Plenty of controversy surrounded this film on it's release back in 1994. The screenplay was originally writen by Quentin Tarantino, but he regarded it as immature early work and didn't want to make the film. He was apparantly quite angry to hear Oliver Stone had bought the story and was re-writing it to direct himself. Tarantino protested to have his name removed from the credits but still get's credited for "story".
Stone was criticised for removing the black humour from the script and seemingly missing the point of Tarantino's original intentions. It is said that rather than making a film which was a satirical look at modern day violence, Stone produced a hypocritical gorefest which attacked the media and his audience. I think the satire still comes through in most parts, but it does tend to mock the viewer.
The portrayal of the media hype surrounding the two main characters is clearly satirical, but Stone can't help criticising the general public for their love of media violence whilst at the same time delivering just what the film sets out to ridicule.
Due to it's graphic nature depicting the whirlwind romance/killing spree of the two main characters, Micky and Mallory (Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis),
Natural Born Killers was heavily cut to obtain certification and a release. The copy I have is the later 1996 release imported from the US which is the directors cut and includes over an extra hour of original footage.
The sheer nature of the film has been blamed for a spate of copycat murder sprees around the globe with young couples murdering people randomly and citing the movie as inspiration. Well, the movie and plenty of hard drugs.
The film rode on the back of the Tarantino hype which was buzzing in the early 90s, but is more comparable to Kubrick's ultra-violent outing
A Clockwork Orange. Overall this movie is a lesson in style over content, many different styles including animation and back projection were used to make this one of the most visually impressive films ever made. The sountrack was was compiled and produced by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and features some of the coolest music of the time. Despite Stone's insistence that
Natural Born Killers is an anti-violent satire, the truth is it's a rollercoaster shock flick with a thumping soundtrack and a must see for all wannabie serial killers or High School massacre hopefuls.
*To win a copy of Natural Born Killers ~ Director's Cut just answer this remarkably tricky question:
Which comedy actor played Mallory's abusive father in Natural Born Killers?
Just PM me the answer for your chance to win!*
*Congratulations again to playme who won the last competition and is now the proud owner of Evil Dead*
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