Details
Movie Description
When inexperienced call girl Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) is paid to seduce comic-book-nerd and Elvis fanatic Clarence Worley (Christian Slater), she doesn't expect to fall for him. But these two lost souls seem to be made for each other and quickly pledge their love, marrying at Detroit's city hall. Clarence discovers some newfound bravado and attempts to retrieve Alabama's possessions from her pimp, Drexl (Gary Oldman), who isn't exactly eager to let Alabama go. Fleeing Drexl's apartment, Clarence not only leaves a trail of bodies, but also inadvertently mistakes a suitcase of uncut cocaine for one with his wife's clothing, and the chase is on. The unlikely newlyweds head for Los Angeles hoping to sell the cocaine and make enough money to leave the country. Unfortunately, they also have to contend with the mob, yuppie drug dealers and the police. Michael Rapaport is amusing as Clarence's best friend who lives with Floyd, a stoner played by Brad Pitt. A sedate Dennis Hopper appears as Clarence's father, who ultimately faces off with mob boss Vincenzo Coccotti (Christopher Walken). Director Tony Scott (CRIMSON TIDE, ENEMY OF THE STATE) does justice to the violence and quirkiness of Quentin Tarantino's second feature film script.
Synopsis
When a pair of unlikely newlyweds stumble across a cache of cocaine and try to sell it to a movie producer, the cops and the mob aren't far behind, in a darkly humorous caricature of the drug war. Billed as a "Bonnie and Clyde for the 1990s," the protagonists (Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette) are actually the most innocent characters in a film populated by thugs and hypocrites. Scripted by Quentin Tarantino, the film features a classic confrontation between veteran actors Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper.
Industry Reviews
"...One of the defining, and truly enjoyable, films of the '90s." -- 5 out of 5 Stars
Total Film - p.106 - Dorian Lynskey (06/01/2000)
"...A vibrant, grisly, gleefully amoral road movie..."
New York Times - p.C5 - Janet Maslin (09/10/1993)
"...Tony Scott's slick style is visually arresting....[The] entire film is an elegantly packaged affair on all levels..."
Variety - Leonard Klady (09/06/1993)
"...Cheerfully disreputable....TRUE ROMANCE has all the tawdry surface pleasures you want from a high-style getaway caper: fast sex, ballistic violence, a cast of flamboyant goons who talk as well as they shoot..."
Entertainment Weekly - Owen Gleiberman (09/10/1993)
"...This is the kind of movie that creates its own universe, and glories in it....The energy and style of the movie are exhilarating..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (09/10/1993)
Quotations
"If you gave me a million years to ponder, I would've never guessed that true romance and Detroit would ever go together."--Alabama (Patricia Arquette) in voice-over
"Don't condescend me, man."--Floyd (Brad Pitt)
"If there's one thing this last week has taught me, it's better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it."--Clarence (Christian Slater)
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