On N List of Movie Reviews
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Natural Born Killers (1994)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
7/04, 10/06, 6/17, 3/22
10/06:
Talk about notorious.
Natural Born Killers is now forgotten, but once upon a time, it was the most controversial, talked-about film that
was very much in-your-face in terms of violence.
The filmmaking techniques used were shocking, allowing it to be fast-paced, frenzied, and brutal. Hence,
Natural Born Killers is the epitome of America and the mass media's insatiable fascination and lust for violence
and pornography.
Unfortunately, it's not a good movie, resembling more of an incoherent mess with many poorly shot scenes. If there's anything
that deserves an Oscar nomination, it's the editing, which is first-class, will either make or break anyone's viewing experience.
Woody Harrelson will always be famous for his association with Cheers and Natural Born Killers. Juliette Lewis
is at her baddest and scariest. Rodney Dangerfield's performance is the most shocking of them all.
All in all, there hasn't been anything like Natural Born Killers ever since.
6/17:
It's the editing that makes Natural Born Killers a highly impressive picture.
Other than that, there's not much to go on. The story is ridiculous, and it lacks substance for two hours. People are shot
up and still manage to look healthy and hale. The acting is okay. Only Tommy Lee Jones stands out the most. I'm
surprised he decided to go ahead with the role. So did Rodney Dangerfield who's different from what I'm used to.
Coca-Cola said it was okay to use their ad? Well, according to IMDb, "Coca-Cola approved the use of the Polar Bear
ads for its product in the movie without having a full idea of what the movie was about; when the Board of Directors saw
the finished product, they were furious." That's funny. And yep, they were real rattlesnakes.
All in all, sensationalistic at first, Natural Born Killers falls apart in the long run.
3/22:
Time has now been kind to Natural Born Killers.
It's outrageous with in-your-face editing, having a lot to say about the mass media. Woody Harrelson and Juliette
Lewis will always be well known as Mickey and Mallory Knox, a spree couple in the likes of Charles Starkweather and Caril
Ann Fugate. What's critical is having a dysfunctional childhood.
Funnily enough, Oliver Stone selected Woody Harrelson because "frankly, he had that American, trashy look. There's something
about Woody that evokes Kentucky or white trash." The rest of the cast is perfect: Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Downey, Jr., Rodney
Dangerfield, and Tom Sizemore, among others. Coca-Cola didn't know what the movie was going to be about and approved the use of
its polar bear ad.
The screenplay may have been originally written by Quentin Tarantino, but Oliver Stone redid most of it. There were a
lot of things going on prior to the mid 90's: the O.J. Simpson case, the Rodney King beating and the subsequent riot, the
Menéndez brothers, and Waco, Texas. It marked the beginning of the news media as a powerful giant, wanting
to exploit people's lives for ratings and therefore advertising dollars. At the same time, the criminals tried
get away with it by coming up with bullshit reasons when in fact they were guilty.
All in all, Natural Born Killers may be a controversial movie, but it's quite good.