Natural Born Killers (1994)

Director:

Oliver Stone

Writers (WGA):

Quentin Tarantino (story)
David Veloz (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 August 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

The Media Made Them Superstars.

Plot:

Two victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and psychopathic serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.

Plot Keywords:

Media | Prison | Killer | Violence | Satire

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Woody Harrelson	...	Mickey Knox
Juliette Lewis	...	Mallory Knox
Tom Sizemore	...	Det. Jack Scagnetti
Rodney Dangerfield	...	Ed Wilson, Mallory's Dad
Everett Quinton	...	Deputy Warden Wurlitzer
Jared Harris	...	London Boy
Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Deputy Warden Kavanaugh
Edie McClurg	...	Mallory's Mom
Russell Means	...	Old Indian
Lanny Flaherty	...	Earl
O-Lan Jones	...	Mabel
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Wayne Gale
Richard Lineback	...	Sonny
Kirk Baltz	...	Roger
Ed White	...	Pinball Cowboy

Also Known As:

Asesinos por naturaleza (Argentina) (Mexico) [es]
Asesinos natos (Spain) [es]
Assassini nati (Italy) [it]
Assassinos Natos (Portugal) [pt]
Assassinos por Natureza (Brazil) [pt]
Gennimenoi dolofonoi (Greece) [el]
Les meutres de sang (Canada: French title) [fr]
Natural Born Killers (Germany) [de]
Rodjene ubice (Serbia) [sr]
Rojena morilca (Slovenia) [sl]
Syntyneet tappajiksi (Finland) [fi]
Született gyilkosok (Hungary) [hu]
Takí normálni zabijaci (Slovakia) [sk]
Takoví normální zabijáci (Czech Republic) [cs]
Tueurs nés (France) [fr]
Urodzeni mordercy (Poland) [pl]

MPAA:

Rated R for extreme violence and graphic carnage, for shocking images, and for strong language and sexuality.

Runtime:

118 min | USA:122 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Navajo | Japanese

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Italy:VM14 | Italy:VM18 (director's cut) (direct to video) (self applied) | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | Norway:15 | Germany:18 (cut) | Norway:18 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-15 (director's cut) (DVD) | Finland:K-15 (director's cut) | Brazil:18 | Sweden:18 (director's cut, original dvd release) | France:-16 (director's cut) | France:-16 (original rating) | Philippines:(Banned) | New Zealand:R18 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | USA:R | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Belgium:KNT | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Finland:K-18 (director's cut) | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:16 | Ireland:(Banned) (original rating) | Ireland:18 (re-rating) | Israel:16 | Japan:R-15 | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated (director's cut) | Canada:18+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Mickey (Woody Harrelson) calls Mallory (Juliette Lewis) "Mal" - translated to Spanish "Mal" is the common word for "Evil".

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: During the prison riots, guards can be seen firing from a security tower with their shotguns, only to have several prisoners overrun the tower. This makes little sense as all guard towers have doors with locks on the inside. Again however, this is coming from reading the film in too factual a manner. The riot is not supposed to be a realistic depiction of such an event.

Quotes:

Mallory: I do. 'Til you and I die, and die, and die again. 'Til death do us part.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Natural Born Kissers (#9.25)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

The Way I Walk

Cinematic excellence

I haven't seen too many Oliver Stone pictures; JFK, Scarface(which he wrote, not directed), and this one. I don't know too much about his directorial style, but if any of his other films are like this one, I'll have to watch more of them. The visual style is amazing. The whole film has sort of a psychedelic visual style, and utilizes constant cuts and constant change in color scheme, often changing between powerful green, blue, red and even black/white. Of course, none of this is random. It's there to project symbolism and keep the mood intense and constantly evolving, and, believe me, it works perfectly. With many references to popular media(television, mainly), demons and the desensitizing effect of television. The effect of half of the imagery being seen through a television screen or hallucinated is amazing. The film is experimental and psychological. As Stone puts it in the documentary, it's a film about two people breaking the rules, so it's only fitting that the film-makers are also breaking the rules. It's chaotic and wild, insane and mentally exhausting. It's a film about pain, violence and giving in to cravings and desires. But it in no way romanticizes the aforementioned three points. Quite the opposite. I believe someone once told me that the film makes killing and violence look appealing. I can't even explain how wrong that is. This truly is an amazing film. If you can sit through this, and you (honestly) think of yourself as perceptive and intelligent, you have to see this movie. It's not just recommended or a good idea to watch, it's mandatory for anyone that 'get' it. The plot is great and well-paced. It's never boring. The acting is great. The characters are well-written, credible and so easy to understand and sympathize with that many will hate the film for it. The whole film is amazing on so many levels. I recommend it to any person who believes himself or herself to be hardened and intelligent enough to sit through it, and, more importantly, understand it. I recommend you get the directors cut, as it keeps everything that the other released version cut off. Highly recommendable. 10/10