Natural Born Killers (1994)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

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]
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 | Norway:18 (DVD rating) | Germany:18 (cut) | 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 (original rating) | France:-16 (director's cut) | 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:

The unique look of the film was based upon Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde (1967), one of director Oliver Stone's favorite movies. In particular, Stone was influenced by the famous death scene, which used innovative editing techniques provided by multiple cameras shooting from different angles at different speeds. Stone had used similar, although considerably more restrained, techniques in his previous two films JFK (1991) and Heaven & Earth (1993), and would continue to employ these techniques for his next two films, Nixon (1995) and U Turn (1997).

Goofs:

Continuity: Blood from a previous take is visible on the wall before the blood splatters on it when the cook is shot.

Quotes:

Jack Scagnetti: I tend not to exhibit the self-discipline, you know, becoming of a peace officer.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Girl in Gold Boots (#11.2)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Sweet Jane

Blame the media

Natural Born Killers is a disturbing film. It is a great film as well. Visually it looks great and between all that violence there is a message. Criticizing the influence of media with another form of media called film.

With a lot of cuts, strange camera angles, different colors, the kind of music and a lot of symbolism the sick world of mass murderers Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis) is presented. And the sick world of how people react to their violence. Director Oliver Stone shows it to us with this satire in a great and really disturbing way.

Harrelson and Lewis hit the right tone for Mickey and Mallory. Tom Sizemore as a cop, Robert Downey Jr. as a journalist (representing the whole media) and especially Tommy Lee Jones as the prison warden are great too. Originally written by Quentin Tarantino, although he was not too happy with the result in the end, this is one of the best satires I have seen. May be it is not for everyone, the images are not always that nice, but the meaning must be for everyone.