Tarantino’sTrue Romance gives true love a bad name

Whether you liked Kill Bill: Volume One or not, you cannot mistakeQuentin Tarantino’s place in movie-making history. While Pulp Fictionwill undoubtedly be lauded as his masterpiece, he has written some ofthe smartest and edgiest movies in recent times.

Personally, my favorite is the film True Romance, which he pennedin 1993.

Starring Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette as lovers Clarenceand Alabama, True Romance is a portrait of just that – true romance.Clarence and Alabama meet in classic boy-meets-girl fashion. She is acall girl hired by Clarence’s boss for his birthday. The two fallinstantly in love and Clarence gets more than he bargains for when hegoes to give Alabama’s pimp a piece of his mind. With a suitcase fullof stolen cocaine, the two flee to Los Angeles with the intent ofselling the drug and becoming rich and living happily ever aftertogether.

And that’s just the beginning.

What makes this movie work is the amazing ensemble cast. It is oneof the most diverse and impressive groupings I have ever seen in onefilm. Gary Oldman plays Alabama’s former pimp, Samuel L. Jackson is adrug dealer, Dennis Hopper stars as Clarence’s father and retired copand Christopher Walken is, shockingly, a leader in the underworld.Val Kilmer, James Gandalfini and Brad Pitt also make small, butnoteworthy, appearances.

True Romance is a Bonnie and Clyde for Generation X. While thelead characters are not quite pearls of society, you can’t help butroot for them. The whole movie is a wickedly fun roller-coaster rideof a good time. It never slows down, the characters are cool andTarantino does what he does best – keeps you guessing till the lastscene. True Romance is definitely a film worth revisiting.

– Maggie Grainger