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.

Release Year: 1993

Rating: 7.9/10 (91,784 voted)

Critic's Score: 57/100

Director: Tony Scott

Stars: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper

Storyline
Clarence and Alabama are newlyweds who acquire an unexpected wedding present. Unknown to the blissfully happy couple, ruthless gangsters are on their tail, determined to reclaim their lost property

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)
Victor Argo - Lenny

Taglines: Not since Bonnie and Clyde have two people been so good at being bad.

Release Date: 10 September 1993

Filming Locations: Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $13,000,000 (estimated)

Gross: $12,281,500 (USA)

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

Trivia:
That's Patricia Arquette's four-year-old son Enzo Rossi in the final scene.

Goofs:
Factual errors: Virgil beats up Alabama in her hotel room when she refuses to talk. After Virgil spots the suitcase of cocaine under the bed and grabs it, he prepares to shoot the kneeling Alabama. But when he sees her armed with a Swiss Army Knife corkscrew, he is amused and tells her she can have one shot. Alabama stabs Virgil in the foot with it, temporarily disabling him. However, a Swiss Army Knife corkscrew has a dull point, and like all Swiss Army Knife blades and tools, it will not lock in the open position. Therefore, unless Virgil was barefoot, in real life Alabama's stabbing attempt would have hurt her hand more than Virgil's foot. As soon as the corkscrew met the resistance of Virgil's shoe, it would have folded back into the knife, painfully pinching any of Alabama's fingers caught in between.

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.

Enough memorable scenes and talented stars to fuel a half a dozen blockbusters.

Rating: 10/10



With at least 12 `starring actors' in character and supporting rolls, half of them legends or mega stars; this Tarantino tale defies a short review. The different levels on which this movie works are impressive. As a love story we begin to believe that the quirky `loser' couple is unconditionally bound together. As a pseudo `film noir' we begin to care about the fate of the central characters. In the suspense/thriller/crime drama mode there are plenty twists and turns to push us to the edge and pull us back just in time. The action scenes are deliciously violent and unlike most other films, this one gives us pinches of humor sprinkled in amidst the mayhem. Even `the King' alter ego is woven in credibly enough to improve our understanding of the Clarence Worley character.

The plot, albeit original, fresh and mesmerizing, seems somehow secondary to the characters and the characterizations. Any of several rolls could have been performed over the top by what seemed to be an ensemble cast. But director Scott lets the talent go just far enough. Even the remainder of the supporting cast is wonderful; Saul Rubinek in particular does a terrific job as the puffed-up/ego-feeding movie producer. Hollywood missed giving this movie and its cast proper recognition.

With enough memorable scenes and talented stars to fuel a half a dozen blockbusters, True Romance gives us the `best bang for our buck' in years. The Walken/Hopper scene alone is worth the `price of admission' not to mention the Gandolfini/Arquette and Slater/Oldman match ups. This can only be described as a `wonderfully wicked movie' for its tantalizing content, smart dialog and toothsome violence.

Put the kiddies to bed, be prepared for rough language, adult themes and graphic violence and enjoy a `not for the faint of heart' masterpiece.

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