Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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74 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Violence as a media event, February 18, 2000
"Natural Born Killers" is not about glorifying violence; it's a chilling parody of the American fascination with violence. The quick changes from color to black and white and back again, interspersed with animated sequences, point up the satiric nature of the movie. Mickey and Mallory, very well played by Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis, are two killing machines without heart or soul or conscience; their only redeeming virtues are their love for each other. They aren't meant to be sympathetic characters and they're not, but Oliver Stone's direction makes them pale in depravity besides some of the other characters -- the sadistic warden, the despicable detective and his morbid fascination with Mallory, Mallory's nauseating, sexually abusive father, and above all, Robert Downey's superb characterization of the media pimp who feeds off blood and gore. The last scene in the movie, of Mickey and Mallory on the road with their two children, and Mallory about to deliver a third at any minute, underscores the whole message of the film; violence feeds on itself and begets yet more violence. Those viewers who were most upset by the movie missed its message. "Natural Born Killers" is a brilliant, disturbing depiction of the shallowness of American culture at the end of the 20th century.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Degradation of American Culture on Display!, February 11, 2000
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.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Masterpiece. Brilliantly Nightmarish And Thought-Provoking, October 18, 1999
Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers" is not just a movie, it is an experience. It is a wild, dark ride that serves as a study of today's culture and it's fascination with violence. This movie is not so much about the killers, but about how the killers capture the public. The screenplay is masterfully structured with moments of vicious rage, deepness, dark comedy and powerful visual images. The film is hypnotically watchable due to the great mixing of different film formats, camera angles, colors and the breathtaking cinematography of Robert Richardson. "Natural Born Killers" is a great study of where our culture is going. Stone is a genius of cinema, one of the greatest directors there has ever been. This movie is effective, provocative, feverish and driven. It's electrifying. In fact, it's not as violent as you may think it is. It's the break neck speed it goes at and it's intense feeling. "Natural Born Killers" is both intense and brilliantly nightmarish. It's disturbing, as it should be. This serves as a slap on America's face, to wake it up. "Natural Born Killers" is a masterpiece, as Roger Ebert said: "Seeing this movie once is not enough."
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