warning some spoilers included
Before Quentin Tarantino before the modern film god he is today he wrote the screenplay for one of the most underrated movies of my lifetime. True Romance was released in 1993 quietly and went away for many years at least for myself. Over ten years later I see the intro credits to Hans Zimmer’ ” You’re so Cool” on Showtime three in the morning. I vaguely remember seeing the trailer as a kid. A couple years after it’s initial release Quentin wrote and directed Pulp Fiction a movie so huge half my acting class chose scenes from it for monologues in acting class (I went with Forrest Gump). Many aspects of True Romance were in Pulp Fiction the graphic violence, overt racist dialogue, even the non linear structure were trademarks from the True Romance script. However the culture had changed from Romance to Pulp and to be fair maybe the title was confusing to audiences. This isn’t When Harry Met Sally.
I mentioned the structure of the movie before even though it’s a linear three act play. This however is not how the screenplay was written. Tarantino wrote the screenplay scattered in the same manner as most of his films. Tony Scott who’s best know work at this point was Top Gun, decided to keep it simple and I’ll point out the other significant changes later.
It’s early nineties Detroit and the Auto Industry had not been doing well at this time. We are introduced to Clarence Worley played by Christian Slater. He’s a guy at a bar trying to get a date to a Kung Fu triple feature Street Fighter movies staring Sonny Chiba. He jokes about say he’s not gay but he’d fuck Elvis. A few years before this Quentin Tarantino played an extra as a Elvis impersonator on an episode of Golden Girls. So he’s now at the movie theatre alone and by happenstance a girl spills popcorn on him (or is it). She starts talking to him about the movie asked if the guy on the screen is a good guy or a bad guy. Clarence tells her he’s neither “he’s just a bad motherfucker”. Clarence isn’t trying to be a good guy or a bad guy. So it’s a cute meet Clarence and Alabama, portrayed by Patricia Arquette, grab pie after the movie and he shows her the comic book store he works at. They then hook up in similar sex scene style as Top Gun. We see their silhouettes going at it. She comes clean about her background and we are introduced to her pimp.
When people talk about how great of an actor Gary Oldman is few look at his portrayal of Drexl Spivey. Drexl is a white guy with dreads that acts black at least in a stereotypical gangster rap manner. We find out how unhinged he is in a drug deal he takes what he wants to not spoil too much. Alabama and Clarence get married and while getting matching tatoos she’s that’s when she tells him. Clarence wants to get her stuff and start their life new. But first the voice in his head tells him to kill Drexl. That voice is, you guested it, Elvis. He’s not credited but c’mon its Elvis played by Val Kilmer.
Clarence goes to retrieve her things but instead walks out with luggage full of uncut cocaine. How this happens I won’t say (I can’t spoil everything) but the Drexle and Clarence confrontation is one of my favorite scenes. We are then introduced to Clarence’s estranged father and Clarence needs his help to find out what his police friends know. This in turn leads to one of the most suspenseful scenes of the film. Vincenzo Coccotti an associate of mob boss Blue Lou Boyle pays Clarence’s father a visit for one of the best interrogation scenes in film history. One Cliff realizes he can’t lie to protect his son especially once he’s tortured he instead insinuates that Sicilians like Vincenzo are as Cliff puts in “spawned from niggers” to antagonize him enough to end the charade. This writing of the dialogue brilliant buried in subtext, camera work and direction are put together to perfection with the performances of Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken.
Clarence and Alabama are off to Hollywood because of course. Where else can you dump that kind product? Clarence contacts his acting friend who is a terrible actor Dick Richie played by Michael Rappaport his life is shit right now with his lazy stoned roommate Floyd performed by Brad Pitt way to well. So well he easily could’ve been typecast from there. Dick knows someone from his acting class that knows a big Hollywood producer. More excellent Taratino dialogue as Clarence describes the amount of coke in terms a Hollywood producer would get; Dr. Zhivago. After everything is set up Floyd gives the information to mobsters of the whereabouts of Clarence and Alabama through answering questions like a stoner on a gameshow.
Alabama is alone and walks in her room to seem Conccotti’s thug Virgil about six years before he becomes Tony Soprano (James Gandofini). Another great confrontation. Virgil wants the cocaine but seeing the fight Alabama has in her he gives her a fighting chance before he kills her. At least that’s his plan. This is a time before badass women and you would see a man beat the shit out of a woman like Virgil does with Alabama. Its brutal but Alabama is fighting for her life at the same time Virgil mentions his plan to kill Clarence as well. She goes ape shit more tricks than Copperfield to the point of lighting him on fire. Clarence pulls her away. There’s no going back now. They have to make the deal and get the fairytale ending they deserve.
Floyd once again gives the wrong people information and meanwhile the cops have an informant on the deal. They are listening like the audience as we see the deal about to transpire between Lee Donowitz the producer and Clarence. The DEA breaks down the door, After some tension between Lee’s bodyguards and the DEA Conccotti’s men break down a door. We now have a three way Mexican standoff. It’s a massive shootout.
There are two endings to the movie. Tony Scott shot Tarantino’s ending but it didn’t match the movie. Quentin when with a down ending the classic crime doesn’t pay. It’s work but It’s easy to fall in love with the ending Tony Scott chose with the Hans Zimmer track “You’re so Cool” . These two went against the odds to find love and True Romance in the end.