Natural Born Killers

Natural Born Killers
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Oliver Stone
Produced by
Screenplay by
  • Richard Rutowski
  • Oliver Stone
  • David Veloz
  • Rodney Dangerfield (his own monologues)
Story by Quentin Tarantino
Starring
Cinematography Robert Richardson
Edited by
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • August 26, 1994 (1994-08-26)
Running time
 119 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $34 million[2]
Box office $50.3 million[2]

Natural Born Killers is a 1994 American satirical black comedy crime film directed by Oliver Stone and starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Sizemore, and Tommy Lee Jones. The film tells the story of two victims of traumatic childhoods who became lovers and mass murderers, and are irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.

The film is based on an original screenplay by Quentin Tarantino that was heavily revised by writer David Veloz, associate producer Richard Rutowski, and director Stone; Tarantino received story credit. Jane Hamsher, Don Murphy, and Clayton Townsend produced the film, with Arnon Milchan, Thom Mount, and Stone as executive producers.

The film was released on August 26, 1994 in the United States, and also screened at the Venice Film Festival on August 29, 1994. It was a box office success, grossing over $50 million against a production budget of $34 million, and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the cast's performances, the humor, plot and combination of action and romance, but found the film much too violent and graphic. Notorious for its violent content and inspiring "copycat" crimes, the film was named the eighth most controversial film in history by Entertainment Weekly in 2006.[3]

Plot

Prologue

Mickey Knox and his wife Mallory stop at a diner in the New Mexico desert. A duo of rednecks arrive and one begins sexually harassing Mallory while she is dancing. She briefly encourages him before beating him to a pulp, screaming "How sexy am I now, huh flirty boy?". Mickey and Mallory then murder all but one of the diner's staff, and one customer, culminating in a morbid game of Eeny, meeny, miny, moe to decide who lives and dies. After killing the waitress Mabel, the couple ensures that the only survivor remembers their names so that he can pass on the legend of Mickey and Mallory before they embrace and declare their undying love.

Part I

Mickey and Mallory camp out in the desert, and Mallory reminisces about when they first met. A dramatised flashback (done in the style of a TV sitcom, including a laughtrack) shows Mickey as a meat deliveryman who came to the house where Mallory lived with her sexually abusive father, her neglectful mother, and her younger brother, Kevin. Mickey and Mallory fall in love instantly and leave together, stealing Mallory's father's car. Soon Mickey is arrested and imprisoned for auto theft, but he subsequently escapes from prison during a tornado and returns to Mallory's house. The two kill Mallory's parents, and Mallory tells Kevin he is "free". Mickey and Mallory then go on the road together and get "married" on the side of a bridge, celebrating by holding a young woman hostage in their hotel room. Angered by Mickey's desire for a threesome, Mallory drives to a nearby gas station, where she flirts with the mechanic. They begin to have sex on the hood of a car, but Mallory kills him when he recognizes her as a wanted killer. During this time, Mickey rapes the hostage.

Part II

The pair continue their killing spree, ultimately claiming fifty-two victims in New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. Pursuing them is Detective Jack Scagnetti, who became obsessed with mass murderers after witnessing his mother being shot and killed by Charles Whitman when he was eight. Beneath his heroic facade, he is a violent psychopath. The audience witnesses Scagnetti violently strangle a prostitute to death. The killers are also followed by self-serving tabloid journalist Wayne Gale. Gale profiles Mickey and Mallory on his show, American Maniacs, soon elevating them to cult hero status.

Mickey and Mallory get lost in the desert after taking psychedelic mushrooms. They come across a ranch where they encounter Warren Red Cloud, a Navajo Indian, and his grandson. The Navajo provides them with food and shelter. After the two fall asleep, the Navajo, hoping to expel the demon he perceives in Mickey, begins chanting beside the fire. This provokes nightmares and hallucinations in Mickey about his abusive parents, and he wakes up in a panicked rage and shoots Red Cloud before he realizes what he is doing. Mallory wakes up and begins yelling at Mickey. This is the first time the pair feel guilt following a murder. Fleeing from the scene, they come across a gigantic field of rattlesnakes and are both badly bitten.

They frantically drive to a drugstore to find snakebite antidote, however the store is completely sold out. Mallory falls to the ground while Mickey runs to the pharmacy with the hopes that there will be more medication in stock. The pharmacist recognizes Mickey and sets off the silent alarm before Mickey kills him. Soon police cars arrive and Mallory is captured and subsequently beaten by the police. A gunfight breaks out between Mickey and the others while Mallory is held hostage. Scagnetti arrives and tells Mickey that unless he surrenders, he will mutilate Mallory. Mickey gives up his guns, but attacks Scagnetti with a knife. The police taser him and the scene ends with Mickey and Mallory being beaten by a group of vengeful policemen as a news crew films the action.

Part III

The story picks up one year later: Mickey and Mallory have been kept in solitary confinement, and are due to be transferred to a mental hospital after being declared insane. Scagnetti arrives at the prison and encounters Warden Dwight McClusky, who tells Scagnetti to kill the Knoxes during their transfer, and then claim they tried to escape. Scagnetti agrees to the plan. Meanwhile, Gale has persuaded Mickey to agree to a live interview that will air immediately after the Super Bowl. During the interview, Mickey gives a speech about how murder provides enlightenment and declares himself a "natural born killer". His words inspire the other inmates (who are watching the interview on TV in the recreation room) and incite them to riot.

McClusky, upon learning of the riot, orders the interview terminated despite Gale's vehement protests. Mickey is left alone with Gale, the film crew and several guards. Using a lengthy joke as a diversion, Mickey overpowers a guard and grabs his shotgun. He kills most of the guards with it and takes the survivors hostage, leading them through the prison riot. Gale follows, giving a live television report as people are beaten and killed around him.

While this goes on, Scagnetti enters Mallory's cell and attempts to seduce her. Mallory, feigning reciprocation at first, then violently smashes his face against the wall and breaks his nose. The two guards outside the cell struggle to enter while Mallory attacks Scagnetti. Finally, the two guards subdue her, and Scagnetti sprays her face with tear gas in revenge. Still live on national television, Mickey and Gale arrive at Mallory's cell, where he kills the guards and engages in a Mexican standoff with Scagnetti, eventually feigning a concession just before Mallory slashes Scagnetti's throat with a shank from behind. Mallory then picks up Scagnetti's gun, saying "You still like me now, Jack?" and kills him.

Mickey and Mallory continue to escape through the riot torn prison, with Gale's entire TV crew getting killed. Gale himself snaps, succumbing to Stockholm syndrome as well as indulging in his own longtime fascination for murder, and begins to shoot at the guards, claiming he finally feels "alive". After being rescued by a mysterious prisoner named Owen Traft, the trio of Mickey, Mallory, and Gale run into McClusky and a heavily armed posse of guards. The trio takes cover in a blood-splattered shower room. McClusky threatens to storm the shower room; Mickey, in turn, threatens to kill both Gale and a guard on live TV, and the prisoners walk out the front door, to McClusky's utter dismay, as he helplessly threatens to hunt them down. McClusky and his guards are then quickly massacred by hordes of inmates.

Mickey and Mallory steal a van and escape to a forest. They give a final interview to Gale, before they tell him he must die also. He attempts various arguments to change their minds, finally appealing to their trademark practice of leaving one survivor; Mickey informs him they are leaving a witness to tell the tale, his camera. Gale accepts his fate and extends his arms as if on a cross as they shoot him dead while his unattended camera continues to roll. Unbeknownst to the three, the entire exchange is transmitted to a horrified news anchor through Gale's in-ear microphone. The couple is shown several years later, in an RV, with Mickey driving and a pregnant Mallory watching their two children play.

Cast

Deleted scenes

Production

Natural Born Killers was based upon a screenplay written by Quentin Tarantino, in which a married couple suddenly decide to go on a killing spree. Tarantino had sold an option for his script to producers Jane Hamsher and Don Murphy for $10,000 after he had tried, and failed, to direct it himself for $500,000.[4] Hamsher and Murphy subsequently sold the screenplay to Warner Bros. Around the same time, Oliver Stone was made aware of the script. He was keen to find something more straightforward than his previous production, Heaven & Earth; a difficult shoot which had left him exhausted, and he felt that Natural Born Killers could be what he was looking for.[5]

David Veloz, associate producer Richard Rutowski, and Stone rewrote the script, keeping much of the dialogue but changing the focus of the film from journalist Wayne Gale to Mickey and Mallory. The script was changed so much that as per WGA rules, Tarantino was credited for the film's story only. In a 1993 interview, Tarantino stated that he did not hold any animosity towards Stone, and that he wished the film well.[6]

Initially, when producers Hamsher and Murphy had first brought the script to Stone's attention, he had seen it as an action film; "something Arnold Schwarzenegger would be proud of."[7] As the project developed however, incidents such as the O.J. Simpson case, the Menendez brothers case, the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan incident, the Rodney King incident, and the Federal assault of the Branch Davidian sect all took place. Stone came to feel that the media was heavily involved in the outcome of all of these cases, and that the media had become an all-pervasive entity which marketed violence and suffering for the good of ratings. As such, he changed the tone of the movie from one of simple action to a satirical critique of the media in general.[5] Also coloring Stone's approach, and contributing to the violent nature of the film, were the anger and sadness he felt at the breakdown of his second marriage.[8] He also said in an interview that the film was influenced by the "vitality" of Indian cinema.[9] He let Rodney Dangerfield write or rewrite all of his own character's lines.[10]

During pre-production, to prepare for the role of Wayne Gale, Downey spent time with Australian TV shock-king Steve Dunleavy, and later convinced Stone to allow him to portray Gale with an Australian accent. Also during pre-production, Stone tried to convince actress Juliette Lewis to bulk up for the role of Mallory so that she looked tougher, but she refused, saying she wanted the character to look like a pushover, not a bodybuilder.[11]

Principal photography took only 56 days to shoot, but the editing process went on for 11 months, with the final film containing almost 3,000 cuts (most films have 600–700).[11] Filming locations included the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge just west of Taos, New Mexico, where the wedding scene was filmed, and Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, Illinois, where the prison riot was filmed. In Stateville, 80% of the prisoners are incarcerated for violent crimes. For the first two weeks on location at the prison, the extras were actual inmates with rubber weapons. For the subsequent two weeks, 200 extras were needed because the Stateville inmates were on lockdown. According to Tom Sizemore, during filming on the prison set, Stone would play African tribal music at full blast between takes to keep the frantic energy up.[7] While shooting the POV scene wherein Mallory runs into the wire mesh, director of photography Robert Richardson broke his finger and the replacement cameraman cut his eye. According to Oliver Stone, he was not popular with the camera department on set that day.[11] For the scenes involving rear projection, the projected footage was shot prior to principal photography, then edited together, and projected onto the stage, behind the live actors. For example, when Mallory drives past a building and flames are projected onto the wall, this was shot live using footage projected onto the facade of a real building.[11]

The famous Coca-Cola polar bear ad[12] is seen twice during the film. According to Stone, Coca-Cola approved the use of the ad without having a full idea of what the film was about. When they saw the completed film, they were furious.[11]

The film's soundtrack was produced by Stone and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, who reportedly watched the film over 50 times to "get in the mood".[11] Reznor reportedly produced the soundtrack while on tour.[13][14] On his approach to compiling the soundtrack, Reznor told MTV:

I suggested to Oliver [Stone] to try to turn the soundtrack into a collage-of-sound, kind of the way the movie used music: make edits, add dialog, and make it something interesting, rather than a bunch of previously released music.[15]

Some songs were written especially for the film or soundtrack, such as "Burn" by Nine Inch Nails.

Style

Natural Born Killers is shot and edited in a frenzied and psychedelic style consisting of black and white, animation, and other unusual color schemes, and employing a wide range of camera angles, filters, film stocks, lenses, and special effects. Much of the film is told via parodies of television shows, including a scene (I Love Mallory) presented in the style of a sitcom about a dysfunctional family. Commercials which were commonly on the air at the time of the film's release make brief, intermittent appearances. In his DVD director's commentary, Stone goes into great detail about the look of the film, explaining scene by scene why a particular look was chosen for a particular scene.

According to Hollywood.com, Natural Born Killers is a satirical crime film,[16] while Foster Hirsch deemed it "the crime film as would-be social and cultural satire".[17] Stone considered it his road film, specifically naming Bonnie and Clyde as a source of inspiration.[18] The famous death scene in Bonnie and Clyde used innovative editing techniques provided by multiple cameras shot from different angles at different speeds; this sporadic interchange between fast-paced and slow-motion editing that concludes Arthur Penn's film is used throughout the entirety of Natural Born Killers.[19]

Furthermore, both films fall under the road film genre through their constant challenges of the society in which the characters live. While Bonnie and Clyde attempt to disintegrate the weakened economic and social landscape of the 1930s, Mickey and Mallory try to free America from the overarching conventions which influence the common masses, primarily the media. However, whilst Bonnie and Clyde concludes with a pessimistic outlook regarding individual freedom within the American sphere of influence, Oliver Stone sees Natural Born Killers as having an optimistic finale. In Bonnie and Clyde, the police's ambush of the couple exhibits the empirical control of law enforcement over the individual. Natural Born Killers, however, ends with the couple symbolically destroying the mass media, as represented by Wayne Gale, and successfully fleeing together to live a relatively "normal" life. As Stone himself says, "In its own way, Natural Born Killers is ultimately a very optimistic film about the future. It's about freedom, and the ability of every human being to get it."[11]

Release

Box office

In its opening weekend, Natural Born Killers grossed a total of $11.2 million in 1,510 theaters, finishing 1st. It finished its theatrical run with a total gross of $50.3 million,[20] against its $34 million budget.[21]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 46% based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. On Metacritic, the film has an average weighted score of 74 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale.[22]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four stars out of four and wrote, "Seeing this movie once is not enough. The first time is for the visceral experience, the second time is for the meaning."[23] On his television show, his partner Gene Siskel agreed with him, adding extra praise to the scene featuring Rodney Dangerfield.

Other critics found the film unsuccessful in its aims. Hal Hinson of The Washington Post claimed that "Stone's sensibility is white-hot and personal. As much as he'd like us to believe that his camera is turned outward on the culture, it's vividly clear that he can't resist turning it inward on himself. This wouldn't be so troublesome if Stone didn't confuse the public and the private."[24] Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote, "for all its surface passions, Natural Born Killers never digs deep enough to touch the madness of such events, or even to send them up in any surprising way. Mr. Stone's vision is impassioned, alarming, visually inventive, characteristically overpowering. But it's no match for the awful truth."[25]

James Berardinelli gave the film a negative review but his criticism was different from many other such pans, which generally said that Oliver Stone was a hypocrite for making an ultra-violent film in the guise of a critique of American attitudes. Berardinelli noted that the movie "hits the bullseye" as a satire of America's lust for bloodshed, but repeated Stone's main point so often and so loudly that it became unbearable.[26]

Lionsgate Films released a director's cut on DVD. Stone himself retained ownership of his preferred cut. Distribution rights to the director's cut reverted from Lionsgate to Warner Bros. in 2009, giving Warner all distribution rights.

Controversies

Quentin Tarantino

After Quentin Tarantino attempted to publish his original screenplay to Natural Born Killers as a paperback book, as he had done with his scripts for True Romance and his own directorial efforts, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, the producers of Natural Born Killers filed a lawsuit against Tarantino, claiming that when he sold the script to them, he had forfeited the publishing rights; eventually, Tarantino was allowed to publish his original script.[27]

Tarantino disowned the film, saying, "I hated that fucking movie. If you like my stuff, don't watch that movie."[28]

Censorship

When the film was first handed in to the MPAA, they told Stone they would give it an NC-17 unless he cut it. As such, Stone toned down the violence by cutting approximately four minutes of footage, and the MPAA re-rated the film as an R. In 1996, a Director's Cut was released on home video by Vidmark Entertainment and Pioneer Entertainment, as Warner Bros. wanted nothing to do with that particular version.[29] Warner Home Video later released this cut on Blu-ray.[30]

The film was banned completely upon release in Ireland, including – controversially – from cinema clubs. The ban was later quietly lifted.[31][32]

In the UK, though the cinema release was delayed while the BBFC investigated reports that the film caused copycat murders in the USA and France,[33] it was finally shown in cinemas in February 1995.

The original intended UK home video release in March 1996 was cancelled due to the Dunblane massacre in Scotland. In the meantime, Channel Five showed the film in November 1997. It was finally released on video in July 2001.[34]

Entertainment Weekly ranked the film as the eighth most controversial film ever.[35]

"Copycat" crimes

From almost the moment of its release, the film has been accused of encouraging and inspiring numerous murderers in North America, including the Heath High School shooting and the Columbine High School massacre.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released August 23, 1994 by Interscope Records.

  1. "Waiting for the Miracle" (Edit) – Leonard Cohen
  2. "Shitlist" – L7
  3. "Moon Over Greene County" (Edit) – Dan Zanes
  4. "Rock N Roll Nigger" (Flood Remix) – Patti Smith
  5. "Sweet Jane" (Edit) – Cowboy Junkies
  6. "You Belong to Me" – Bob Dylan
  7. "The Trembler" (Edit) – Duane Eddy
  8. "Burn" – Nine Inch Nails
  9. "Route 666" – BB Tone Brian Berdan featuring Robert Downey Jr.
  10. "Totally Hot" – Remmy Ongala & Orchestre Super Matimila
  11. "Back in Baby's Arms" – Patsy Cline
  12. "Taboo" (Edit) – Peter Gabriel and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
  13. "Sex is Violent" – Jane's Addiction and Diamanda Galás (based on "Ted, Just Admit It...")
  14. "History Repeats Itself" (Edit) – A.O.S.
  15. "Something I Can Never Have" (Edited and Extended) – Nine Inch Nails
  16. "I Will Take You Home" – Russell Means
  17. "Drums a Go-Go" (Edit) – The Hollywood Persuaders
  18. "Hungry Ants" – Barry Adamson
  19. "The Day the Niggaz Took Over" – Dr. Dre
  20. "Born Bad" – Juliette Lewis
  21. "Fall of the Rebel Angels" (Edit) – Sergio Cervetti
  22. "Forkboy" – Lard
  23. "Batonga in Batongaville" (Edit) –
  24. "A Warm Place" (Edit) – Nine Inch Nails
  25. "Allah, Mohammad, Char, Yaar" – Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
  26. "The Future" (Edit) – Leonard Cohen
  27. "What Would U Do?" – Tha Dogg Pound

Tracks 10, 13, 18, 20, 23, and 25 are assembled from various recordings and dialogue from the film.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "NATURAL BORN KILLERS (18)". British Board of Film Classification. December 20, 1994. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Natural Born Killers (1994)". Box Office Mojo. 1994-10-18. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  3. ↑ 25 Most Controversial Movies Ever, Entertainment Weekly, 9 June 2006
  4. ↑ Hamsher, Jane (1998). Killer Instinct. Broadway. pp. 48–51. ISBN 0-7679-0075-8.
  5. 1 2 "Oliver Stone Interview with Charlie Rose". Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  6. ↑ Fuller, Graham (1998). "Graham Fuller/1993". In Peary, Gerald. Quentin Tarantino: Interviews. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 57–59. ISBN 1-57806-051-6.
  7. 1 2 "'Chaos Rising: The Storm Around Natural Born Killers' (DVD Featurette)".
  8. ↑ Cadwalladr, Carole (18 July 2010). "Oliver Stone and the politics of film-making". The Observer. paragraph 19. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  9. ↑ "Oliver Stone 'loves' Indian cinema". BBC News. October 27, 2010.
  10. ↑ "MOVIES : Natural Born Actor : Comic titan Rodney Dangerfield is getting respect for his performance as a hateful dad in 'Natural Born Killers.'". LA Times. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Director's Commentary (DVD Extra)".
  12. ↑ "Coke Lore: Polar Bears – Advertising Case History". The Coca-Cola Company. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  13. ↑ "Natural Born Thriller". Los Angeles Times. October 1994.
  14. ↑ "An Interview with Charlie Clouser". Scene Magazine. September 1996.
  15. ↑ "Box Set: NIN On "Doing The Soundtrack For Natural Born Killers"". MTV.com. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
  16. ↑ "Natural Born Killers". Hollywood.com. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  17. ↑ Hirsch, Foster (2004). Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 266. ISBN 161774784X.
  18. ↑ Lavington, Stephen. Oliver Stone. London: Virgin Books, 2004.
  19. ↑ Leong, Ian, Mike Sell, and Kelly Thomas. "Mad Love, Mobile Homes, and Dysfunctional Dicks." The Road Movie Book. Ed. Steven Cohan and Ina Rae Hark (1997): 70–89.
  20. ↑ "Natural Born Killers". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  21. ↑ Corliss, Richard (1994-08-24). "Stone Crazy". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  22. ↑ "Natural Born Killers – CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  23. ↑ Ebert, Roger (August 26, 1994). "Natural Born Killers". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  24. ↑ Hinson, Hal (August 26, 1994). "Natural Born Killers". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  25. ↑ Maslin, Janet (August 26, 1994). "Natural Born Killers; Young Lovers With a Flaw That Proves Fatal". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  26. ↑ Berardinelli, James. "Natural Born Killers". ReelViews. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  27. ↑ "Cinema: Tarantino v Stone". Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  28. ↑ AFP, Telegraph Reporters and (October 11, 2013). "Quentin Tarantino: planet Earth couldn't handle my serial killer movie". Retrieved September 22, 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  29. ↑ FILM;With Video, 'Cut!' Needn't Be the Director's Final Word - New York Times. Nytimes.com (1996-04-14). Retrieved on 2014-05-22.
  30. ↑ Natural Born Killers (Unrated Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]: Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Oliver Stone: Movies & TV. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-22.
  31. ↑ "'Natural Born Killers' Is Banned in Ireland". NY Times. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
  32. ↑ "Irish Film Institute - Natural Born Killers". Irish Film Institute. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
  33. ↑ Archived March 19, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
  34. ↑ "Natural Born Killers given video release". The Guardian. London. May 16, 2001.
  35. ↑ 25 Most Controversial Movies Ever, Entertainment Weekly (archived at Internet Archive), 2010-01-06, Archived from the original on January 6, 2010, retrieved 2016-06-10

Further reading

  • Hamsher, Jane (1998). Killer Instinct. Broadway.
  • Hanley, Jason. (2001) “Natural Born Killers: Music and Image in Postmodern Film,” in Postmodern Music/ Postmodern Thought, Routledge. ed. Joseph Auner and Judy Lochhead, pp. 335–359.
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