Stream it now True Romance 1993

 

lil bro strikes again

I don't think words alone can sum up just how brilliant this movie is. Its got an almost who's who of actors that you would probably never get in one movie alone again and every performance is just on the money.

The scene with Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper debating Sicillian roots is one of cinema's finest, probably even better than when DeNiro and Pacino finally meet on the big screen in Heat. Two actors just making it look so natural its amazing to watch.

The dialogue is pure Tarantino and the action scenes such as the shoot out in the hotel are awesome with Tony Scott's own stamp of authority. I can't recommend this enough, A+ all the way.

Can't imagine what this movie would cost with all the star power today... One of the rawest flicks I have ever seen.

A very entertaining film. The best parts were when Oldman and Walken took the screen. Aside from that, I loved Arquette. Slater was for me, the worst part. Still, a very fun movie.

7-word review:

Amazing performnces with classic action; nice chemistry.

"You're so cool, you're so cool, you're so cool."

Gripping action throughout . Great all star performances espically by Christopher Walken . Top notch movie

I really enjoyed Brad Pitt's minor role as the stoned room mate who pushes the action along like a Greek Chorus. It's a formulaic film, and the formula is done very well. It might work as a masterclass M101 modern action movie.

At first I thought hey there Mr Tarantino are you a bit of a misogynist. But on reflection he is someone who enjoys choreographing brutal violence which is essential to the plot if not the plot itself and he is radically equal opportunities driven in who is violent and who is violented upon. Black white italian rasta man woman though haven't seen any violence to children that I recall maybe he is not as radically equal opportunities based as he may think.

You could see characters we have all grown to love from Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction possibly Jackie Brown, and I liked the whole romantic love leads to more trouble than you can handle whereas if you watch films alone you can carry on working in the cartoon sellers shop indefinitely.

That's it I had seen the film before but it was fairly unmemorable and even after seeing it again anew Tarantino Cut 2 hrs 10 mins. Well it's not as if I was going to save the world or do anything more useful with my time. And it's not a bad two hours ten, some of the time passes quite quickly. And yeah hmm.

"True Romance" has all the elements people think of when they think about Quentin Tarantino - sex, drugs, violence (and a dash of rock and roll) - so it should not be a surprise that he wrote the screenplay. Unfortunately, with Tony Scott's direction, the film seems to power ahead without letting the characters or the story develop with the depth in an actual Tarantino film, and the conclusion at the end seems a little forced and lacking in tension. However, the dialogue is very good, as are the supporting performances (especially Brad Pitt as the stoner). Not quite as as good as real Tarantino, but still a lot of fun.

Now if you look at my ratings, you'll see that I don't hand out 100's as often as other people do. If a movie really hits me and is really deserving, I'll give it a perfect score, and True Romance is no exception.

From the very beginning to the very end, you're drawn in by the mastercraft writing of Quentin Tarantino and the surprisingly good direction by Tony Scott. What is it that makes this movie so damn good? The goofy pot-head Floyd? The loveable couple-on-the-run? The irrefutable gangster who puts a good hurt on Alabama? The action? The laughs? I could ask all day and I would get a fucking answer. Why? because you can't answer for a movie this good. This is one of those movie's where there's just something about it that makes you think "what an amazing movie!".

Obviously one highlight of the film is the ensemble cast consisting of: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, James Gandolfini, Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore, and many more. Most of these roles were acted before the stars really became stars, but it's great to look back and see where some of them started (such as the small role with Samuel L. Jackson). The brilliantly written characters really help propel this story along.

Tarantino was on a roll in the early to mid 90's. Writing Reservoir Dogs, True Romance, Natural Born Killers (story), Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, and From Dusk til Dawn. Starring in 3 of them and directing 3 of them (I'm sure you know which). And besides maybe Jackie Brown, I believe this is his best written. He made some of the best characters that I've seen. Not to mention the quoteable-ness (not a word, but fuck it) of this movie. I could watch it over and over again no question. Just because of the writing.

As far as directing, I'm glad it was Tony Scott who directed it because 1) everyone deserves at least one good movies (sorry, but come on) and 2) he added the heart that may have been missing if Tarantino had directed it. I know Tarantino is capable of adding heart into his movies. He shows this in the ending of Jackie Brown, the ending of Pulp Fiction with Jules showing his mercy, and the ending of Reservoir Dogs with Mr. White and Mr. Orange. But I believe Tony Scott made this film what it is. He added some heart and soul too it and really allowed to feel for the characters (well most of'em).

So long story short, this is a terrific movie riding on the coattails of amazing writing, good directing, and brilliant acting. I could say more, but if you haven't seen it yet, I'll let you find out for yourselves.

A great film, takes the best of tarantino and makes it more entertaining and less pretentious. The chemistry between slater and arquette make the whole thing believable and some great cameos from walken and hopper add a little class.