True Romance Reviews

It is probably the most popular movie directed by Tony Scott and it has generated a huge cult following ever since it has been released (like everything else involving Quentin Tarantino as a matter of fact). To be honest, it is actually rather sad that Tony Scott’s most heralded work would be mostly remembered as a Tarantino feature. Anyway, personally, I always had some rather mixed feelings about the whole thing. I mean, sure, I did like it, it is and remains a fun flick, very well made with an impressive cast (Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Rapaport, James Gandolfini, Chris Penn) but, honestly, I never thought that there was anything really mind-blowing about the story, at least, that's my opinion. At the time, Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette were both really in demand and, 20 years ago, nobody would have expected that Slater’s career would turn out to be a let-down. Anyway, to conclude, even though I don’t think it is really amazing, it is still a classic from the 90’s, it is one of the best movies directed by Tony Scott, and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

When Clarence and his new wife, former call girl Alabama Whitman, unintentionally steal a suitcase full of cocaine from her pimp, they attempt to sell it in Hollywood. But the gangsters who own the drugs are on their trail.
True Romance, to my knowledge, is one of only two movies that Quentin Tarantino has written but not directed. And this movie definitely spells "Tarantino" all over it, with its sardonic overall tone, its gleeful depiction of violence, and conversations on pretty trivial subjects. And boy is it awesome! :D
One of my favourite scenes is when Christopher Walken is interrogating Dennis Hopper, because you never know if he's going to be diplomatic or turn violent. And, when Alabama is getting brutally beaten, I was actually laughing in that the guy had the sheer balls to beat a woman like he would anyone else!
Sadly, though, the overall direction does let the film down quite a bit. In terms of acting and camera work, it all feels a bit too raw; it's not as polished as Tarantino would have made it.
On a side note, the Drexl character really fascinates me. Maybe it's because I know it's Gary Oldman, but it just sounds like he's putting on an accent. Does the character talk like that just to fit in with his peers? I really want to know! :)
Overall, if the movie had been a little less sloppy in its direction, I might rank it up there with the best of Tarantino.

My rating: 75%

kind of a modern SID and nancy... but they don't die.

This is the greatest movie I ever saw. I never wanted to write a review on True Romance becuse I knew I could never give it justice, but I think I am ready now. 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 (Val Kilmer as Elvis) 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. If my summery doesn't draw you in what about a cast includes Val Kilmer, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Bronson Pinchot, Samuel L Jackson, Victor Argo, Michael Rapaport, Saul Rubinek, James Gandolfini, Chris Penn and Tom Sizemore has to be at least worth checking out! I have seen so many movies that were loaded with stars that have been so disappointing, but not this movie. Each one of this actors took thier small roles and made them memorable. I've seen this movie about 20 times now and, although I'm no longer surprised by the plot twists, I am still fascinated by the cast, the music, the direction. I like this movie quite a bit more than Pulp Fiction. This film was written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott and came out a few years before Pulp Fiction. If you are really interested in this film be sure and get the DVD with all of the comments from the cast, producers, director, writer, etc.

I absolutely adore this movie. Christian Slater at his finest and Patricia Arquette at her very cutest (while also being tough as nails). This is a different kind of love story, a romance only the great Quentin Tarantino could write.

Bored, lonely Elvis obsessed Clarance is celebrating his birthday alone in the theater watching A Sonny Chiba film when he first meets Alabama. After spilling popcorn on him they watch the film, get pie and than he shows her the place where he works. Sparks fly between the two and they make love.



What seemed like a chance encounter was something else. Alabama comes clean the morning after and tells Clarance that she is really a call girl that his boss had hired to be his date. She then announces her love for Clarance who quickly tells her that he loves her too. Their second date is at a wedding chapel. They are completely adorable coming out of the courthouse as Mr. and Mrs. Worley.

Things are not all smooth sailing for the newlyweds though. Clarance must sever Alabama's ties to her pimp and get her stuff back. He is guided by the spirit of Elvis (Val Kilmer in gold lemay) who gives him a pep talk. When he arrives at the address he is introduced to pimp Drexel Spivey (Gary Oldman in a hilarious turn as a white man who thinks he is black).



The encounter soon becomes violent as Spivey makes it clear that he will not let go of Alabama. Clarence takes a beating but luckily our hero gets the upper hand on the dreadlocked villain and shoots him dead. Clarance picks up what he thinks is Alabama's suitcase and gets the hell out of dodge. The couple quickly realize his mistake when they find a lot of cocaine instead of clothes in the case.



Clarance decides that the only way for him and his love to have a fresh start is to go to Los Angeles and sell the cocaine. What he doesn't know is that the coke belongs to a very mean crime boss who is hot on their trail. Clarance borrows some money from his dad (played to perfection by Dennis Hopper) and takes off with his new bride.

Sadly, as he and Alabama are making there way to the west coast mob associate Vincenzo Coccotti (The always brilliant and scary Christopher Walken) comes to visit the other Mr. Worley. Vincenzo wants information that dad refuses to give. Mr. Worley knows that torture awaits him so he infuriates Mr. Coccotti with a story about his Sicilian heritage (a hilarious story about eggplants) that leads to him getting shot in the head.





Meanwhile, Clarence and Alabama have made it to California where they hook up with his old buddy, Dick (Michael Rapaport) and his stoner roommate played by Brad Pitt. After checking into a hotel, Dick introduces the duo to an agent friend (Bronson Pinchot) who in turn offers to introduces them to a producer who might buy the coke.

While waiting for Clarance at the hotel room Alabama gets an unpleasant surprise when a mob goon (James Gandolfini) presents himself and asks for Clarence and the coke. Alabama is not about to rat on her true love and takes a vicious beating. Just like Clarance though she gets the upper hand on the gangster after stabbing him in the foot with a corkscrew. She performs a cuda gra with the top of the toilet tank smashed into his fat head.







Clarence finds her and helps his love. They later go to meet the producer but things soon go from bad to worse. They do not realize that their contact (Bronson Pinchot) got caught with the sample of the coke and plans to wear a wire to the meeting. As they reach the hotel suite of the producer the police and the mob converage to take them all down.



In an equisite scene of rapid gun fire, blood and death the cops, the mob and the private security for the producer have a massive shoot out. It looks like everybody is done for and tragedy seems sure when Clarance is hit. Fate is still with the young lovers as it is only a flesh wound. They manage to escape the forces against them and head for Mexico with the money. The movie ends with the duo on the beach with their son, Elvis. This happy ending was reportedly different from Tarantino's script but I liked it.

True Romance is a film that is really cleverly adapted together and is a really cool film with such great characters. This is a cat-and-mouse sort of film and I love films like that a lot. The story is pretty simple and just takes us on a journey through lots of different events. This film is very violent and breathtaking which is what I really like in films. True Romance is a bit like a black comedy because that is what Tarantino's crime films are like. I loved this film a hell of a lot because it was really entertaining, it was cool, it had very interesting characters and there were a lot of absolutely amazing scenes. My favourite scene is with that drug dealer and with Alabama. That is intense, graphic and very effective as well. True Romance is a film that starts in a rather bizarre way but as it carries on it just gets better and better. It didn't disappoint me in any way whatsoever. I just loved this film so much and is almost on my favourite films list. It is rare when we see a film of entertainment that is well filmed, well thought of regarding story and how they were going to film it and mixed with quite a serious cast. Watching True Romance all the way through was like it was going to have a twist or a shocking event.


The cast of True Romance is absolutely incredible. I liked Christian Slater as Clarence Worley. Clarence is a man who just goes to the cinema to watch a Sonny Chiba triple feature. It is rather weird that Clarence meets and has a one-night-stand with Alabama who is a young woman who is payed on a job. She isn't a whore, she is a woman on a job in which you will have to listen to yourself. They end up getting married and they become a really cute couple and makes them perfect for each other but they did meet in an awkward situation where Alabama 'accidentally' knocked her popcorn bag all over Clarence's lap and that leads to things in a deeper and more personal level. I couldn't believe how stunning Patricia Arquette really was as Alabama Whitman. Watching Patricia was like watching Monica Bellucci in Shoot 'Em Up. I had always had suspicions that she was really up to something very impactful and possibly heartbreaking which you might have to see yourself. Dennis Hopper was good as Clifford Worley who is the father of Clarence Worley. Other top-notch cast members Gary Oldman, Val Kilmer, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken and Samuel L. Jackson deliver all good performances. True Romances has one of the best ensemble casts of all time in my opinion.


The brother of great director Ridley Scott, Tony Scott directs True Romance like it was a piece of work that is like a dream come true. Scott would've directed this film better than Quentin Tarantino despite the fact that he wrote the script for the film. The script was absolutely fantastic which is typical of Tarantino. I find that Tarantino just taught himself how to write scripts by watching lots of films and actually thinking of the scripts himself out of the top of his head. True Romance is one of Tarantino's best written work. I loved the script in Pulp Fiction which is the best script ever written. I love his Kill Bill script as well. I would call this a Quentin Tarantino film. No, he didn't direct it but he did one of the three main jobs of the film. Saying that is like saying that The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Tim Burton even though Tim didn't direct it himself.


To me, True Romance is a really amazing kick-ass action, crime, romantic thriller that deserves to be watched every now and again. I knew I was going to like True Romance but had no clue I was going to love it as much as I did. One of the best films of 1993 definitely and it is takes an almost complete spot on my favourite films of all time list.

"If there's one thing this last week has taught me, it's better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it."

Due to his distinct directorial flourishes, it's easy to determine if you're watching a movie directed by Tony Scott. Likewise, the style of writer and director Quentin Tarantino is so unique that it's easy to tell if you're witnessing one of his motion pictures. There's a slight exception to these rules, however: 1993's True Romance. Those seeking a movie marked with either director's style will be pleasantly surprised by this Scott-directed, Tarantino-penned slice of filmmaking. Thankfully, the cinematic eyes of Scott and Tarantino form something organic; an irresistible mixture of both directors' strengths that's stylish and sublime. True Romance is simultaneously a drug picture, a chase movie, a gangster flick, and a wacky, turbulent romantic-partners-in-crime adventure. Think Bonnie and Clyde on speed.

Now, onto the story... Clarence Worley (Slater) is a loser who's reduced to spending his birthday watching kung-fu movies at a local cinema. On the night of his birthday, he meets Alabama (Arquette); a call girl (that's just a fancy way of describing a type of prostitute) who's hired to spend the evening with Clarence, but unexpectedly falls in love with him. Once they promptly marry, Clarence steals $500,000 worth of cocaine, and the couple flee to Hollywood in the hope of selling the drugs. Naturally, the owners of the merchandise want their cocaine back, and begin to ruthlessly pursue the couple.

From the outset, it's clear the runtime of True Romance will be spent tracking a bunch of low-life, homicidal maniacs. Is it possible for viewers to grow to like these people? Fortunately, the answer is a resounding yes, because, in writing the script, Quentin Tarantino possessed the talent to create vividly-drawn characters who constantly spurt instantly classic dialogue throughout jaw-dropping, extraordinarily entertaining set-pieces. This is likely the greatest Tarantino screenplay to date, which is probably because the writer was not allotted the director's chair. With a different director at the helm and another creative team handling this script, the reek of self-indulgence is not as potent or distracting. To be fair, it takes a bit too long for True Romance to hit is stride, but the unrelenting energy as a result of Tony Scott's superlative direction ensures that, although little actually transpires throughout the film's initial half hour, boring moments are at an absolute minimum. Best of all, though, the energy rarely allows viewers the opportunity to stop and consider the absurdity of this whole fairytale.

True Romance has a keen eye for brazen character risk-taking and capricious passion. Though the film begins as a contrived love story, it progressively morphs into a tangible, utterly involving tale tracking a couple of thoroughly appealing caricatures. Clarence's sudden transformation from lonesome, Elvis-loving counter jockey to wild-eyed risk taker and gunslinger feels organic in this script's hands, while his heavenly parlay with Alabama throughout their exquisite first date convincingly sells the prospect of instant love in a touching yet untamed way. At the heart of all great movies is the joy of discovery, and True Romance excels in this department - it entertains through an enthralling story and compelling characters. It's a hell of a lot of fun.

At no point is a viewer supposed to accept True Romance as realism, and we're never expected to believe a word of it. Instead, a few slightly realistic elements operate underneath the movie's ludicrous nature. Naturally, this is all part of Tarantino's writing modus operandi. In a sense, one can consider this film to be the cousin of Reservoir Dogs and the prequel to Pulp Fiction. Somehow, Tarantino managed to pen all 3 movies in a phenomenal spurt of creative energy never equalled in Hollywood history. True Romance may have preceded the more illustrious Pulp Fiction by a year or so, but it was infused with a comparable flavour - a mixture of black humour, violence, romance and dialogue drenched in geekdom euphemisms. As a matter of fact, True Romance played a pivotal role in launching Tarantino's Hollywood career. Funding for Reservoir Dogs was reportedly derived from the cash earned from selling the screenplay for True Romance, after which Pulp Fiction received the green light purely on account of the reputation he earned with these two prior films. Mind you, True Romance is not everyone's cup of tea due to Tony Scott's directorial zeal and Tarantino's flippant tongue, but it's a major crowd-winner for those who enjoy its flavour.

The strongest element of True Romance is the unending cornucopia of top-notch actors which constitute the cast. One of the biggest successes of said cast is the chemistry between Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette. Their interactions are enthralling; mingling their animated personas in a slick, adorable fashion. As a result of such spot-on casting, their tumultuous, whirlwind relationship comes across as sweet, amusing and touching. Further high points arrive in the form of Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper, who at one stage share a brilliant, riveting dialogue sequence in which the two acting giants speak in Tarantino-esque language and one-up each other with every hilarious delivery. Val Kilmer also makes an appearance as the imaginary Elvis Presley mentor, who advises Clarence on matters of action and demeanour (bear in mind that Kilmer's film debut was Top Secret!; a spoof of Elvis movies for which he played the main role). Then there's Gary Oldman appearing as the slimy, vicious, violent, repellent white pimp who believes he's black.

Digging deeper into the cast, one will discover Michael Rapaport playing a friend of Clarence's, and Brad Pitt (who was a little-known actor during this period) as a druggie who's always in a daze. Samuel L. Jackson even shows up for a remarkable moment playing a drug dealer with a foul mouth, though Jackson's appearance is a classic case of "blink and you'll miss him". Finally, there's Saul Rubinek playing a producer named Lee Donowitz, in addition to James Gandolfini as a mob hit-man who makes the mistake of trying to intimidate the defenceless Alabama, and a few others. Good heavens, what a terrific group!

In essence, True Romance is a full-blooded, Bonnie and Clyde-style story of love at first sight through the eyes of a Pulp Fiction level Tarantino. And under the astute direction of Tony Scott, it becomes a savagely funny thrill ride of indulgent aesthetics and swoon-worthy romantic theatrics between two "damaged goods" characters.

9.5/10

This would be a great movie with just the famous "Sicilian scene" all by itself.
However, that part is just the sweet chewy center of a hard bitter tootsie pop of a movie, that no matter how many licks it takes to get to it's middle, it still seems like it's not enough.
Directed by Ridley's Scott's brother, Tony & written by Quentin Tarantino, this is modern day lovers on the run story told with enough style, edge & violence to make the idea of Elvis as a guardian angel in this flick believable.
Well, sort of.
Anyways, if all romance films were made like this one,
then you could be sure that my girlfriend wouldn't have to use the implication sex afterwards just to have to drag hairy pimp-ass to the theatre any time a chick-flick was playing.

One of the best action films ever!
With an outstanding, mind-blowing cast that includes Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken; brilliantly directed by Tony Scott; this is by far in my opinion, Quentin Tarantino's best script ever.

Perhaps the best way to summarize the film (and the reasons why to watch it) is to quote Tarantino himself:

"People have asked me,
'So would you ever do a romance movie... like a real romantic movie... without violence?'
"Well, there'll be a lot of things in any movie I do that will be contradictory, but anybody who's a fan of the movie can tell you, the title - True Romance - is not ironic... this is True Romance."