True Romance is another one of those movies that I had heard of, but never actually seen until now. Of course, the fact that this movie is written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott made me look forward to watching this movie even more. I have to say that I loved this film from beginning to end.
True Romance is the story of Clarence (Christian Slater) who steals cocaine from his girlfriends' former pimp. The rightful owners of the cocaine then attempt to track it down. Even though this movie clocks in at 121 minutes, it feels like a 3 hour epic and I mean that in the best way possible. The action is brutal, but more importantly the story is told in such a way that you care about the characters, and the ending of the movie brings closure to the film perfectly. Well, almost perfectly. I would have liked to have seen even a small sequence where Clarence finds out that his father, Clifford (Dennis Hopper), has been killed. I think this would have added to Clarence's motivations. Other than that, this is an epic and entertaining movie.
Christian Slater plays Clarence Worley. I love this character because he is a film and comic book geek at heart, but deep down he loves his lady, and is someone that you do not want to mess with at all. Slater plays this role perfectly, right down to his terrifying dark side. I must say that what makes the darkness so terrifying is the fact that it seems to come out of nowhere, as if all of Clarence's rage has been at a boiling point for years. Again, this adds to the character, and Slater shines in the role.
Patricia Arquette plays Clarence's wife, Alabama Whitman. Whitman is a woman who loves her man dearly and, like Clarence, has a dark side to her although it is in a different style. She will do anything to protect her man, even if it means her getting savagely beaten (honestly, that scene is incredibly brutal). Arquette completely disappears into character, giving one of the best female performances I have ever seen on film.
Tony Scott is the director of True Romance. As with any Tony Scott film, the action is incredibly fast-paced and filmed very well. However, there are two scenes in the film that stick out for me and they both involve on character confronting another character. These scenes are slow and drawn out, and you feel the tension build because of the way they are shot. These scenes are also uncharacteristic of Tony Scott pictures, and I personally think he did them incredibly well.
What can you say about Tony Scott films that has not been said before? The man was a genius, and True Romance is an unmitigated classic. You get invested with the characters, which makes you care about them during the action sequences. If you have not seen True Romance, treat yourself to it. You will not regret it.
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