True Romance



True Romance is a 1993 movie written by Quentin Tarantino (based on a script by Roger Avary) and directed by Tony Scott (Top Gun). It tells the story of outlaw lovers Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) and Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) who accidentally steal a suitcase full of cocaine and then go on the run from the mob.

The couple make their way to Hollywood to sell the drugs -- but it's there that the mob catches up with them.

The movie is notable, beyond its star-launching casting, for being the film that put Tarantino's writing on the Hollywood map. Additionally, it is fairly well-known (and well-liked) within the movie industry, given all the stars in it; but it isn't widely known, except among Tarantino fans.

Tropes include:

 * Aerosol Flamethrower: Alabama uses one on Virgil.
 * All-Star Cast -- Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Michael Rappaport, Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, Samuel L Jackson, Tom Sizemore and Saul Rubinek. Many actors had not yet broken through into stardom.
 * Ax Crazy -- Drexl
 * Badass -- Definitely Alabama for
 * Beauty Is Never Tarnished -- Brutally averted in the fight between Alabama and Virgil.
 * Black and Grey Morality
 * Blast Out -- In gloriously chaotic style.
 * Bottomless Magazines -- Mostly averted. Clarence fires his revolver five times in one scene and police can be seen reloading their guns during the shootout.The Gangsters can also be seen taking a massive amount of magazines and shotgun shells with them in a briefcase. however Clarence does manage to kill Drexl and his bodyguard by firing seven shots out of a six shot revolver, although this is less overkill than most films.
 * Deleted Scene -- Jack Black appears in a scene as a movie theatre usher that was cut from both the theatrical and director's cuts. Director Tony Scott later regretted cutting the scene.
 * Disney Death:  The film certainly isn't a Disney film, though. Originally,
 * Disproportionate Retribution: Lee is shot to death after he throws coffee on Elliot.
 * Elvis Presley -- Clarence is obsessed with Elvis, among other things. His Spirit Advisor is implied to be Elvis, but never named.
 * Executive Meddling: The original ending had Clarence dying and Alabama driving off alone with a bitter monologue, but director Tony Scott changed it because he liked the characters too much to end on such a down note. Tarantino had originally intended for the widowed Alabama to go into a life of crime. She gets mentioned in Reservoir Dogs as a former partner of Mr. White.
 * Eye Scream -- An offscreen one by Clarence to Drexl, who already has a blind eye. Later Clarence also loses an eye in the shootout
 * Fake American -- Brit Gary Oldman as Detroit wigger pimp Drexl
 * Fourth Date Marriage -- more like
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars -- Drexl has a very evil scar.
 * The Ghost: Blue Lou Boyle is the mafia kingpin who owns the dope. He's referred to a number of times, but the closest we get to him is his consigliere, Vincenzo Coccotti, who is terrifying enough on his own. A scene was written for Blue Lou, but it was never filmed.
 * Groin Attack -- Drexl gets shot in the groin.
 * Heroic Sacrifice -- during the face-off between Walken's consigliare and Hopper's ex-cop, Hopper knows full well if he gives up his son they'll both be killed. So he taunts Walken with the infamous Sicilian monologue,
 * Hooker With a Heart of Gold -- Alabama.
 * If It's You It's Okay -- Clarence has a monologue explaining why he would have sex with Elvis.
 * Karmic Death --
 * Living Lie Detector -- Vincenzo Coccotti claims that he is a master liar and therefore a master at spotting lies.
 * The Mafia -- Frightening and dangerous and led by Christopher Walken.
 * Making Love in All The Wrong Places -- the phone booth? HOT.
 * Meet Cute -- Subverted. Clarence thinks he's having one of these, but Alabama has been paid to be there. Of course, then she does fall in love with him.
 * Mexican Standoff -- Tarantino's trademark.
 * No-Holds-Barred Beatdown -- Virgil to Alabama. But then...
 * No Kill Like Overkill -- The way . BAD. ASS.
 * One Last Smoke -- Although he quit smoking, Clarence's father indulges in one last smoke when he.
 * One-Scene Wonder -- Most of the supporting cast is only around for a scene or two, and almost all are memorable, particularly Christopher Walken in the famous Sicilian Scene. Samuel L Jackson manages to have about two lines of dialogue before Gary Oldman kills him.
 * Orchestra Hit Techno Battle --
 * Outlaw Couple -- Although they don't actually commit very much crime.
 * Politically-Incorrect Villain -- The Mafia. Clarence's father knows this, and uses it to provoke them into killing him immediately, before they can torture him to death.
 * Pretty Fly for A White Guy -- Drexl thinks he's black, but he's mostly white, with maybe some Native American.
 * Psycho for Hire -- Virgil, the hitman who seems to delight in torturing his victims first.
 * Rasputinian Death --
 * Shout-Out -- The use of "Gassenhauser" in the score could be seen as a reference to Badlands. That or Hans Zimmer ripping off Carl Orff.
 * Silent Offer -- The protagonist makes an offer in an envelope for his "peace of mind." The envelope is empty.
 * Soundtrack Dissonance -- The upbeat techno music during the scene with Drexl, the calm soothing piece during the Virgil scene and the Sicilian scene.
 * Spirit Advisor -- Clarence occasionally gets advice from an apparition that behaves like Elvis Presley.
 * The Stoner -- Brad Pitt
 * Stylistic Suck -- Lee Donowitz's film within a film, Comin' Home in a Body Bag, appears to be an archetypal brain-dead 80s action movie, though Clarence talks about it like it's Apocalypse Now.
 * Suicide By Cop: Clarence's father intentionally enrages the mafia gangsters so that they'll kill him outright before they can torture his son's location out of him.
 * Throw It In -- Bronson Pinchot ad-libbed the scene where his character is caught with the cocaine.
 * Too Kinky to Torture/ I Shall Taunt You -- Alabama goes out of her way to mock Virgil after using a Bust of Elvis on him.
 * Too Kinky to Torture/ I Shall Taunt You -- Alabama goes out of her way to mock Virgil after using a Bust of Elvis on him.