Film Review: True Romance

True Romance is Turantino's first script and his best next to Pulp Fiction. I have seen this film too many times to count.

True Romance is the love story of loner and avid Elvis lover, Clarence Worley (Christian Slater), and self-proclaimed Poor white Florida trash, call girl, Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette). It is set in motor city Detroit. Clarence and Alabama don't meet until the second scene when Clarence is in a movie theater watching a mini marathon of three low budget Kung-fu movies "Street fighter," "Return of the Streetfighter," and "Sister Streetfighter," (which is a reference to Turantino's love of old kung-fu movies)

The first scene introduces Clarence Worley, talking to a woman in a bar about his fascination of Elvis his attraction to the allure. He even confesses he would be the only man he would sleep with him if forced. This scene is reminiscent of the first scene in "Reservoir Dogs." Where the men have a round table discussion about the deep ramifications of Madonna's "Like a Virgin song."

In the second scene Alabama Whitman enters and spills her popcorn all over Clarence and asks him to tell her what she had missed. After the movie, Alabama tells Clarence she has a tradition where she goes somewhere to eat pie and talk about the movie and asks Clarence if he would like to go eat pie with her. He agrees and they end up at a diner talking over pie and coffee. Deep discussions while eating seems to be a continuing factor in most Turentino films. I.e.: Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega, (Pulp Fiction) at Jack Rabbit Slims.

At the diner, Clarence asks her a list of questions, which she answers one by one. Clarence takes Alabama back to where he works; a comic book store and they spent the night together. Meanwhile Alabama's pimp Drexel (Gary Oldman) is laughing, and joking with some drug dealers, which he ends up blowing away and stealing their suitcase full of Cocaine. It is a frantic, well-orchestrated, intense scene, which comes out of nowhere sand-witched between Clarence and Alabama's courtship. In the scene we meet Drexl, but we don't know that yet, until later. He is scary looking white guy, who has dreadlocks, with one milky eye and one gold tooth and talks gangster. He thinks he black, because his mother was part Cherokee, (Alabama explains). The intense part of the scene is when Drexl picks up the drug dealers shotgun, caresses it like a girl and then starts firing on the drug dealers, with the camera in a blur as it frantically follows Drexl blowing them away.

Back to Clarence where he finds Alabama, later sitting on the roof of the building behind a bulletin board where she crying. She tells him that she was hired by his boss to find him and give him a good time on his birthday. Clarence's first reaction is "You're a whore?" But Alabama puts him straight screaming "I am not poor white Florida trash!" I am a good person and one hundred percent monogamous, if I am with you, I am with you and only you!" Clarence realizes he is not angry but philosophical and is just happy to have found
Alabama in the first place. They get married at City Hall.

In the next scene in the tattoo parlor, Clarence asks Alabama to tell him more about Drexl. She proceeds to tell him that he is a mean bastard who beat up her friend, a Fellow call girl. Clarence, goes to the bathroom to wash his face where his idol, Elvis (Val Kilmer) appears faceless behind him. Elvis asks Clarence if he could live with knowing he shares a world with a person like Drexl. The faceless Elvis aspect is I think Clarence's the angel on his shoulder. Elvis represents everything that is good to Clarence. He is the rebellious bad boy who is good to his mama, good singer, etc. as he goads Clarence into blowing Drexel away. He is Clarence mentor and conscious.

Clarence goes to Drexl's hideout and demands to see him. An intense face-off between Clarence and Drexl ensues, making the audience feel very nervous and anxious for Clarence. The character of Drexl, brilliantly played over the top by Gary Oldman is deadly, as he seems to coil like a snake as he hisses at Clarence goading him only to strike when he throws the tray of Chinese food at Clarence.

A bloody fight begins where the camera follows the two as they demolish the place and first ends with Drexl straddling a bloody unrecognizable Clarence before Clarence throws him off and then shoots him in the crotch with a shotgun. He demands one of the other call girls give him Alabama's suitcase and then goes home where he tells Alabama what happened over hamburgers he picked up before coming home. Alabama is crying and he thinks it is for Drexl, but later finds out she is crying because she thinks what he did for her was "So romantic."

I think the characters of Alabama and Clarence are Robin Hood and Maid Marian, on Crack. They are the good guys who steal from the crooks only to keep it for themselves. This is apparent in the scene when Alabama opens the suitcase to find Cocaine, and not her clothes, which she he expected. Clarence and Alabama, without a second thought, decide to sell the Cocaine, but first they have to go to visit Clarence's old friend actor.

He knows a director in Hollywood that can help them sell the Cocaine. First, they go to meet Clarence's father who is a retired policeman (Dennis Hopper). His father, at first is angry that he just shows up after not seeing him in years only to help in the end. They leave to find out there is no information on the murder of Drexel. Clarence and Alabama leave thinking everything is safe, not knowing there are gangsters looking for the suitcase of Cocaine.

Gangsters visit Clarence's father one morning. The lead gangster played by (Christopher Walken) threatens to kill Clarence's father into telling him where they are, which the father refuses. It is another brilliant, tense filled bloody scene. However, this time the father wins over the bad guys, when he realizes he is going to die whatever he says and asks the gangsters for a cigarette. He then begins to goad the gangster into killing him.

The film is raw, uber violent, fast, bloody and brilliantly done with slow motion camera movements. My favorite scene is the scene between Alabama and the gangster played by (John Gandofini). We watch, as Alabama turns primal, literally fighting for her life protecting the suitcase with the money for Clarence. The Mexican standoff at the end is explosive with tension, as it plays out like the Mexican standoff like in the end of Pulp Fiction except with a different ending.

True Romance reminds one of a live-action violent comic book with its bright colors and brilliant, fun writing. Every scene is shot in vibrant rich, red, green, and blues. Like Turantino's Jackie Brown, the writing is character driven, with people coping with the good and the bad in the world. A must see. Go to your local Internet, click on blockbuster or Netflix and rent this film. You'll be glad that you did.

Do you have a favorite film you would like to recommend? Please tell me at the comment box below.