A stepping stone to “Pulp Fiction”
A lonesome comic store geek in Detroit (Christian Slater) meets the woman of his dreams (Patricia Arquette) and suddenly has the gonads to be a bad dude. But the mob tracks the couple down in Los Angeles with all guns blazing. The peripheral cast includes the likes of Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson, Val Kilmer, Brad Pitt, Bronson Pinchotand and Saul Rubinek.
"True Romance" (1993) is a crime drama/thriller/romance and black comedy directed by Tony Scott (younger brother of Ridley) and written by Quentin Tarantino. The latter sold the script to fund his first movie “Reservoir Dogs” (1992). It contains the ultra-violence/gore that Tarantino is known for, along with his satirical, comic book style that makes it more amusing than shocking.
While the all-star cast is incredible and there are several great scenes, something keeps “True Romance” from the top tier of “Pulp Fiction” (1994) and “Jackie Brown” (1997). I suppose it doesn’t help that the protagonist’s sudden transformation isn’t convincing, not to mention that what he does is unnecessary and perilous (i.e. stupid), which turns him into a bit of a creepy nutzoid. But that’s just me.
Imagine being blown away by the greatest album by a band and then purchasing their previous album, which is good, but not in the same league. You like it, but you’re also a little letdown. That’s how “True Romance” comes across after viewing “Pulp Fiction.” Nevertheless, it’s still worthwhile if you don’t mind this genre.
The script was originally written in a nonlinear structure, which Tarantino is known for, but Tony Scott changed the story to chronological, as well as altered the ending, which made for a morally confused message. Quentin’s original version would’ve worked better, preferably directed by him.
The film runs 1 hour, 59 minutes, and was shot in Detroit and the Los Angeles area.
GRADE: B-