Extra Movie of the Week

True Romance

Director: Tony Scott
Writer: Quentin Tarantino

Actors: Now take a deep breath.....
Christian Slater
Patricia Arquette
Christopher Walken
Dennis Hopper
Val Kilmer
Gary Oldman
James Gandolfini
Bronson Pinchot
Saul Rubinek
Brad Pitt
Michael Rapaport
Chris Penn
Tom Sizemore
Samuel L Jackson

Ratings: 7.9/10 on IMDB
91% on Rotten Tomatoes

Trailer: True Romance

Alternative Frat Boy Title: True Bromance

Alternative Porn Title: True Ho-mance

Plot Summary: When rookie call girl Alabama (Patricia Arquette) falls for comic book loving Clarence (Christian Slater), life turns for the better. That is until their wild romance sends them in over their heads as Clarence confronts Drexl (Gary Oldman), Alabama's ex-pimp, and winds up with a briefcase full of blow, and a mark on their heads. With the help of Clarence's dad (Dennis Hopper), this new Bonnie and Clyde duo make a break for L.A. to outrun mobster Vincenzo Coccotti (Christopher Walken) and make the big score.

Opinions: Alright, to begin, let's go over how HUGE this movie should be before we get into how it was. This isn't a precursor to it being neither bad nor good, but I feel there is a need to point a couple things out. The first thing that caught my eye when I checked this movie out was the exceptional casting. I mean, look at it! Movies don't bomb with this kind of star power, unless of course you refer to the abomination that was Mars Attacks. Also, if you know me, you know this. I love Christopher Walken. He's the tits.

If you don't like any of these actors (side note: if that's true, you suck), you may like this little diddy; it's a Tarantino script. Now, I am a fan of Tarantino, but I don't dry hump everything he's ever been apart of like some people. However, I like his writing because it has always had this distinct feeling about it. When you watch a Tarantino script come alive, you know your going to get some long, drawn out, intense scene driven primarily by the dialogue and ending with some drastic turn (opening of Inglorious Basterds, coffee shop scene in Pulp Fiction with Samuel L Jackson, Kill Bill Vol. 2 ending, etc.). This movie is no exception.

Finally, let's see if they skimped in other departments, such as music, because they already have enough talent on screen, right?

..........Wrong...........

You: Hey Kevo, who scored this movie?
Me: O, some guy named Hanz Zimmer.

Hanz Zimmer. If you don't know who Hanz Zimmer is, get to know him. He's like the new John Williams (guy who did the music for Star Wars and nearly every Spielberg movie). If you want a movie to sound so good even a blind guy will pay $20 for a 3D ticket, you get Hanz. Go on his IMDB page and you'll see that he's done tons of movies, including these gems: Gladiator, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and the soon to be smash Inception. Hell, the dude even did Cool Runnings, which is nothing to brag about, but I'd sure like to know if he came up with those jingles.

"Feel the rhythym, feel the rhyme......"

What I disliked: For starters, the inability to connect to any characters besides the two main ones. When you see the cast they assembled, you think, "How can so many stars share the screen?" Well, they really don't. Walken, Hopper, Oldman and Pitt didn't have much camera time, which is disappointing because more of it went to lesser known actors such as Michael Rapaport and Bronson Pinchot (the french nanny from Step by Step. Was he supposed to be gay in that show?). This is likely how they were able to cram so many big stars into one movie because they limited everyone's shooting time. However, the scene that Walken and Hopper share will go down as one of my favorites.

I don't know if I officially mentioned this in my last paragraph, but can I reiterate Christian Slater? Too bad, I will. There's a reason why he's moved on to star in shitty crime drama's on TNT such as My Own Worst Enemy. That title fits you perfectly for this movie, because your mediocre level acting didn't bring out the performance the lead role deserved. You had the Yankees batting lineup to back you up, but you pitched a terrible game and blew it. Maybe I'm being hard, but I just didn't see it in him. Let me know how you feel on it.

Now, to say the script was bad, wouldn't be right. It wasn't a bad script, it was enjoyable. I hesitate to say it was a clever idea because I've seen quite a few movies about drug heists and love stories. However, Tarantino can always take a clever idea, and spin it in that "Tarantino" way. But, let's look at his smash hits again: Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill's. What is the main difference from those movies and TR? He wrote AND directed those movies. That was my problem with this. When Tarantino writes a script, he lives, breathes, and dreams how he wants it to come out. When someone else directs it, something is lost in translation. Supposedly he didn't even visit the set once while they filmed. Maybe he would have done better, maybe he wouldn't. I just wish I could have seen.....


Now, to the goods.....

What I liked: Enough with that sad crap. Let's get on to what kicked ass in this movie, right?

One. Every other cast member besides Christian Slater. I didn't know much about Patricia Arquette, but I enjoyed her in this. She was vibrant, lovable, rough, and sexy throughout the movie.


Even though I disliked the small screen time the supporting cast got, I loved what they did with it. All of them played their parts with the passion that a lead would give. For instance....

Gary Oldman. GOD DAMNIT, I FUCKING LOVE THIS GUY! When I think of what makes an actor great, I think of someone who can play a wide range of characters, and play them well. Man, did he kill it in this one. He played a character so off from what I see him as now, that I had to check IMDB to make sure it was him. If you've ever seen The Professional, then you'll enjoy his character because it reminds you of how different he was in that movie as well.

James Gandolfini was great, Pitt was a lovable stoner that barely spoke but provided comic relief, and Sizemore and Penn played their cop parts well. Kind of ironic when you see Tom Sizemore play a drug cop, isn't it? I bet his Parole Officer was his mentor during the movie.

Two. Great scenes. There were some really good action scenes in this movie. I was kept on my seat while still engaged in the plot. I don't really have to say much more about why I liked them because my favorite scene will say enough.


Three. Flow. Through the movie, I never drifted off or lost my focus. I felt engaged throughout the film because it was well structured and had you wondering what was coming next.


Enough of the goods. Let's see what scene gave me the steamies...

Favorite Scene: If you are reading this review right now and have seen this movie, maybe you agree with everything so far, maybe you don't. However, I do know that you will agree on this. My Favorite Scene.


What do you get when you put Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper together for a 10 minute, heavy dialogue driven scene? Brilliance. Remember when I said that in any Tarantino film, you get that scene driven by dialogue and culminating in some drastic action? Yea, this is that scene. If you don't plan on seeing the movie, then just watch the scene here. If you do plan on seeing this, save it for when you watch it. The two play off one another so well, and show why they are true masters of their craft. It was great having this scene be the first one I saw of Dennis Hopper after his death (R.I.P Easy Rider), because it gives you a great appreciation for him. Walken was his usual self.

Someone was talking to my boy all wrong.

Interesting Facts:

Quentin Tarantino sold this script so that he could get funding for Reservoir Dogs

It was Brad Pitt's idea for his role to be a stoner who never leaves the couch

The word "fuck", and derivatives of it, is used 225 times

There are 21 on-screen deaths, all gun shot related.

Final Comments: This was a tough movie to give out a final verdict on. I throughly enjoyed the action sequences and the dialogue not getting lost in translation because Tarantino is a great writer. However, what keeps popping up in my head is the star power. When you read down the list of actors, you get this excited feeling inside of you that builds the movie up, only to be torn down by it's lead role. Christian Slater wasn't terrible, but he didn't do justice to a film that supported him thoroughly.


4/5 Kevo's - If you have a Netflix account, throw this movie on the list. If you live near a Blockbuster (if they're still around), put this on your "movies to watch" list. It was very enjoyable and should be watched, but don't overhype yourself. Take it for what it is: a Tarantino written, but not directed, Bonnie and Clyde.

There was better conversation rather than one-liners, but I'll throw this one your way:

"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." - Clarence