Awesome

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2010)

Let's face it... romance is weird. It can be sappy, it can be schmaltzy, it can be awkward, and it can be violent. For the film True Romance, we focus on the violent. The film is only written, not directed by, Quentin Tarantino, and you will not forget it. It is directed by Tony Scott, and props to him for handling a Tarantino script so substantially. True Romance is about Clarence Worley, played by Christian Slater. On a lonely night, Clarence meets Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) and makes love to her that night, only to find out later that she is a call girl. It doesn't matter to Clarence, however, as he eventually goes on to marry Alabama. The films begins as a sappy romance story, but it eventually leads to being a parody of the typical boy meets girl story. The trouble begins when Clarence goes and kills Alabama's former pimp (played by the always incredible Gary Oldman) and steals 500 grand worth of cocaine from him. The two star-crossed lovers find themselves in a mess when they skip town to try to sell the cocaine in Hollywood, all the while being chased by the mobsters who want their stash back. What could have been a silly and over the top disaster of a film, becomes something absolutely awesome.
True Romance is simply just fun and intense. The story is absurd and crazy, and it fits with all its hectic dialouge and nutty characters. Everything in this film works. Clarence and Alabama are the only two characters in the film that we begin and end with. The rest of the cast is a makeup of cameos, each serving their own great purpose. Gary Oldman's scene as the pimp Drexl is absolutely incredible, and Oldman proves once again that he is one of the greatest character actors of this age. Dennis Hopper appears for a couple of scenes as Clarence's father, and he masters his scenes with all his subtle excellence. In his final scene he appears with Christopher Walken, and it makes for one of the most intense and riveting scenes of the whole film. It is one that will keep you on the edge of your seat with suspense billowing over you. Other talents like Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, and even Samuel L. Jackson for a very brief scene, give each of their scenes the full appreciation and dedication they deserve.
I can't imagine what this film would have been like if it didn't have the kind of talent behind its dialouge like Quentin Tarantino. This kind of darkly comic, visceral, pulpy thriller is just what Tarantino excels at, and he turns a schmaltzy romance into a violent and drugged up thriller, that happens to be driven by a strange and very unconventional romance. Ironically, Tarantino was hardly a recognized name at this point in his career. His only credit at this point was his independent success of Reservoir Dogs (1992), that really wouldn't get the recognition it deserved until the massive success of Pulp Fiction (1994), the year after True Romance. And even though Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction are, in my opinion, much better films, True Romance is not a film to be forgotten. It can definitely be considered a hidden gem.
True Romance delivers everything you want. It has a great story, snappy and quick witted dialouge, a great cast of characters, and some of the most wicked and bloodiest fight scenes you'll see, especially in films with the word romance in them. The title of the film is extremely fitting, because this film no doubt displays the true meaning of romance, which is sticking by your partner through thick and thin, and not leaving their side no matter what kind of trouble they get themselves into. And Alabama is just that kind of person for Clarence. These two characters are not good people, they are ruthless and violent in every way, but they are no doubt in love. And this gives True Romance an ironic greatness that you just don't see work in all films. If you want an exciting and tons of fun experience, watch True Romance.