Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4402 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-02-24
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, Director's Cut, PAL, Special Edition, Widescreen
• Original language: English, Italian
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 118 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
It was directed with energetic skill by Top Gun Tony Scott, but this breathtaking 1993 thriller (think of it as an adolescent crime fantasy on steroids) has Quentin Tarantino written all over it. True Romance is really part of a loose trilogy that includes Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, with a crackling Tarantino screenplay that rides a fine line between raucous comedy and violent excess. Christian Slater plays Clarence, the comic-book lover who meets a beguiling prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette), confronts her vicious pimp (Gary Oldman), and embarks on a cross-country odyssey with $5 million worth of Mafia cocaine. Mayhem ensues, culminating in a favourite Tarantino climax--the "Mexican standoff"--in which a roomful of guys are pointing guns at each other, waiting to see who shoots first. Brutal, profane, and totally outrageous, True Romance is not for everyone, but with a supporting cast that includes Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, and Val Kilmer (as the ghost of Elvis!), you can be sure this movie will never be boring. --Jeff Shannon

Amazon.co.uk Review
Written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott, True Romance is hilarious, violent and strangely moving. It's part homage to Terence Malick's Badlands, part autobiography, part nerdy male fantasy--and it's Tarantino's first and, some say, finest work. Although it fared poorly at the box office at the time it soon became an established cult classic, with a supporting cast that beggars belief: Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, James Gandolfini, Val Kilmer, Dennis Hopper, Samuel L Jackson and Gary Oldman all play minor roles, all to devastating effect.

Christian Slater stars as Clarence, the video-store clerk who's set up with Patricia Arquette's hooker Alabama on his birthday. They fall in love for real but have to hit the road when Clarence, egged on by the ghost of Elvis, kills Alabama's pimp Drexl (Oldman) and makes off with a consignment of neat cocaine, mistaking it for a suitcase of Alabama's clothes. Now both the police and the mafia are after them. Two among many great sequences stand out. The first is when cop Dennis Hopper, refusing to give up son Clarence to Christopher Walken's mafiosi, makes his famous "The Sicilians were spawned by niggers" speech. In context, it's actually not racist--it's a gesture of great courage and love from dad to son, while also calculated to mock the uptight racial sensibilities of the mafia. The second is when Alabama turns the tables on James Gandolfini's mafia henchman at the motel in a prolonged and brutal sequence which nonetheless emphasises the glowing, pink heart-shaped message at the centre of the film--that true love conquers all, albeit here in a hail of bullets that leaves practically everyone dead.

On the DVD: True Romance is excellently reproduced on disc and there is an abundance of extras for this Special Edition. These include a number of mostly superfluous deleted and extended scenes, though the one in which Samuel L Jackson offers his views on the merits of "pussy-eating" is worth catching, as is the "alternate ending", which Tarantino had intended in his script. There is also access to the director's storyboards as well as commentaries from many of the cast, director Scott and from Tarantino himself, who, given his usual reluctance to provide such commentaries, is informative and chatty here. This is a superb package, although this "director's cut" is identical to the previous DVD edition. --David Stubbs

Special Features
3 Commentaries including Quentin Tarantino, Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette & Director Tony Scott
30 mins of Deleted Scenes
Trailer, Photo Gallery
Selective commentaries with Brad Pitt and Dennis Hopper
Alternative Ending
Vintage featurette

Customer Reviews

true love never runs smooth
An excellent thriller/caper movie from 1993, written by film director quentin tarantino and directed by tony scott. Featuring christian slater as a single guy who loves martial arts movies, who finds unxepected true romance with a call girl played by patricia arquette. fate gives them the chance to make millions when a suitcase of drugs comes into their possession, but there's more than a few people on their trail. will they live happily ever after?

Hugely entertaining film, thanks to the leads creating two highly appealing and likeable characters whom you can really root for. there's a good cast - a few before they were famous - and a plot that you can't anticipate the outcome of. A hugely entertaining piece of film. and with lots of adult language and violence well worthy of an 18 certificate.

No extras on the disc, just english language tracks and subtitles, and direct scene access

True Romance - No 4 - All Time List 2008
I wasn't sure I'd like this movie when I started to watch it.
What convinced me to was that both Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken were in it. I'm glad I did - the scene with the two legendary actors might well be one of the best in cinema history, but even that is a side piece for the rest of the movie.
First and foremost True Romance is a love story, although not one out of Four Weddings script - This is a Tarantino written love story.

Christian Slater and the gorgeous Patricia Arquette are truly amazing - the connection between the two is fantastic. A rollercoaster ride (literally too) of high energy, non stop action, humour, ultra-violence and a great script by Tarantino make this brilliant movie compelling viewing.
Great soundtrack - Wounded Bird by Charles and Eddie is beautiful and well worth tracking down. The main theme is also as catchy as hell.
What could be considered one of the best cast lists in a film ever. Gary Oldman makes a great cameo. Samuel L Jackson plays a fleeting part and Val Kilmer as Elvis sums up True Romance. As well Brad Pitt playing an hilarious stoner and James Gandolfini playing a gangster in another great scene with Patricia Arquette- I could go on too.

I wonder how a Tarantino direction would have made this film different - certainly already debated is the ended - but Tony Scott did a great job in my opinion and I'm more than happy with how the film turned out. I'd recommend this film to anyone - even if you are not a big Tarantino fan - there is more than enough for everyone with True Romance.
The word masterpiece gets branded around willy-nilly these days - but in the case of True Romance it is more than allowed because that is what this is - must see cinema.

Raw cult movie
This film is a cult classic. Gary Oldman etc... play their parts so well. Violent and raw to the bone, but this is what makes this movie so real to life. If you love the Director Tarantino then this is a must have in your film collection.