A landmark piece of cinema. It couldn't be any more entertaining.

Rating: 10/10 (9 January 2005)

Quentin Tarantino and Tony Scott would seem like the oddest of couples when it comes to movie making. Tarantino is the indie God and Scott is Mr. Blockbuster. But in True Romance, as well as with Crimson Tide, we see just how well their styles actually blend. With True Romance, we get a healthy dosage of the raw energy and memorable dialogue one associates with Tarantino, wrapped up in a technically flawless and perfectly paced package. Certainly the best of the two worlds.
True Romance is the story of a young loner who spends his time reading comic books and watching Kung-Fu movies. (I wonder where Tarantino came up with that angle!) He's watching a Sonny Chiba tripple feature at a mostly deserted movie house on the night of his birthday, when a beautiful young call-girl walks into the theater and into his life. She has only been a call-girl for a few days, and she's been sent to show this young man a good time. In their brief night together, these two fall deeply in love and get married. There are some problems, however.
The young woman has a nasty pimp (It took me about four viewings to realized he's played by Gary Oldman!), and her hubby takes it upon himself to off this guy as an apparent symbol of his love for his new bride. After an extremely violent confrontation at the pimp's lair, our hero finds himself with a suitcase full of cocaine that he mistook for the young woman's belongings. That coke belongs to the mob, and let's just say that they'll do anything to get it back. They follow the young couple all the way from Detroit to L.A. in an attempt to take back what's theirs before the young couple can sell it off. The resulting action is incredible.
The film is great on many levels. With the exception of Tombstone, I cannot recall a film where so much of the cast is made up of well-known actors. Many of them like Walken, Kilmer, and Hopper appear only briefly, but they leave a lasting impression on the viewer. And nearly the entire cast dies convincingly. Saul Rubinek does a priceless parody of Joel Silver.
Some highlights include an interrogation of Dennis Hopper by Christopher Walken and a bunch of mafia goons. This conversation epitomizes why I love Quentin Tarantino. It is such a brutal scene, but you'll be howling with laughter before it's over.
There is quite a bit of violence that some people will find difficult to watch. In one scene, Patricia Arqutte is beaten to a bloody pulp by James Gandolfini. Watch closely after the first punch he hits her with. The camera pauses on his face for a moment, and he gives a truly weird look. You can tell this character loves dishing out pain. Overall, this is not a family picture.
The film delivers everything it tries to. The hip brutality of this film has helped set the tone for action films ever since.
10 of 10 stars
So sayeth the Hound.