Natural Born Killers


Starring: Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Rodney Dangerfield, Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Downey Jr., Jared Harris, Pruitt Taylor Vince
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Thriller
1994

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two lovers (Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis) go on a bloody killing spree.

Review:

Tim: I'm still trying to make sense of Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. This is certainly a unique movie experience. This is a hyper-violent, MTV-inspired, frenetic, frantic movie. I can't say that I particularly loved the experience of watching this movie, but I'm impressed with what Stone has created here. This movie is also commonly referred to as one of the most controversial movies of all time (and for good reason).

The first aspect of this film to examine is the violence. This movie is incredibly, gruesomely focused on violence. The most troubling aspect of this is that the movie almost seems to promote violence. Our protagonists are psychopathic killers, and through the course of the film, we're continually pushed to root for them, to want them to continue their murderous rampage. Violence here is glamorized. That's not easy to watch. This film has been criticized for inciting violence in others. While I don't particularly buy that, this movie does tend to get under your skin.

The cast is really, really good. Woody Harrelson was such a terrific choice to play Mickey. He's a good actor, but he is just unbalanced enough to be believable as a crazy psychopathic killer. He's quite strong here. Juliette Lewis is also good. She gives a physically impressive, interacting well with Harrelson, and pouring everything she has into the role. That level of effort shows up on screen. Both of these actors really make the movie.

There's some strong supporting performers as well. For the most part, I enjoyed Robert Downey Jr. I was impressed with his Australian accent, but it was a little weird hearing him play the role in that manner. Tommy Lee Jones was fun to see here, but it was strange seeing him give such an over-the-top performance. It was fun, but weird. Tom Sizemore was good. I always think he does a good job, but I never truly love him in a movie. His performance occasionally felt a bit too much, but overall, he was good. It was also jaw-dropping to see Rodney Dangerfield in a dramatic role, especially one that was as vulgar, violent, and crazy as this one. I never expected to see Dangerfield in that light.

What really makes this movie unique isn't the story or the cast, but the way Stone filmed it. The movie features so many different styles- we see color, black-and-white, television footage, there's a scene that's played in a sitcom style, and so much more. This is unique, but it makes the movie incredibly hard to watch. I really struggled with this aspect. I was engrossed, but my eyes hurt watching the film. I really wish Stone had dialed back the insanity just a bit. It was fun, but difficult to view.

The story itself is fine, but it's been done before. If you strip away Stone's crazy filmmaking style, the story is good, but redundant. We see two killers on a rampage, and they kill a bunch of people. There's more to it, but not much more. The memorable aspect of the film is the way Stone filmed it. In that manner, this is an influential, unforgettable film. I just wish the rest of the film lived up to that bar. I liked this movie, but I did not love it. I suppose it makes sense of why people enjoy this movie and why it's remained so memorable and controversial, but I personally thought it was only a "good" movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
True Romance, Zombieland