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Natural Born Killers | Year: 1994 Classification: Action Country: USA Language: English Actors/Actresses: - Robert Downey Jr - Woody Harrelson - Ashley Judd - Tommy Lee Jones - Juliette Lewis - Denis Leary - Tom Sizemore - Oliver Stone - Quentin Tarantino Hats Off! Natural Born Killers is arguably one of the finest movies to emerge from the 90's. Essentially NBK is a social commentary for a fast-food audience. The storyline follows the unity of the two lead characters, Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis) Knox. Their honeymoon leaves behind a steady trail of bodies. The legend of the Knox couple is picked up and aggravated by the popular media, represented in NBK by Wayne Gale (Robert Downey Jr.), who is the star of 'American Maniacs', a clear stab at television exploitation (ie. funniest home video shows, disaster shows, etc) that gain popularity by tapping into the 'morbidity factor'. NBK has received much criticism regarding the frequent and supposedly graphic violence interlaced throughout the movie. Oliver Stone has actually been taken to court regarding a copycat killing, though this is not the place to comment on that. However, from my opinion, there is nothing in NBK that I have not seen before in films, nor is any of the violence overtly graphic, and in no way is it manipulative. The violence is a portrayal, and perhaps criticism, of modern American society. Visually the film is impeccable. Formats switch from B The intensity of pace and style will put off more conservative viewers, but then, those are the type of people that read of NBK and automatically slot the movie into the evil, negative basket. Criticism shouldn't be leveled at NBK, instead it should be leveled at society. The movie is a representation of society. And if things are to get better in the real world, we have to at least accept what the real world is. We need more movies of this calibre. Hat's Off to Natural Born Killers. Sheer Chaos But An Important Message Within. A film that didn't turn out as I expected. Ok I knew there was going to be violence just from its title but all the killing, the swearing and the chaos never stopped. I didn't particulary enjoy this film yet it for some reason it kept me interested, I wanted to see if fate played for or against Mickey and Mallory, two of the most twisted characters ever to come to a movie screen. There's nothing gratifying in Natural Born Killers but there is an important message on how the media nowadays glorifies violence, creating cult followers for mass murderers - what Oliver Stone manages to do is portray the negative in the 90's, particularly American pseudo-culture. You have Rodney King, O.J Simpson, Tonya Harding, The Menendez Brothers... and all these things are linked by a single medium - 90's television. Definitely not one of my favourites, but I do appreciate why people respect this movie so much, it's well made, just not to my liking as such. What would have been interesting to see was original script writer Quentin Tarentino's version, apparently much altered from the film. As it is though, its worth a viewing. "In the media circus of life, they were the main attraction" This true masterpiece directed by acclaimed director and writer, Oliver Stone, is avant-garde filmaking at its breaking point. The whole theme of Natural Born Killers is that the media is obsessive over violence and brutality; therefore, the extreme violence in the movie is used as a satire, not as entertainment. Definitely one of the most controversial movies ever released, especially in the 1990s when the Simpson trial, Rodney King, and the Menendez brothers became celebrity darlings because of the mass media and not because of anything credible. The acting by all the leads, especially Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis, is amazing. Their true love is another theme that proves vital in Natural Born Killers. It is the one and only thing that can hold people together when faced with such things as violence and a tormented childhood. The actual violence portrayed is not even that graphic after one viewing. It is the break-neck pacing and high-speed cuts that give the movie its violent intensity. If not Woody Harrelson, then definitely Juliette Lewis should have received some sort of Academy nomination, such as an Emmy, if not an Oscar. Oliver Stone beats one in the face with this media spectacle that boasts every type of film style imaginable. Everything from 36 mm to black and white to animation to a video camera to color tinting to fast and slow motion is used in abundance with fascinating success. Roger Ebert said, "Seeing this movie once is not enough," and he is right! A must see. Brilliant Filmaking! 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