Review of True Romance (1993) by Halfwelshman — 16 Oct 2011

True Romance may well be Tony Scott's finest film, and this is largely due to a strong helping hand from Quentin Tarantino. Not that Scott is an incompetent director when working on his own, but it is Tarantino's razor-sharp script that really shines.

The ensemble cast is exceptional - Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette as Clarence and Alabama have great on-screen chemistry, and other notable highlights include James Gandolfini's imposing, sadomasochistic mafia henchman Virgil, Gary Oldman's pimp character Drexl, Val Kilmer's "Kingly" manifestation of Clarence's conscience, and Brad Pitt also has fun playing a stoner.

For the most part, the film's plot keeps you entertained, (and Hans Zimmer's cracking score does keep things moving along nicely) though the overplayed finale disappoints slightly (strangely beautiful ballet of violence though it is).

I'm not quite sure what the message behind the film is (if there really is one) - you have to kill a few people, smuggle drugs and escape to Mexico to truly love someone, perhaps? Tarantino had directed the film as he originally intended to do the end result would have been a little more consistent, but even as it is, the film is still a strangely fulfilling romp.