True Romance (1993)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Graham J

  
  Filled with great dialogue, characters and performances, the only negative to True Romance is when you start thinking about what it could have been if Quentin Tarantino had directed it.

• Daniel L

  
  Don't let the title fool you, this isn't some sappy love story, its a thrilling comedy/crime film with jolts of action and violence, coupled with a great script penned by the masterful Quentin Tarantino.

• Matt G

  
  One of my favorites. Crisp dialogue, spectacular script, coherent direction, and Christian Slater + Patricia Arquette have True Romance.

• Tim S

  
  Most people will argue that True Romance is quite possibly Tony Scott's finest work as a director and you would be hard-pressed to disagree. Tarantino believes, as he mentions in the audio commentary, that Scott's finest work is Revenge. It just goes to prove that Tony Scott… More
  Most people will argue that True Romance is quite possibly Tony Scott's finest work as a director and you would be hard-pressed to disagree. Tarantino believes, as he mentions in the audio commentary, that Scott's finest work is Revenge. It just goes to prove that Tony Scott is not just a blockbuster commercial director. Tarantino's script, the stellar ensemble cast and Scott's direction make this one of the all-time classics of the crime film genre.

• Mark W

  
  To fund his directorial debut "Reservoir Dogs", Quentin Tarantino unfortunately had to sell his script for "True Romance" and as good a job as director Tony Scott does here, you can't help but wonder what might have been had Tarantino been given the chance to… More
  To fund his directorial debut "Reservoir Dogs", Quentin Tarantino unfortunately had to sell his script for "True Romance" and as good a job as director Tony Scott does here, you can't help but wonder what might have been had Tarantino been given the chance to helm it himself. Shy and lonely comic store clerk Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) can't believe his luck when he meets doting Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) in his local cinema. What's more, she shares all his interests and the two fall madly in love. There is one small problem however, as Alabama is actually a prostitute and still under the control of her abusive pimp Drexl (Gary Oldman). Taking it upon himself to pay Drexl a visit Clarence then finds himself high-tailing it with Alabama and a suitcase full of cocaine which invites the attention of gangsters, cops and Hollywood producers. If you can imagine this film being shot in the same split-time frame structure that "Pulp Fiction" had, then this would give you an idea of how Tarantino intended this to look. His original screenplay was certainly layered in this way, with the characters appearing then reappearing at different times throughout the film. Sadly, we'll never get to see this, but it doesn't matter very much, as this is still an excellent ultraviolent foray into Tarantino's criminal underworld. What really makes this standout is his astute ear for dialogue, played out by an impressive ensemble of wonderful actors. There are so many excellent scenes (and performances) it's hard to pick a favourite. Crime boss Don Vincenzo (Christopher Walken) and Clarence's dad Clifford (Dennis Hopper) having a tete-a-tete over the historical inter-racial relationship between the Moors and Sicilians and Clarence's confrontation with wild-eyed, white rastafarian pimp Drexl being just a couple of numerous quality ones. Added to which, there's a brief but brilliant turn from Brad Pitt as a stoner flatmate, who uses all the toilet paper and has a liking for beer and cleaning products and James Gandolfini as a cold, sadistic hitman. Like I said, there's too many to mention. Influenced by previous 'lovers on the lam' films such as, "Bonnie & Clyde" and "Badlands" but most notably like "Wild at Heart" with it's numerous violent confrontations and it's array of colourful characters. Holding it's own against any one of them. I'm not director Tony Scott's biggest admirer but his hyperkinetic style actually suits the pace and explosive nature of this story and it's characters and he actually compliments Tarantino's writing. Stylish, gripping, violent, profane and endlessly quotable. What more do you expect when sitting down to a Tarantino flick? He may not have directed it but it still stands as one of his finest.

• Veronique K

  
  "true romance" is another hallmark of 90s neo-noir subculture since tarantino rises up with "pulp fiction"...the story of "true romance" is the creation of tarantino's slacker reveries, and the result squeaks outloud as the memoir of a screwy… More
  "true romance" is another hallmark of 90s neo-noir subculture since tarantino rises up with "pulp fiction"...the story of "true romance" is the creation of tarantino's slacker reveries, and the result squeaks outloud as the memoir of a screwy geek's phallic fantasies as well as a naively twisted american dream with good sense of obscene humor. despite it's helmed by director tony scott, the tarantino spirit is reeking relentlessly. an elvis presley fanatic who indulges himself in comics and cantonese kung-fu flicks discovers true love from a hooker (who insists calling herself "call girl") working for only 4 days with 3 clients. the hooker doesn't get tedious with the geek's endless chattering on elvis but feels amused instead. then the geek decides to kill the hooker's pimp to do her justice but accidentally elopes with a suitcase of cocaine. so they attempt to make a fortune for themselves out of it by heading hollywood for a whole big sale in spite of the involvement of ferocious mobsters. tarantino once remarks in an interview, if he shows a girl the things he loves, she better f***ing like it! same goes for the scenarios of "true romance"...christian slater's character even wears a leather jacket with the flag of "repubic of china"(which is my country) on his back in the prologue of performing his chivalry while his ex-hooker wife is staring at the tv with early hong kong flick starring Yun-Fat Chow (that i've seen in childhood as well) as if he was the bruce lee reclaiming the pride of china with his magnificent kung-fu as well as his elvis-styled sun glasses. an abitrary don quixote lives in his fantasyland. one element of the taratino formuli would be the pastiche of postmodern orientalism resulted from watching too many cantonese movies in adolescence, he devolpes an everlasting juvenile fetish over some oriental formalities without absorbing the meaning or he just misuses them willfully as his peculiar sort of humor, such as the jap samurai sword appears in "kill bill" and "pulp fiction". one cannot help but wonder he's just a deviant westerner over-obssessed on such matters with self-abandoned narcissism. the pinnacle of hilarious brass would probably be the confrontation between dennis hopper and christopher walken, and the abusive joke is on sicillions being half-black (but it seems funnier to use the "ni" word) since their female ancestors have been ravished by the moors so much. the aspect of its deranged american dream would probably the protagonists' careless naivete to sell the coke then get rich, and apparently the flick is more in a romancist's angle since they make it and it also gratifies the audience's testerone with enough provovations of violence, profanity and a titilating blonde bombshell who seems dumb enough to utter "you're so cool!" all the time to stimulate your libido. wouldn't that be an ideal boyish dreamland? being a never-do-good then suddenly, boom! you get everything and a hot chic! but who would say it's no fun despite it's obviously impractical and far from reality? ha.

• AJ V

  
  This dark, gen X, action packed romance is as gritty as it is beautiful. I really loved it, it's very different and it's full of great actors too.

• Kase V

  
  Great writing, and that's one of the only reasons I think it earns four stars. Tarantino writes some wicked scenes, but I didn't like the way Tony Scott put it together. The music is extremely terrible, too. Maybe because I'm just not a fan. Great supporting cast… More
  Great writing, and that's one of the only reasons I think it earns four stars. Tarantino writes some wicked scenes, but I didn't like the way Tony Scott put it together. The music is extremely terrible, too. Maybe because I'm just not a fan. Great supporting cast though, I loved Brad Pitt, Tom Sizemore, Christopher Walken, and clearly a brilliant character actor, Gary Oldman. But if Tarantino would've directed, it could've been great. Even a classic, perhaps. Oh well, lesson learned.

• Coxxie M

  
  the music is so incredibly annoying, it makes me feel like im watching a mix of rugrats and point break.

• Jason C

  
  Well written, great characters and very original. Like everything written by Tarantino the dialogue is priceless. It will probably always be one of my favorites.

• Daniel P

  
  Perhaps the most perfectly titled film of all time, and one with a cast commonly thought impossible to assemble - on any budget - even three years later. In this film we see Tarantino cutting his teeth with his trademark dialogue. The big question: What if Tarantino had directed this… More
  Perhaps the most perfectly titled film of all time, and one with a cast commonly thought impossible to assemble - on any budget - even three years later. In this film we see Tarantino cutting his teeth with his trademark dialogue. The big question: What if Tarantino had directed this himself? Hard to say. But using a linear-minded director like Tony Scott (Top Gun) may have ensured that the film was shot very, very close to the absolutely brilliant screenplay. And still I haven't said anything about what happens ON-screen. True Romance borrows from noir, and action, and seemingly, classical romance (and tragedy?), and the acting supports the film's high-mindedness. There is one flaw in the main characters that drives the story: they could get away if they just ditched the drugs upon finding them. But seriously, half a million dollars' worth? Who would? As a seemingly preposterous or satirical film with a truly human story at its core, True Romance is a must-see.

• Lewis C

  
  "I'm not lying to you. And I swear from this moment forth...I will never lie to you again.". Everyone knows that True Romance was written and sold by Quentin Tarantino. Then came the spat between Tarantino and Tony Scott when Scott wouldn't allow the rights to… More
  "I'm not lying to you. And I swear from this moment forth...I will never lie to you again.". Everyone knows that True Romance was written and sold by Quentin Tarantino. Then came the spat between Tarantino and Tony Scott when Scott wouldn't allow the rights to revert back to Tarantino, so he could direct it. And it's not a surprise that Tarantino would have wanted to direct it, because it's a great movie. The title is correct, the movie is about a romance. A romance surrounded by all the stylish violence and well-written dialogue that you would expect from a Tarantino movie. Call girl Alabama (Patricia Arquette, the best part of the movie) and store clerk Clarence (Christian Slater, in the best role I've ever seen him in) meet and fall madly in love one night. The next day they're married, and Clarence gets the notion in his head to kill Alabama's former pimp. It's all cascade of drugs, violence, mobsters, cops, and movie producers, from there. I don't know if there has ever been an on-screen couple that I rooted for more than Alabama and Clarence. They both go through A LOT of stuff for each other. Their relationship is never melodramatic is sappy, it's the kind of thing that puts a smile on your face to see two people who are just obviously perfect for one another. You can't help but want the two of them to get out off all this okay. I can't help but think that the music used in the movie would have been better if QT had been able to direct it, but there's not much else about the movie that I can complain about. The cast is great, it's very funny, and the pacing is outstanding. Any fan of Tarantino owes it to their self to see this.

• Conner R

  
  Tony Scott's masterpiece and one of Tarantino's best written scripts. It is shot beautifully and such a memorable and influential style. The cast is amazing and I absolutely love Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette's performances, they make their outlandish roles… More
  Tony Scott's masterpiece and one of Tarantino's best written scripts. It is shot beautifully and such a memorable and influential style. The cast is amazing and I absolutely love Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette's performances, they make their outlandish roles seem real and believable. The criticism of pop culture is still unmatched. Not only are their hundreds of literal references to movies, music and T.V., but you really get to see a love story influenced by the standards of the mass media. There's everything you could ask for in a movie: Drama, Violence & Love. This is one of the quintessential films to come out of the nineties because it captures the American perception of life perfectly. Only in this reality can you marry a hooker, kill some bad guys, steal some drugs and make away with cash living happily ever after.

• Anthony L

  
  A very cool love story, with plenty of violence, humour and more cameos than you can shake a stick at. It?s also all the better for not having Tarantino direct it. Some of the improv/ad lib scenes are brilliant, the Walken and Hopper scene in particular is an absolute classic!

• EightThirty .

  
  Not bad.. some funny twist in the end.. Not boring..cool for me ^_^

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Stealing, Cheating, Killing. Who said romance is dead?"</i> Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it. <center><font size=+2… More
  <i>"Stealing, Cheating, Killing. Who said romance is dead?"</i> Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> "True Romance" is far from a perfect film on a technical level. Still, it is possibly the most entertaining and cool flick of the decade. Its always refreshing to see a film that is so self-referentially violent and makes no qualms about it. Sure, there is absolutely nothing beneath the surface to what is presented on screen. But who watches these films for a deeper meaning? As an action film, "True Romance" loads on the violence, clever dialog, and quirky characters we look for in films such as this. Some may be nervous about Tony Scott directing a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino. Scott is best known for directing a lot of vapid and insipid 80s blockbusters such as "Top Gun" and "Beverly Hills Cop II". Fortunately, he doesn't feel the need to impose his own visual style onto Tarantino's script unlike Oliver Stone. In the end, it feels more like a Tarantino picture than a Tony Scott one. As far as the screenplay is concerned, it doesn't have the three-dimensional characters that "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction" had, but it has many of the other hallmarks we have come to expect from Tarantino. The dialog is witty and memorable, with several quotable lines. Also, its an incredibly cool movie, loaded with references to cult films for folks like myself. The cast is one of the best of the decade. I'm not even going to go over the great performers who are in it, but I'll just mention my favorite portrayals. Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken are both amazing, and the interaction between the two is one of the best scenes ever in a movie. Gary Oldman is incredibly sleazy as the pimp Drexl Spivey. And despite being in many other much more acclaimed roles, Brad Pitt will always be the stoner on the couch for me. These are just a few of the memorable roles in the film. This isn't exactly a life changing masterpiece, but is one of the most entertaining and cool films ever made.

• Mike S

  
  Wow, they sure rounded up a lot of famous faces for this one. But that's what I love about Tony Scott's movies, because you can always trust him to put together an amazing cast. It's kind of funny though how huge stars like Brad Pitt and Samuel Jackson only plays minor… More
  Wow, they sure rounded up a lot of famous faces for this one. But that's what I love about Tony Scott's movies, because you can always trust him to put together an amazing cast. It's kind of funny though how huge stars like Brad Pitt and Samuel Jackson only plays minor roles, while lesser talents like Patricia Arquette and Christian Slater gets most of the spotlight. That doesn't mean that the two of them are bad though, because the performances they give here are nothing short of terrific. Even so, this is one of those films that ends up in the "good, but not great" pile. Why, you might ask? Well, there was just something missing for me to rate it any higher. Maybe if they hadn't (*spoiler warning*) killed off Sam Jackson's and Gary Oldman's characters so early on in the plot, it could have been better. I still liked it though, and it's no doubt one of Scott's best achievements.

• Alice S

  
  So romantic! Excellent fire fight. Love Alabama's monologue on the roof.

• Brian D

  
  The best QT film ever and he didnt even direct it.One of my all time favs.

• Tim S

  
  Shit on this movie all you want. Yes, Tony Scott is a hack (although I don't mind him that much) and it rips off a beautiful score from a much better film (Badlands), but at the end of the day: look at this fucking cast. Sure, it's lead by Christian "he will never do… More
  Shit on this movie all you want. Yes, Tony Scott is a hack (although I don't mind him that much) and it rips off a beautiful score from a much better film (Badlands), but at the end of the day: look at this fucking cast. Sure, it's lead by Christian "he will never do better than Gleaming the Cube" Slater and Patricia "there is a reason I went to television" Arquette, but everyone else in this movie is fun to watch. Of course there is the brilliant scene between Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken. But, also, don't forget about Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt (one of the most memorable characters he has ever played), James Gandolfini, Tom "before I started taping sex with hookers" Sizemore, Val Kilmer, Chris Penn, and how can we forget the hilarious Bronson Pinchot. The script is probably one of Tarantino's worst, but it still has some great speeches and the shoot out at the end is blood soaked fun. This is a movie that I can pop in at any time and smile.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings