Customer Reviews

Natural Born Killers

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers is one of the most unique artistic visions in the last ten years. Some call it short-sighted, narrow, sensory overload, a bomabstic explosion of useless gas, or a pathetic exuse of a movie. Those who describe Natural Born Killers as such are missing the point or are perfect examples of it. The film is the most accurate film account of the 90's American culture. Mickey ( Woody Harrelson ) and Malory's ( Julliete Lewis ) dis-allusionment with the media, conservatism, morality, and life and death are all a primal revolution from the material enslavement of society. Watch the opening sequence with the dramatic and purposesly hallow transitions between color and black -and-white and violence and romance to see Stone's observations on 90's culture and the 80's influence upon it. The Rodney Dangerfield Sitcom section ( Roseanne anyone! ), sexually graphic animation, sexual abuse of children, Rodney King style beatings, Mickey and Mallory's sexual revolution, and the media's romanticism of crime (Heraldo, Montel, Jerry Springer)are all magnificentally satrized on this film. The 90's as a decade was in a nutshell short-sighted, narrow, sensory overloaded , a bomabstic explosion of useless gas, and a pathetic decade. The great films reflect the decades from which they were made and Natural Born Killers is no exception. In the fantastically edited last 30 minutes of NBK, this film will either totally repulse you or change your opinion of modern society. That is the power of this hyper-kinetic minagerie of the 90's. Oliver Stone's director's cut adds only about three minutes of extra footage which includes Tommy Lee Jone's decapitated head and some other disturbing material. This addition just adds more ferocity to Stone's vision. Also available on the DVD version are about 45 minutes of deleted scenes that Stone beleived would have hampered or slowed down NBK's narrative. The footage is also very provocative in its own right. A must-see.

This, along with Q. Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction'once again lit the blue touch paper in the 'Violence in the Movies' debate. Is this film worth all the hype? - YES it is, but not for it's violence but for the sheer audacious movie making that Oliver Stone had once again shown. Out has gone a lot of Quentin's snappy and witty dialogue, although the QT trademark is there, but the showmanship of OS is at the forefront. This is what Q. Tarantino would and could not have acheived - a mad, bad and altogether out of body movie which debates that society and the media should be more accountable for their actions in the depiction of violence that is all around us. This is a complete cop out and should be ignored at the outset. Take this movie with a large pinch of salt and sit back and marvel at the splicing of different filmstocks 35mm Super 8 and also the fusing of cartoons in some areas. Plot, there is no plot, Mickey & Malory Knox ( Woody Harrelson / Juliette Lewis) kill and they enjoy it they have no morals, scruples and no compunction in doing what they do! Superb performances from all concerned above and also Robert Downey Jnr., Tommy Lee Jones and Tom Sizemore. This disc is nothing short of brilliant as it has superb missing/deleted scenes, alternative ending and one of the best audio commentaries fom Mr. Stone himself into the sights and insights of the film. Good / Bad? You decide, although it's not easy watching... you have been warned.

Don't listen to those people who dismiss this film as a horrible and irresponsible mess - it is one of the most brazen and funny films that has been produced in the 90s. People are missing the fact that the whole thing is an OTT comedy, which condemns the media and the idiots who fall into the trap of believing them. It's full of brilliant sequences and some great performances (especially Robert Downey Jnr and Tom Sizemore). Some of the scenes will stick in your head for a long time, but not for their brutality. The moment when the killers and Downey escape from the prison riot along a corridor with everyone following and their subsesquent run out the door is a hilarious scene which mixes all Stone wants to say in a few minutes. Brilliantly filmed, it is just one of many in a colourful, loud and purposely extravagant film. The commentary is very good, with Stone admitting what doesn't work or make sense, and the deleted scens are very interesting (about half an hour of them). Also, the documentary is really interesting for once, not just a hurried mess. The picture is a little soft at times, but with so many forms of cinematography in the film you won't be able to notice too often. This film will not make you into a murderer. Guaranteed. But it will make you wonder about the media and why the hell we listen to them. And I'm a journalist myself.

I don`t agree with the guy who said that NBK and JFK are MTV garbage. This film is not only about Media, is about TELEVISION about how people respond to violence. It is an unconventional film, but at this moment almost all the movies from Hollywood copy: the MTV fast style, loudly music, bizarre images,etc. This film is a masterpiece because it show us the truth about television, I saw this truth with my own eyes and you could see it too, if you want to. Oliver Stone show us their hypocrisy and when I saw it in everydaylife, on the news, I stoped watching T.V. You can say freely that this film changed my life. It is not my favorite movie but I think it`s the most important film of the 21 century. JFK is the most powerful film I have seen, with the same hypnotic energy like this one has.

No other film in recent history has been as controversial as "Natural Born Killers," Oliver Stone's 1994 treatise on violence in America. Perhaps Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" stirred up a few tempers, but the response to that film pales in comparison to the massive outpourings of indignation over this motion picture. Newspaper articles appeared daily documenting how audience members got up and left the theater in disgust due to the movie's excessive carnage. My favorite response came from then Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, who referred to Stone's picture as a "nightmare of depravity." The media, apparently unaware that they were the director's primary target (or they knew it and just didn't care), went off on one of their periodic self-examinations before once again engaging in the same activities so viciously parodied in the movie. Such hysterics! Such a bunch of hypocrites! The same people assailing the film's subject matter apparently never made the connection, never realized that they were the ones sitting at home eagerly watching the latest courtroom soap opera, the latest episode of "Cops," or the most recent movie of the week based on a murder case. In one respect, I sympathize with people disturbed by the movie: Hollywood preaching to us about violence is like having an unrepentant alcoholic forcing you to go to AA meetings.

"Natural Born Killers" is the story of Mickey and Mallory Knox (Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis respectively), two down on their luck losers that go on a multi-state killing spree. In the course of their numerous grisly crimes, the pair becomes the latest media darlings. Pictures of Mickey and Mallory soon adorn magazine covers, newspapers, and T-shirts. They also capture the attention of muckraker extraordinaire Wayne Gale (Robert Downey, Jr.), a Geraldo Rivera/Hard Copy type sleaze ball who cannot wait to capitalize upon their story. The reporter gets his chance after hardboiled detective Jack Scagnetti (Tom Sizemore) finally brings the criminals down. Gale plans on hosting a special interview with Mickey Knox inside prison, a show he hopes will draw enough ratings to outdo anything seen on television before. Pulling off such an incendiary interview behind the walls of a maximum-security prison is no easy feat, as Warden Dwight McCluskey (Tommy Lee Jones) tries to inform Gale. Undeterred, the "journalist" goes ahead with his interview. Predictably, chaos breaks out as Mickey guns down a bunch of guards and liberates his beloved Mallory (held in the same prison, surprisingly). Can you believe it? The film actually ends on a happy note--sort of.

Of course, that's not the whole movie. Stone tries to show us how Mickey and Mallory are products of our desensitized, media saturated environment. He tells us the story of how the two met at Mallory's home in sitcom form, complete with laugh track and credits, although its one of the most violent sitcoms you'll likely see as Mallory's father (played by Rodney Dangerfield) verbally and physically abuses his family. By the time Mickey escapes from prison and runs off with Mallory, the two are in a state of love that apparently transcends time and space. It also transcends morality, at least the type of morality commonly accepted by most people. No one is safe from the ravages of Mickey and Mallory Knox; they murder anyone who strikes their fancy, be it police officers, women, men, young, old, etc. Meanwhile, Gale is turning these two into a national pastime with reports and specials loaded with frenzied sensationalism concerning their latest exploits. Even celebrity homicide cop Jack Scagnetti plays the game, secretly acting on a sort of wannabe sadism so he can appeal to Mallory. Yep, "Natural Born Killers" is quite a viewing experience, a film that one must see for themselves in order to understand the weirdness of the whole thing.

If you've seen a few Oliver Stone films, you might guess what this movie looks like. The non-traditional camera angles and quick cuts seen in "Nixon" and "JFK" jockey for position with hallucinatory imagery, animated sequences, a haunting soundtrack, copious use of overt and covert symbolism, and a host of other bizarre cinematic techniques. It soon becomes quite a chore to follow "Natural Born Killers" in any logical way as the movie skips about like a broken record. A single viewing of the film will only allow you to marvel at the flash; it takes subsequent attempts to appreciate the message and the performances. The cast does an incredible job with difficult material, with Robert Downey Jr. definitely stealing every scene he's in as the horrific Wayne Gale. His character, I think, is really the centerpiece of the movie. He stands as the archetype of the American media, the sociopathic, insensate bottom feeder interested in human misery as a means to higher ratings and higher profits. In the end, though, Stone indicts all of us for watching this stuff, for feeding the very violence we proclaim to despise.

I'm happy with the Director's Cut DVD version. You get a ton of extras here: a commentary track with Oliver Stone, trailers, extra footage, a "making of" documentary, and interviews. Of special note are the deleted/extended scenes included as a bonus. We finally get to see the Ashley Judd courtroom appearance, which is a lot of fun considering what Mickey Knox does with a pencil. I've noticed a few other DVD versions floating around out there with even more extras, so picking out a specific edition might be difficult. I guess I can't really agree with Bob Dole's take on this film. Yes, much of what we see is depraved, but the message of the film is spot on and has continuing relevancy ten years after the film emerged. Definitely give this one a go.

Im reviewing the "widescreen" release of this movie and not the movie itself (which I give 5 stars).

Basically, this is a 4:3 version, shown in 4:3 with the top and bottom cut off. This is absolutely the dirtiest filthiest trick the studio could pull, and it really ticks me off to have paid money for this.

These studio's wonder why people pirate movies? Well this DVD release is one LOUD and CLEAR reason. I feel they just robbed me with their false advertising of this title - and I'll have to really think about whether I buy a movie from them again.

Sleazy studios. Someone should file a class action suit against them.

Please after reading the reviews on this movies i thought i was not watching the same movie, this movie is an indictment of our glorification of violence in our society and the media that exploits it for fiancial gain. the performances were top notch by these fine actors and actresses and you could see they were over the top its funny, yet sublime its satire people. perhaps you negative reviewers heard of it when you open your comic and read the "Boondocks" or listen to Parilament-Funkadelic's later albums. stone's intent was to parody the violence we see everyday in the various media(music, art, t.v. etc..) later that year o.j. simpson was on trial and the media expliotation mirroed the movie from the ' media talking heads' to the side show celebrites like kato kalien downey's character is like a modern day bill o'reilly ( who was one of those "journalists") using people for ratings and money for our corprate media and that what this movie represents. we as a society glorify violence of all kinds then we get angry and critcize those who produce it and then our media trivializes it and celebrates it for our enjoyment.

Two observations:

1) The people who dislike this movie because of the violence are the targets of the satire. Naturally, they give it bad reviews, because it makes fun of them.

2) It has been argued that this movie causes people to think violence is glorified and cool, but isn't that the point that the movie is trying to make about the media? This movie may have unintended consequences on children viewers, but it was made for adults and given an R rating, so kids shouldn't be watching it anyway. I can't find any argument as to why the movie is bad, except for the violence issue, and I think that a well informed and intelligent viewer can see the satire as it is.

Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers" stands alone as not only a good film, but as a message to the viewers about how they should feel about violence. Although it might be self-contradictory in that it "adds to the problem", as well as Stone's belonging to the media, which was the film's sole source of attack, "Natural Born Killers" had a positive influence on me. It shocked me not merely for it's violence, which is very extreme, but because of how little people notice how deeply they are interested in it. My original intention for renting "Natural Born Killers" was to see how violent it really was. I found something terribly violent, but I also found that the film was about how attracted people are towards violence, and that pointed out something I never knew about myself. I wanted to see violence! From then on, I've had a different opinion about violence. In terms of the quality of this DVD, it could be better. For one thing, there's not much difference from the tape set and the DVD, with the exceptions of a 5.1 soundtrack, audio commentary, and a Nine Inch Nails music video that is missing on the DVD, but is included on the tape. The biggest drawback is that the DVD is not anamorphically enhanced. For a brand new DVD, anamorphic enhancement should be a must. The transfer is derived from the letterboxed edition used to make the laserdisc and the tape, which has some faults in it. One restored shot in the director's cut is in fullscreen, and then it reverts back to widescreen. After seeing this on the tape, I expected it to be fixed on the DVD, but it wasn't. Also, they could've at least included a collecter's booklet of sorts, but that too was missing. I suppose that the DVD is the best version available, but for a special edition DVD, they forgot a lot of things.

This movie is passably entertaining, but it really, really starts to drag, and it kinda pisses me off cuz you know that Stone thinks he's so goddamn clever for making this. What, you say that the media is obsessed with violence? Is it really, Uncle Oliver? Gee thanks, I, hadn't noticed. Stone has come up with a dangerous combination, entertainment wise: The point of the film is tied up in the style, yet the style is utter affectation, with little artistry in it. All of this form shifting, going from black and white to color to using weird lighting to changing the quality of the film to using animation, is kinda interesting at first, but that is totally all there is to it, and it grows tiresome. In short, a film so obsessed with style is somewhat interesting, but the style itself proves to be not especially intriguing, so it gets old, especially since this is the least subtle film ever made. And, throughout the ridiculously drawn out 2 hours, he doesn't come up with a single relevant point as to why the media's obsession with violence is a bad thing. He seems to find this self-evident, which is fine for him, but it ain't gonna do sh*t for anyone else. What can I say, I find the endless coverage of the Scott Peterson trial and all that Aruba crap INCREDIBLY tedious, but I don't really see any evidence that it's truly harmful. And the fact of the matter is, 99% of the time, the media doesn't glorify killers and whatnot, at least not until decades later when it's more mythmaking than anything else.

Anyone interested in media/violence satire ought to check out 'Man Bites Dog', a far more clever, far more entertaining film. Hell, it works as a media satire about 10 times better than this movie, and it isn't even intentional. I'm sounding to down on this movie, cuz it is alright. And the first 30 minutes are pretty damn excellent, actually, particularly the twisted sitcom they use for Mallory's homelife. But, Stone just runs out of ideas and drives his repetitive, often irritating style into the ground.

Grade: C-