Superb rollercoaster ride of a movie!

Rating: 9/10 (13 February 2000)

The only reason I like Tarantino is because of this movie. It is simply a brilliant script. Say all you want about Pulp Fiction. I think True Romance is the better movie. Pulp Fiction has originality coming out the wazoo, but in the end I think being entertained is most important, and True Romance delivers. I don't know how this movie got made in Hollywood, since the first ten pages of the script are slow and nothing incredibly interesting happens in them (not that I'm bashing it, but usually you have to start with a bang to get anyone to read the rest of your script, so I've heard). Tony Scott is the right director for this, too. He has an eye for these things. What the movie is really great at is giving you memorable characters without any traditional development time at all. This is due in large part to the tremendous acting. This is like a big ensemble movie - without the ensemble ever occuring. Also great is the dialogue, and if you share anything in common with Tarantino, you'll love all the references he throws in to movies, comics, television, etc. Is it just me or was that producer supposed to be a jab at Arnold Koppelson? They look similar, and if you replaced "Brought Home in a Bodybag" with "Platoon" it fits perfectly with what people said about Platoon. "After Apocalypse Now, the greatest Vietnam war movie ever made." "When veterans of that bull$hit war say [good things] about my movie, it makes the whole thing worthwhile" etc. Definitely check this movie out if you haven't already! Loads of fun! And great on DVD!