Tony Scott’s True Romance, loosely based on a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, works overtime to become a cult picture, the ultimate violent romantic fare.
Grade: C+ (** out of *****)
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Theatrical release poster
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An explosive mix of razor-sharp wit, gritty action, and gratuitous violence, more than anything else it’s a postmodern love story–a quintessential flick for American youth of the 1990s, who crave extremism on screen.
True Romance is the latest US version of the beloved French subgenre of amour fou (crazy love, or love on the run), an unconventional love story, defined by with witty dark humor and violent crime, and enhanced by an engaging ensemble of characters.
True Romance takes a hip look at both the sunny and dark sides of the American Dream of mobility and success.
Clarence (Christian Slater), a lonely youngster, meets Alabama (Patricia Arquette), a hooker who was arranged as a birthday gift for him, in a movie house that shows Kung Fu pictures.
Head over heels in love–and in tune with our conservative times–they declare monogamy and get married after spending only one night together.
A call girl for only four days, Alabama is actually a good and sincere woman. Determined to end her dubious past, Clarence goes to her pimp (Gary Oldman) to collect her belongings, but ends up brutally killing him. He then rushes home, anxious to hear Alabama’s response to his action. Stunned, she looks him in the eye and says, “I think what you did was….so romantic!”
This crazy exchange defines the logic and noirish ambience of the entire film.
The suitcase Clarence brings back doesn’t contain Alabama’s clothes, but valuable Mob contraband, which they decide to take from Detroit to Los Angeles. They plan to sell their booty and begin a new life, but with the gangsters and police after them, twists and turns ensue.
A tale of unlikely lovers whose whirlwind romance propels them into dangerous games of high-stakes negotiations and high-speed adventure, True Romance ends with the couple in Mexico, 6 years later, playing with their son on the beach.
Self-referential, True Romance has a comic strip sensibility and characters; Clarence even works at a comic bookstore. The title and plot are a play on the titles of romance comic books such as True Life Secrets, True Stories of Romance, Romance Tales, Untamed Love and Strange Love.
We are not supposed to take anything in the movie too seriously, including its excessive violence.
The humor is dry and cynical, as manifest in one of the self-consciously “amusing” moments, when Christopher Walken empties his gun into Clarence’s father (Dennis Hopper), then coolly observes, “I haven’t killed anybody since 1984.”
In a standout turn, Gary Oldman is almost unrecognizable as Drexl Spivey, a flamboyant and repulsive pimp. The role serves as a testament to Oldman’s flexibility to morph into drastically different characters and make a memorable impact in a limited time. .
The American fascination with the subgenre of amour fou goes as far back as Fritz Lang’s early US entry, You Only Live Once (1937), and Nicholas Ray’s They Live by Night (1949).
Greeted with mixed reviews, the hybrid movie, an unsuccessful blend of the particular sensibilities of writer Tarantino and director Scott.
Cast
Christian Slater as Clarence Worley
Patricia Arquette as Alabama Whitman
Dennis Hopper as Clifford Worley
Val Kilmer as Elvis
Gary Oldman as Drexl Spivey
Brad Pitt as Floyd, Dick’s Roommate
Christopher Walken as Vincenzo Coccotti
Bronson Pinchot as Elliot Blitzer
Samuel L. Jackson as Don “Big Don”
Michael Rapaport as Dick Ritchie
Saul Rubinek as Lee Donowitz
Conchata Ferrell as Mary Louise Ravencroft
James Gandolfini as Virgil
Anna Thomson as Lucy
Frank Adonis as Frankie
Victor Argo as Lenny
Chris Penn as Detective Nicky Dimes
Tom Sizemore as Detective Cody Nicholson
Gregory Sporleder as Burger Stand Customer
Maria Pitillo as Kandi
Patrick John Hurley as Monty
Kevin Corrigan as Marvin
Paul Ben-Victor as Luca
Michael Beach as Detective Wurlitzer
Eric Allan Kramer as Boris
Laurence Mason as Floyd “D”
Ed Lauter as Captain Quiggle (uncredited)
Credits:
Directed by Tony Scott
Written by Quentin Tarantino
Produced by Samuel Hadida, Steve Perry, Bill Unger
Cinematography Jeffrey L. Kimball
Edited by Michael Tronick, Christian Wagner
Music by Hans Zimmer
Production companies: Morgan Creek Productions, Davis Films
Distributed by Warner
Release date: September 10, 1993
Running time: 118 minutes
Budget $12.5 million
Box office $12.6 million
