True Romance (1993)

It was directed with energetic skill by Top Gun Tony Scott, but this breathtaking 1993 thriller (think of it as an adolescent crime fantasy on steroids) has Quentin Tarantino written all over it. True Romance is really part of a loose trilogy that includes Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, with a crackling Tarantino screenplay that rides a fine line between raucous comedy and violent excess. Christian Slater plays Clarence, the comic-book lover who meets a beguiling prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette), confronts her vicious pimp (Gary Oldman), and embarks on a cross-country odyssey with $5 million worth of Mafia cocaine. Mayhem ensues, culminating in a favorite Tarantino climax--the "Mexican standoff"--in which a roomful of guys are pointing guns at each other, waiting to see who shoots first. Brutal, profane, and totally outrageous, True Romance is not for everyone, but with a supporting cast that includes Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, and Val Kilmer (as the ghost of Elvis!), you can be sure this movie will never be boring. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

"Today Ain't White Boy Day Is It?"

Tony Scott's "True Romance" (1994) is a cocktail mixture of action, drugs, sex and violence rollicking with the heedless enthusiasm of a newborn puppy in a Christmas box. The plot is a miasma of over-the-top situations centering on a comic store clerk and a call girl who fall in love and set about making their mark in the world. The murder of the call girl's pimp and the re-appropriation of his drug stash allow this dynamic duo to attain their dreams, but not without some bumps along the way.

Scripted by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, the film exists in a high-octane and bullet-riddled universe where paper-thin characters thrive with no sense of nagging morality or long term purpose. The viewer never knows what Clarence (Slater) or Alabama (Arquette) want to be, other than a mad dog killer and a gorgeous hooker, or even what they want to do, other than have sex in phone booths and watch Kung Fu movies. In fact, their long-term goal of "getting far, far away" throughout the film is revealed as spending money, making love and lying around on tropical beaches. Does this make the film not worth seeing? No: Quite the opposite.

Once the viewer realizes he is not watching a realistic film but instead a film written for twenty-something college dorm inhabitants, the film can be enjoyed for what it is: an entertaining action movie with lots of crazy dialog, fast-paced antics and bloody situations.

The two stars, Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, are ideally cast for their roles. Slater effortlessly conveys the bored-out-of-his-mind young man who hasn't grown up and spends his time clerking at a comic book store. As the peppy hooker, Arquette's performance encapsulates the Playboy nymph of a male teendom's dreams: the breezy gal you hope would crash at your pad for a week in Daisy Duke Shorts and halter tops.

The best performances in the film are by Val Kilmer, unrecognizable as the imaginary Elvis, and Brad Pitt, who bumbles along as the stoned-beyond-all-reason roommate that is all too eager to give directions. Dennis Hopper gives a mostly by-the-numbers performance with the exception of a tense yet hilarious speech delivery on Sicilian genetics. Christopher Walken instantly tops the speech and calmly egresses with his usual cool. The icing on the cake is the talented Gary Oldman as a psychotic drug-dealing wacko-path who rants about White Boy Day and is the epitome of urban mayhem.

If you are bored on a Saturday night then I suggest you rent "True Romance" and let the chaotic genius of Tarantino Land wash over you.

Film Rating: **** (four) out of ***** (five) stars. October 3, 2008

the best movie ever

stop reading this review and go and watch the best movie i have ever seen......... September 27, 2008

"You are so Cool!!"

"Quentin carried the screenplay for this gem for something like 7 years before he sold it and still my favorite work from him. Everyone cool is in this film, no directing from our Pulp Fiction friend, but I got to read a copy of his screenplay (complete with typos!) while watching it. Spot-on!!"PILATE: A Brutal Bible Tale June 14, 2008

WOW!

It had been quite a while since I had seen True Romance - my VHS tape warped - and I had forgotten just how good it is.
That said, those who have never seen it should be warned that the film is what a friend of mine calls "HARD R-rated". In other words, it is explicit in every sense of an R-rated movie.
The director's cut has few changes that I noticed from the VHS edition I had, with one very noticeable and effective change in the final shootout scene. It is a decided improvement,
The best thing about the two-disk set is all the special features. Those who do not enjoy commentary won't have a lot to cheer about but those who do will be ecstatic. After watching the movie straight through the night the package came in the mail, I went back and watched the individual commentaries on specific scenes by some of the stars-in-smaller-roles such as Val Kilmer and Brad Pitt. Then I watched the deleted or altered scenes with commentary by director Tony Scott. That was terrific. I loved hearing him say things such as, "I wish I'd left that in." A couple of times I wished he had, too.
Then I went back and picked scenes to re-watch with commentary by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette. Every minute of sleep lost to this marathon was worth it.
Once again, this is not a film for anyone who is offended by four-letters words, graphic violence or blatant sex. I wish that it were less in-your-face R so that I could recommend it to a wider audience. Nevertheless, the acting is flawless, direction on target and some scenes are absolutely brilliant. The sheer number of talented actors whose screen time is minimal is enough to make it worth the running time for serious aficianados of film. April 19, 2008

What we have here is drugs, the mob, comic books and pimps

Dirty drugs, low money and true love are a heady combination. These are really dumb young people? An Hollywood cocktail of mob, cops and a drug deal mixed with murder makes for a surprise of sudden death. Quentin Taratino
is the only guy who gets humor out of torture scenes? The cops, the mob and two sets of clueless fools makes for unexpected confrontation.
More unexpected is a happy ending.
If I were younger and hadn't seen this done with real class, I might have given it 5 stars.
March 24, 2008

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