“True
Romance” is a 1993 crime drama
directed by Tony Scott (“Top Gun”) and
written by legendary director/writer Quentin Tarantino as his first full length
screenplay. He was coming off a groundbreaking directorial debut with “Reservoir
Dogs”, and went on to write and
direct “Pulp Fiction” just a year
later. As a giant fan of all of his movies, it was really cool to finally see “True
Romance” - as his writing alone made it feel like any other Tarantino film. His
sharp screenplay was as unique and entertaining as most of his other work,
without a single line of dialogue being wasted or boring. Stars Christian
Slater and Patricia Arquette did a great job of bringing the script to life,
alongside a standout supporting cast featuring Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary
Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, and the late James Gandolfini.
The
first act of “True Romance” consists
of an unconventional love story in Detroit between a movie nerd named Clarence
Worley (Christian Slater) and a call-girl by the name of Alabama Whitman
(Patricia Arquette). Eventually, the two accidentally come across a suitcase
full of cocaine and run away to California in order to make some money with it.
It doesn’t take long for the Sicilian Mafia to figure who stole their drugs and
set out on a mission to get them back.
The
storyline of this movie may seem somewhat straightforward or even cliché, but
the buildup to get there is anything but that. While it is a little bit quirky
at times, “True Romance” provides a
completely original plot fueled by witty, amusing dialogue. In fact, my
favorite parts of the film were the character building moments delivered by all
of the brilliant actors in minor roles. Slater and Arquette did a good job of
carrying this movie, but I personally think that the supporting cast was even
better. For example, Gary Oldman was practically unrecognizable in his wild
role as a wannabee gangster pimp and Christopher Walken delivers some of his
finest moments ever as a lead mob boss in a dialogue with a former cop played
by Dennis Hopper.
Any
of the elements mentioned above are enough to cement this as a classic of
Tarantino writing, but all of the over-the-top violence throughout, makes it
seem like he actually directed the movie. Putting aside a few choppy
storytelling decisions and an ending that I thought could have been a little
better, “True Romance” is still a
quality, underrated film that shouldn’t be missed by Tarantino junkies or movie
fans in general.
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