True Romance - Tony Scott 1993

True Romance (1993)

If we take a min, and think about the combination of forces at work during this movie, with what we know now about the people involved...this is a pretty bad ass movie.

You, basically, have Tony Scott...somewhere in between 'Top Gun' and 'The Last Boy Scout' stylistically, and writing by a young and brash Quentin Tarantino.

I mean...that's kinda awesome.

Almost a combination of Terrence Malick's "badlands", and Arthur Penn's "Bonnie and Clyde", its a true gem of pulp.  Clearance and Alabama meet clandestinely only to immediately fall in love and go on the outlaw trail to paradise. Where they follow their dreams and deal with the nightmares that follow them. These lovers on the run...but its interesting that they are running to and not from...the crux of the movie. A great twist to the genre.

The acting is a dream, never once have I seen so many against type performances. These are great performances that make me wonder how the actors could have ever made a bad movie (I'm talking to you...Christian Slater) Gary Oldman's wannabe black, white pimp (brilliant I say!) to Bronson Pinchot's whiney producer's assistant, all unexpected, but all owning their rolls to the fullest.

Quentin is a true master of all genres. He blends them together seamlessly, and breathes his own life into them again. The language and pacing of this mad dash of a story is almost literally on fire. His play with the characters, leads you back and forth across awe, humor, terror....and adrenaline cranked thrills. He has you, at the first word of this film...he owns you. That's his true talent.

Tony was right there waiting to clench his teeth into this genre. The noir, the dark rooms, houses...where the sunlight is only seen in beams of spotlights. They never reveal everything that's going on...always part of it kept dark. A taste of which was felt in the "Hunger", but now more refined as a story use...and not a whole character in and of itself. His clean distinct use of light and grain has become so familiar by copycats, but he's the one who created it. With the amazing scripts he used it on...the style has achieved an artistry that, after his death, I'm saddened we won't see again.

I think...for me, and this might alienate others...or maybe just leave them a little in the dark from the obscure references, a huge love of this film....is that its in fact a love letter to film.
There are so many selections of movie geekdom here its not even funny. And its all relatable to fellow lovers of cinema of all kinds.

Thank you for the love letter, Tony & Quentin.
I agree with all your sentiments.