True Romance



True Romance is a 1993 movie written by Quentin Tarantino (based on a script by Roger Avary) and directed by Tony Scott (Top Gun). It tells the story of outlaw lovers Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) and Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) who accidentally steal a suitcase full of cocaine and then go on the run from the mob.

The couple make their way to Hollywood to sell the drugs -- but it's there that the mob catches up with them.

The movie is notable, beyond its star-launching casting, for being the film that put Tarantino's writing on the Hollywood map. Additionally, it is fairly well-known (and well-liked) within the movie industry, given all the stars in it; but it isn't widely known, except among Tarantino fans.

Tropes include:

 * Aerosol Flamethrower: Alabama uses one on Virgil.
 * All-Star Cast -- Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Michael Rappaport, Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Sizemore and Saul Rubinek. Many actors had not yet broken through into stardom.
 * Ax Crazy -- Drexl
 * Badass -- Definitely Alabama for
 * Beauty Is Never Tarnished -- Brutally averted in the fight between Alabama and Virgil.
 * Black and Grey Morality
 * Blast Out -- In gloriously chaotic style.
 * Bottomless Magazines -- Mostly averted. Clarence fires his revolver five times in one scene and police can be seen reloading their guns during the shootout.The Gangsters can also be seen taking a massive amount of magazines and shotgun shells with them in a briefcase. however Clarence does manage to kill Drexl and his bodyguard by firing seven shots out of a six shot revolver, although this is less overkill than most films.
 * Deleted Scene -- Jack Black appears in a scene as a movie theatre usher that was cut from both the theatrical and director's cuts. Director Tony Scott later regretted cutting the scene.
 * Disney Death:  The film certainly isn't a Disney film, though. Originally,
 * Disproportionate Retribution: Lee is shot to death after he throws coffee on Elliot.
 * Elvis Presley -- Clarence is obsessed with Elvis, among other things. His Spirit Advisor is implied to be Elvis, but never named.
 * Executive Meddling: The original ending had Clarence dying and Alabama driving off alone with a bitter monologue, but director Tony Scott changed it because he liked the characters too much to end on such a down note. Tarantino had originally intended for the widowed Alabama to go into a life of crime. She gets mentioned in Reservoir Dogs as a former partner of Mr. White.
 * Eye Scream -- An offscreen one by Clarence to Drexl, who already has a blind eye. Later Clarence also loses an eye in the shootout
 * Fake American -- Brit Gary Oldman as Detroit wigger pimp Drexl
 * Fourth Date Marriage -- more like
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars -- Drexl has a very evil scar.
 * The Ghost: Blue Lou Boyle is the mafia kingpin who owns the dope. He's referred to a number of times, but the closest we get to him is his consigliere, Vincenzo Coccotti, who is terrifying enough on his own. A scene was written for Blue Lou, but it was never filmed.
 * Groin Attack -- Drexl gets shot in the groin.
 * Heroic Sacrifice -- during the face-off between Walken's consigliare and Hopper's ex-cop, Hopper knows full well if he gives up his son they'll both be killed. So he taunts Walken with the infamous Sicilian monologue,
 * Hooker with a Heart of Gold -- Alabama.
 * If It's You It's Okay -- Clarence has a monologue explaining why he would have sex with Elvis.
 * Karmic Death --
 * Living Lie Detector -- Vincenzo Coccotti claims that he is a master liar and therefore a master at spotting lies.
 * The Mafia -- Frightening and dangerous and led by Christopher Walken.
 * Making Love in All the Wrong Places -- the phone booth? HOT.
 * Meet Cute -- Subverted. Clarence thinks he's having one of these, but Alabama has been paid to be there. Of course, then she does fall in love with him.
 * Mexican Standoff -- Tarantino's trademark.
 * No-Holds-Barred Beatdown -- Virgil to Alabama. But then...
 * No Kill Like Overkill -- The way . BAD. ASS.
 * One Last Smoke -- Although he quit smoking, Clarence's father indulges in one last smoke when he.
 * One-Scene Wonder -- Most of the supporting cast is only around for a scene or two, and almost all are memorable, particularly Christopher Walken in the famous Sicilian Scene. Samuel L Jackson manages to have about two lines of dialogue before Gary Oldman kills him.
 * Orchestra Hit Techno Battle --
 * Outlaw Couple -- Although they don't actually commit very much crime.
 * Politically-Incorrect Villain -- The Mafia. Clarence's father knows this, and uses it to provoke them into killing him immediately, before they can torture him to death.
 * Pretty Fly for a White Guy -- Drexl thinks he's black, but he's mostly white, with maybe some Native American.
 * Psycho for Hire -- Virgil, the hitman who seems to delight in torturing his victims first.
 * Rasputinian Death --
 * Shout-Out -- The use of "Gassenhauser" in the score could be seen as a reference to Badlands. That or Hans Zimmer ripping off Carl Orff.
 * Silent Offer -- The protagonist makes an offer in an envelope for his "peace of mind." The envelope is empty.
 * Soundtrack Dissonance -- The upbeat techno music during the scene with Drexl, the calm soothing piece during the Virgil scene and the Sicilian scene.
 * Spirit Advisor -- Clarence occasionally gets advice from an apparition that behaves like Elvis Presley.
 * The Stoner -- Brad Pitt
 * Stylistic Suck -- Lee Donowitz's film within a film, Comin' Home in a Body Bag, appears to be an archetypal brain-dead 80s action movie, though Clarence talks about it like it's Apocalypse Now.
 * Suicide by Cop: Clarence's father intentionally enrages the mafia gangsters so that they'll kill him outright before they can torture his son's location out of him.
 * Throw It In -- Bronson Pinchot ad-libbed the scene where his character is caught with the cocaine.
 * Too Kinky to Torture/ I Shall Taunt You -- Alabama goes out of her way to mock Virgil after using a Bust of Elvis on him.
 * Too Kinky to Torture/ I Shall Taunt You -- Alabama goes out of her way to mock Virgil after using a Bust of Elvis on him.