Genre: cult movie:)

Director: Oliver Stone

Writer: Oliver Stone, Dave Veloz, Richard Rutowski, based on a story created by Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey, Jr., Tom Sizemore, Tommy Lee Jones

Music by: Brent Lewis, soundtrack produced by Trent Reznor

Duration: approximately 7,200 seconds

Wikipedia: wiki about the movie

Considered to be one of the most controversial films of the 1990s, Natural Born Killers is a film by Oliver Stone. It derives from a screenplay written by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it as an exploitation thriller, but Stone extensively rewrote it to the point where Tarantino had his name taken off the credits. Stone turned the story into a satire of the incestuous relationship between crime, the media and pop culture, and how the latter two glorify the former and turn mass murderers into cult heroes.

The film tells the tale of Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis), who captivate the world with a cross-country murder spree. Despite being sadistic and largely unrepentant murderers, the media (led by a tabloid journalist played by Robert Downey, Jr.) turns them into pop culture icons.While the equally corrupt detective who arrested them (Tom Sizemore) and the warden (Tommy Lee Jones) at the prison holding the two plot to have Mickey and Mallory killed while transporting them to a mental institution for psychiatric testing, Mickey uses a post-Super Bowl special interview to stage a riot in the prison and escapes with his bride to freedom, leaving a trail of carnage in their wake as the entire prison goes up in flames and the staff is savagely slaughtered by the prisoners.

A psychedelic and surrealistic film (one that has been called "The Most Expensive Student Film Ever Made") the film sadly fell victim to Misaimed Fandom as some fans actually ended up liking Mickey and Mallory and their ultra-violent killing spree, which was what Stone was condemning. Similarly, quite a few critics failed to see the condemnation of media hype, instead fixating on the perceived glorification of violence...

4 comments

#1, by xnefrex, on 18 March 2012, 6:45 pm

Stone, Tarantino, Lewis, Lee Jones, Harrelson, Reznor... something great and really f*cked up at the same time :)

#2, by Morek, on 18 March 2012, 6:55 pm

so, you want me to prepare vocabulary sheets - Mr. Cottage?

#3, by Cottage, on 19 March 2012, 1:57 pm

yeah, if possible.. i've started working on one, but we could compare them.. the way they differ could be interesting..

#4, by Morek, on 21 March 2012, 6:35 pm

sorry, I won't manage to prepare vocabulary sheets... I'm pretty busy this week, since i'm going to take another exam that is quite important. ( I have changed class profile). though i might do something for the next meeting?

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