I love this movie!

Rating: 9/10 (28 January 2016)

I love True Romance, loved it the first time, and still love it! Super fun, ultra-violent twist on classic love story.
Extraordinary cast!!! The last really fantastic performance by Christian Slater, incredible improvised scene between Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken, James Gandolfini doing what he did best years before The Sopranos, and a magnificent battle sequence between him and Patricia Arquette, who stands out as the all-too-rare STRONG female lead in a genre near entirely bereft of any, especially at the time. While Gary Oldman has a long list of outstanding performances--particularly as villains--from Leon the Professional to The 5th Element, I would argue that in his role in True Romance, more so than any other, he transforms himself into a character almost unrecognizable from either the other roles he's played, or himself as an actor. Even though he's got relatively little screen-time in this flick, he steals the show as one of the most memorable performances. Across the board this cast was, and remains, unmatched both in raw talent/skill and chemistry. Even with their tertiary roles, actors like Tom Sizemore and Brad Pitt bring a levity and realism to their characters in a movie that could have easily fallen into the annals of hyper-violent 90s pulp schlock. The few characters/performances worth criticizing, like that of Balki from Perfect Strangers, or the big blonde body guard at the end, are completely forgivable in the face of this film's casting powerhouse.
Classic Story!!! Although the story is relatively simple, it carries all of the central components to a classic archetype: redemption, sacrifice, true love, and tragedy. The simplicity of the story overall might feel boring or unoriginal to some, but I believe it frees the characters to have clear drive and compelling motives. A story with greater complexity would easily crowd a movie like this one, which devotes as much depth as it does to so many different characters.
Nerd Cred!!! The movie opens with a loner comic book and martial arts cinema fan falling in love with a beautiful, incredible woman that loves those same things (and long before it was cool to like comic books). Clarence then proceeds to become a total badass, mirroring the super heroes from comic books in his actions and accomplishments. The film does a great job of masking this in its raw and desperately raced tone, but the subtext remains as a nod to old school fanboys, if not a shout out.
This film is certainly not for everyone. If you're looking for a story with unpredictable twists, unconventional editing, top production values, complex plot elements, intellectual concepts, and/or visionary scope, this movie might not be for you. These are all fair criticisms to level against True Romance, but it's definitely not trying to be or embody these elements. This is a character, scene, and situationally driven story, and at that, True Romance is stellar ;)