True Romance (1993)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Tony Scott

Writer:

Quentin Tarantino (written by)

Release Date:

10 September 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Stealing, Cheating, Killing. Who said romance is dead?

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Pimp | Coke | Gangster | Chase | Cocaine

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Christian Slater	...	Clarence Worley
Patricia Arquette	...	Alabama Whitman
Dennis Hopper	...	Clifford Worley
Val Kilmer	...	Mentor
Gary Oldman	...	Drexl Spivey
Brad Pitt	...	Floyd - Dick's Roommate
Christopher Walken	...	Vincenzo Coccotti
Bronson Pinchot	...	Elliot Blitzer
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Big Don
Michael Rapaport	...	Dick Ritchie
Saul Rubinek	...	Lee Donowitz
Conchata Ferrell	...	Mary Louise Ravencroft
James Gandolfini	...	Virgil
Anna Levine	...	Lucy (as Anna Thomson)
Frank Adonis	...	Frankie

Also Known As:

Breakaway (Philippines: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language, and for sexuality and drug use.

Runtime:

120 min | USA:121 min (unrated director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Netherlands:16 (DVD rating) | Finland:(Banned) (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Philippines:R-18 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) (1999) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:III | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (director's cut) | USA:R | USA:Unrated (director's cut)

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Morgan Creek Productions

Trivia:

The character of Blue Lou Boyle was originally a speaking part (with Robert De Niro as the definite favorite), but many cuts were made to Quentin Tarantino's script, including a scene featuring him. Instead, he's briefly mentioned as Vincent Coccotti's (Christopher Walken) superior.

Goofs:

Continuity: Drexl's left eye is blind and seen without a pupil. After Clarence shoots him, and Drexl is covering his face with his hands, Clarence commands him to open his eyes. We then clearly see a pupil present in the supposedly blind eye.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Clarence Worley: In Jailhouse Rock he was everything rockabilly's about. I mean, he is rockabilly. Mean, surly, nasty, rude. In that movie he couldn't give a fuck about nothing except rockin' and rollin', living fast, dying young and leaving a good-looking corpse.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Wolf Creek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Raga Yaman

Tony Scott vs Quentin Tarantino. The winner? Us!

Cynical, seen-it-all-before smart ass that I am, I can't but help love 'True Romance'! On paper it looks like a sure fire recipe for disaster. A typically hip pop-culture saturated Quentin Tarantino script directed by schlockmeister Tony Scott, the man responsible for rancid Simpson/Bruckheimer "blockbusters" like 'Top Gun' and 'Days Of Thunder'. But some how it really works! The movie is especially helped by a dynamite cast, one of the most impressive in many years. Possibly only Julian Schnabel's underrated biopic 'Basquiat' can rival its mixture of star power and cult faves. Slater, Arquette, Walken, Hopper, Oldman, Kilmer, Penn, Sizemore, Jackson, Rapaport, Gandolfini, Argo, Corrigan, etc.etc. These are many of the finest actors working today. Add them to an electric story of love on the run, jam packed with amusing, highly quotable dialogue and plenty of action and laughs, and you have yourself a genuinely entertaining update of a classic 70s drive-in movie. 'True Romance' is a wild ride not to be missed!