Product Description

This rock'n'roll adventure story tells of two unlikely lovers who accidentally double-cross the Detroit mob by stealing valuable contraband. Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, flee to Los Angeles where they are sought by both gangsters and cops.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2730 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2002-09-24
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 120 minutes

Amazon.com
It was directed with energetic skill by Top Gun Tony Scott, but this breathtaking 1993 thriller (think of it as an adolescent crime fantasy on steroids) has Quentin Tarantino written all over it. True Romance is really part of a loose trilogy that includes Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, with a crackling Tarantino screenplay that rides a fine line between raucous comedy and violent excess. Christian Slater plays Clarence, the comic-book lover who meets a beguiling prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette), confronts her vicious pimp (Gary Oldman), and embarks on a cross-country odyssey with $5 million worth of Mafia cocaine. Mayhem ensues, culminating in a favorite Tarantino climax--the "Mexican standoff"--in which a roomful of guys are pointing guns at each other, waiting to see who shoots first. Brutal, profane, and totally outrageous, True Romance is not for everyone, but with a supporting cast that includes Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, and Val Kilmer (as the ghost of Elvis!), you can be sure this movie will never be boring. --Jeff Shannon

DVD features
While the unrated director's cut remains identical in content to the earlier DVD of True Romance, the bonus material on this special edition is exclusive and outstanding. Quentin Tarantino had heretofore avoided DVD commentaries for his own films, so his first-rate, rapid-fire commentary here is a welcomed opportunity to set the record straight on the history of Tarantino's screenplay, his approval of director Tony Scott's "happy" ending (paired here with Tarantino's tragic ending as an alternate feature), the inspiration for the film's climactic "Mexican standoff," and structural differences from first draft to final film. Scott's own informative commentary corroborates Tarantino's, while Michael Rapaport ("Dick Ritchie") steals the show with one of four scene-specific supporting-cast commentaries, self-effacingly begging for a sequel based on his character. Abundant behind-the-scenes footage is worthwhile for the film's most ardent fans, and Scott's "storyboard track" demonstrates the director's meticulous preparation, but it's the commentaries--especially Tarantino's--that make this one a keeper. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

3.5 stars out of 4
The Bottom Line:

While no one will acuse True Romance of being art, it brings a well-balanced mixture of Tarantino-speak and violence to the table and delivers an entertaining package; scenes like the one in which James Gandolfini stops trying to murder Patricia Arquette in order to talk about the nature of killing or when Bronson Pynchot gets caught with drugs alone justify spending time/money on the film.

Very happy with my service
The True Romance DVD was in the exact condition that was advertised, and the product was sent in a timely fashion.

I'm very happy with the service.

"Today Ain't White Boy Day Is It?"
Tony Scott's "True Romance" (1994) is a cocktail mixture of action, drugs, sex and violence rollicking with the heedless enthusiasm of a newborn puppy in a Christmas box. The plot is a miasma of over-the-top situations centering on a comic store clerk and a call girl who fall in love and set about making their mark in the world. The murder of the call girl's pimp and the re-appropriation of his drug stash allow this dynamic duo to attain their dreams, but not without some bumps along the way.

Scripted by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, the film exists in a high-octane and bullet-riddled universe where paper-thin characters thrive with no sense of nagging morality or long term purpose. The viewer never knows what Clarence (Slater) or Alabama (Arquette) want to be, other than a mad dog killer and a gorgeous hooker, or even what they want to do, other than have sex in phone booths and watch Kung Fu movies. In fact, their long-term goal of "getting far, far away" throughout the film is revealed as spending money, making love and lying around on tropical beaches. Does this make the film not worth seeing? No: Quite the opposite.

Once the viewer realizes he is not watching a realistic film but instead a film written for twenty-something college dorm inhabitants, the film can be enjoyed for what it is: an entertaining action movie with lots of crazy dialog, fast-paced antics and bloody situations.

The two stars, Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, are ideally cast for their roles. Slater effortlessly conveys the bored-out-of-his-mind young man who hasn't grown up and spends his time clerking at a comic book store. As the peppy hooker, Arquette's performance encapsulates the Playboy nymph of a male teendom's dreams: the breezy gal you hope would crash at your pad for a week in Daisy Duke Shorts and halter tops.

The best performances in the film are by Val Kilmer, unrecognizable as the imaginary Elvis, and Brad Pitt, who bumbles along as the stoned-beyond-all-reason roommate that is all too eager to give directions. Dennis Hopper gives a mostly by-the-numbers performance with the exception of a tense yet hilarious speech delivery on Sicilian genetics. Christopher Walken instantly tops the speech and calmly egresses with his usual cool. The icing on the cake is the talented Gary Oldman as a psychotic drug-dealing wacko-path who rants about White Boy Day and is the epitome of urban mayhem.

If you are bored on a Saturday night then I suggest you rent "True Romance" and let the chaotic genius of Tarantino Land wash over you.

Film Rating: **** (four) out of ***** (five) stars.