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.


 * Aerosol Flamethrower: Alabama uses one on Virgil.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * Eye Scream: An offscreen one by Clarence to Drexl, who already has a blind eye. Later Clarence also loses an eye in the shootout.
 * Fourth Date Marriage: More like
 * 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.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars: Drexl has a very evil scar.
 * 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-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.
 * One Last Smoke: Although he quit smoking, Clarence's father indulges in one last smoke when he.
 * 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.
 * 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.