Paster Neely [Lennie Loftin] and his wife Mary [Rebecca Gayheart] dispense spiritual forgiveness to those about to be hanged, one of whom is the outlaw Johnny Madrid [Marco Leonardi]. Narrowly escaping his hanging (thanks to the knives in his boots), Johnny escapes the Hangman [Temuera Morrison] but takes his daughter Esmeralda [Ara Celi] with him. They ride off to meet up with Johnny's gang, with the Hangman and his crew in hot pursuit. Also in pursuit of Johnny is the kid who shot the noose from his neck. Meanwhile, Bierce, Neely, and Neely's wife take off in the stagecoach for Tierra Nigra, Bierce to meet up with Pancho Villa, the Neelys to bring Bibles to the children.

The kid turns out to be Catherine Reese [Jordana Spiro] who wants to become a famous outlaw like Johnny Madrid. In exchange for becoming his apprentice, she tells him that Ambrose Bierce is carrying something valuable (probably gold) to Pancho Villa. Johnny and his gang catch up with the stagecoach and overtake it. While rifling through the contents of the stagecoach, they come upon a manuscript The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter, but no gold. The outlaws ride on, leaving Bierce and the Neelys with the stagecoach. Johnny hangs Reese for having the wrong impression of him. Esmeralda is sickened at the sight, rides off, and Johnny goes after her. The rest of the gang ride on. The Hangman finds Reese just in time to cut her down.

The stagecoach becomes stuck in the sand. Bierce and the Neelys go on by foot, eventually coming to a seemingly abandoned inn "La Tetilla del Diable: Open Dusk Till Dawn." But the inn isn't abandoned. It's run by Razor Charlie [.Danny Trejo] and Lady Quintila [Sonia Braga]. Bierce orders tequilla, while the Neely's take a room for the night. Eventually, other guests start arriving, including Johnny and Esmeralda, the rest of Johnny's gang, the Hangman, and the Fuller Brush Man. Neely tries to have sex with his wife but she wants to sleep, so he finds entertainment elsewhere. Esmeralda, in the meantime, is cornered by Quintila who lovingly licks the blood off Esmeralda's wounds. It turns out that Esmeralda is really Quintila's daughter, Satanika.

Neely, now a changed man, starts a fight in the bar, and the blood bath begins. While Neely fights for Mary's honor, she tangoes with the Fuller Brush Man, who is now a vampire. Soon everyone is either turned into a vampire or slain. The only two to escape into the morning sun are Ambrose Bierce and Johnny Madrid.

"Prequel" to the first From Dusk Till Dawn is set in Mexico in the early 1900's which begins with the escape of Johnny Madrid, a dangerous local outlaw, from the gallows who then kidnaps his hangman's beautiful daughter, Esmeralda, with a little help from Reece, a female outlaw from the U.S. With the hangman and a local posse on their trail, Johnny meets with his gang who all rob a stagecoach which contains American author Ambrose Bierce along with newlywed couple John and Mary Newlie. As night falls, all parties coincidently seek shelter in an isolated inn/whorehouse which is run by vampires led by the high priestess Quixtla who targets Esmeralda. Esmeralda is revealed to be the half-human, half-vampire princess Santanico Pandemonium, whom the vampires want as their heir in which all the humans must join forces if they are to survive the night from the vicious blood-suckers.

Set in Mexico in the early 1900s, this prequel to the popular series begins with outlaw Johnny Madrid (Marco Leonardi) running from the hangman (Temuera Morrison) with the executioner's daughter (Ara ...( read more )Celi) in tow. The two escapees are soon caught up in the adventure of their lives, meeting various characters along the way as they rob a stagecoach and become entangled with a coven of female vampires.