True Romance (1993)

Cynical, seen-it-all-before smart ass that I am, I can't but help love 'True Romance'! On paper it looks like a sure fire recipe for disaster. A typically hip pop-culture saturated Quentin Tarantino script directed by schlockmeister Tony Scott, the man responsible for rancid Simpson/Bruckheimer "blockbusters" like 'Top Gun' and 'Days Of Thunder'. But some how it really works! The movie is especially helped by a dynamite cast, one of the most impressive in many years. Possibly only Julian Schnabel's underrated biopic 'Basquiat' can rival its mixture of star power and cult faves. Slater, Arquette, Walken, Hopper, Oldman, Kilmer, Penn, Sizemore, Jackson, Rapaport, Gandolfini, Argo, Corrigan, etc.etc. These are many of the finest actors working today. Add them to an electric story of love on the run, jam packed with amusing, highly quotable dialogue and plenty of action and laughs, and you have yourself a genuinely entertaining update of a classic 70s drive-in movie. 'True Romance' is a wild ride not to be missed!

Fmovies: Watched this for the first time last night and it's one of the greatest movies I've ever seen. You can tell it was written by Quentin Tarantino and if you didn't know otherwise you'd think it was directed by him too. Every character is brilliantly portrayed. Even supporting actors that only have minimal screen time such as Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper and Gary Oldman give very memorable performances and have some of the best scenes in the film. Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette both give Oscar worthy performances in their lead roles. True Romance has the perfect mix of great dialogue, romance, action and strong violence. Without spoiling the ending, what I really wanted from this film was a satisfying ending and it delivered %100. Some scenes will have you laughing out loud while others while have you on the edge of your seat with tension. I don't really see the point of casting Brad Pitt in such a small and unimportant role when any actor could of filled the role but this in no way hinders the enjoyment of the film. The film also has a great soundtrack which I listened to straight after I'd finished and has a good mix of different genre's. True Romance is an astoundingly exciting film and would probably be best enjoyed by fans of Tarantino but I would recommend this film to anyone. Give this film a watch ASAP.

I've seen Reservoir Dogs, I've seen Pulp Fiction & I've seen Jackie Brown, but for me this is Tarantino's best crime caper. Completely engrossing from start to finish, the story of the two lovers who are on the run is not entirely believable, but seriously enjoyable. You get your fill of guns, sex, style and pop-culture, and the usual array of celebrity cameos in a film that seems a whole lot more 'close'. Whereas Pulp Fiction felt like one long trailer, with every line razor-sharp and a load of hip music that made the film go so quickly, True Romance offers you the chance to savour every moment, as the film moves at a (slightly) slower pace. Enjoy the blazing finale, and just wonder how it might have turned out if Tarantino had got his hands on the camera...

True Romance fmovies. True Romance is the work of two men, known for making movies (as TBS would say) for guys who like movies, and have one of the pick of the litter in the genre from the early to mid nineties. Quentin Tarantino sold his script to fund Reservoir Dogs, and Tony Scott (Top Gun) got picked up to direct. Some have complained that Tarantino should've directed this film, that it's so much his (which I agree with considering the story of the film was taken from his 1987 experimental film My Best Friend's Birthday, which refers to Clarence in this film going to the Sonny Chiba movies) that his own style as a director would've complimented it. It's a nice thought, though that's not what we as the audience are left with, and so with the final product there is much to admire about the style that Scott uses in the film. He films Tarantino's script (from a Roger Avary script originally) very much like he's shooting a Hollywood movie (as he knows how to with DP Jeffrey Kimball), with all the cut-aways and editing timing that is expected in a conventional crime-drama-thriller, then by hearing the snapping dialog from the script, and the cast performing them, Scott does become an important piece of making True Romance a success.

The story is a throwback to the old 'lovers on the run' formula, among others- Clarence (Christian Slater in one of his finest) is an employee in a comic book store in Detroit, loves kung-fu movies and big guns and such, who gets set up unwittingly with a call girl named Alabama (Patricia Arquette). The two fall in love, and Clarence feels confident enough by a certain voice in the back of his head (provided by Val Kilmer) to go and free Alabama for good from her vile pimp and drug dealer Drexl (Gary Oldman in one of the better villain roles of the time). He does, and through a couple of accidents Clarence and Alabama wind up with millions worth in cocaine, and high-tail it to LA to sell it, as the original (mob) owners of the coke follow after, with explosive results.

For fans of the actors, in particular the supporting cast, True Romance is one of the treats of treats in modern movies, on par with Pulp Fiction's roster of know-ables: Christopher Walken as a gangster (who would've thought?), Brad Pitt as a stoner roommate, Tom Sizemore and Chris Penn as cops, a few good lines for Samuel L. Jackson, an early plum for James Gandolfini, and my personal favorite of the lot, Dennis Hopper as Clarence's ex-cop father. Another thing that makes True Romance one of the (dare I say) most accessible of Tarantino's works is that a viewer who might not know this is his work on first viewing (this was me a few years ago, sad to say) will stay tuned through the whole thing if it's on TV just because of the star power; indeed, before Oldman's Detrix is introduced into the film, TR seems to flow like it'll be a romantic drama with light overtones. All I can say is by the end of this film, you will see that good taste can prevail no matter how much bloodshed gets on the screen, or how many obstacles get in the way of love (and Elvis!).

Simply put, this is the best movie that has ever been made.

Christian Slater gives an amazing performance as Clarence, so too does Patricia Arquette as Alabama.

Through out the movie, there are epic individual battles between Slater & Gary Oldman. Christopher Walken & Dennis Hopper. The late James Gandolfini(RIP) & Arquette, not to mention the epic finale to this masterpiece. And the awesome short scenes between Slater & Val Kilmer, who plays Slater's imaginary friend, who is none other than the King himself, Elvis Presley.

I am giving nothing away as it would be an injustice to anyone that has not seen it, my advice is, go watch this movie immediately. I swear that you will not regret it.

Easily the easiest 10 out of 10 there has ever been.

possibly my favourite film of all time, this truly does live up to its title and presents in my mind one of the truest romances there can ever be, fictional or otherwise.

superb acting, superb directing, superb scriptwriting and possibly the best cameo ever by Samuel L Jackson to cap it off. i don't think that this film could be any improved in anyway whatsoever, even if it had an unlimited stream of cash and all actor/actress available.

just a truly spectacular piece of film making and the reason why i love movies so much...i have a rule that no one can leave my house unless they watch this film beforehand, it is truly one of the greats and anyone who doesn't watch it is severely missing out