“True Romance” (1993)

Any film critics who prescribe to the theory that the author is dead, and that art can transcend being merely some reflection of the artist will appreciate the following bit of trivia: Quentin Tarantino loathes blood and violence and he doesn’t use drugs. This may come as a shock to many fans of Tarantino’s repertoire of films showcasing exaggerated characters with foal mouths and trigger happy tempers. If True Romance the film is defining true romance the entity, then it is a thing that is sudden and full of surprises, violence and gushing wounds. It requires blind forgiveness and acceptance, and it comes with a suitcase full of uncut cocaine. Tarantino has written in part or completely much of his directorial filmography which includes: Reservoir Dogs, From Dusk Till Dawn, Pulp Fiction, and Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2.Tarantino wrote but did not direct the 1993 film, True Romance. Directed by Tony Scott, of Top Gun and Beverly Hills II fame, the film still embraces all three of Tarantino’s human demons: blood, violence and drugs. Added to the mix is the biggest of all cruelties; love. Tarantino’s fast moving plots, and edgy dialogs carry the story along while Scott’s glossy action movie touch is apparent.If that combination isn’t enough to hold an audience, the cast of actors will. Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, Gary Oldman, and James Gandolfini, among other notables, make what must be frighteningly alluring characters on the page really pop off the screen. At the start of the film there are a few sequences that may be a little rough to digest. For instance, the believability of a blond bombshell named Alabama picking up, in a triple screening of Kung-Fu classics, a destitute comic book shop clerk whose guiding spirit is the late, great King of Rock n’ Roll. But with the consistency of the characters, and the underlying humor of the plot, by the middle of the film, the audience is ready to accept whatever reality Tarantino and Scott care to offer. A nice touch, when looked at closely enough, are the musical choices accompanying many scenes in True Romance. In fitting with main character, Clarence Worley’s (Christian Slater) obsession, several Elvis Presley tunes are turned up during faster paced scenes. Scored by Hans Zimmerman, the non-lyrical soundscapes of the film seem to compliment the happenstance personas of Alabama and Clarence. Sometimes a little thin, the music helps the lovers stumble along, sometimes a little too carefree, and seeming unbelievable tough when they need it.It is certainly valid to say that True Romance is just another film about love against all odds, or lovers on the run from the law, or in this case, the Sicilian Mafia. To say such a thing is a given, and the film is making no excuses. Evidence? The taglines for the film are “Stealing, Cheating, Killing. Who said romance is dead?” and “Not since Bonnie and Clyde have two people been so good at being bad.” Are they knocking on the door of cliché? Of course, but who ever said slight reinterpretation wasn’t a valid form of creativity, or, for that matter, an entertaining film.