Today’s quick review: Natural Born Killers. Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis) Knox are serial killers who are madly in love with one another. The couple takes the public by storm as they rampage across America, while their crimes serve as fodder for sensationalist media personality Wayne Gale (Robert Downey, Jr.), self-absorbed supercop Jack Scagnetti (Tom Sizemore), and power-drunk prison warden Dwight McClusky (Tommy Lee Jones).
Natural Born Killers is a psychedelic crime drama and satire from director Oliver Stone. The movie follows the exploits of Mickey and Mallory, a married couple in the middle of a cross-country killing spree, as they evade the police and plan their future together. Natural Born Killers is a unique movie that uses heavy stylization and over-the-top performances to convey its points about modern culture, making it a bizarre and highly polarizing watch.
Natural Born Killers is an indictment of modern culture. Mickey and Mallory are not reviled for their indiscriminate murder but revered, the darlings of a media, justice system, and television-viewing public who all feed on scandal. The criticism can be seen in the corrupt, distorted characters of Gale, Scagnetti, and McClusky, as well as direction that presents Mickey and Mallory’s many crimes in the styles of different genres of television.
Natural Born Killers takes this stylization to an extreme. Nearly every shot in the movie has something unusual about it. The movie uses strange camera angles, black-and-white photography, skewed color palettes, flashes of violence, animation, cartoon sound effects, stock footage, television transitions, and dozens of other techniques to create a surreal, off-putting atmosphere. Those who like unconventional cinematography will have plenty to chew on.
All of this adds up to a bloody fever dream of a movie that will repulse certain viewers and enchant others. Prevalent violence, despicable characters, scathing cultural criticism, and an extreme presentation style will make Natural Born Killers an unpleasant ordeal for anyone whose tastes don’t line up the right way. Still, the movie’s bold decisions and uniqueness make it well worth a watch for those curious to see what the insanity is all about.
For a similarly manic action movie, try Shoot ‘Em Up. For similar violence and stylization delivered with a lighter touch, try the films of Quentin Tarantino.
7.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for dark subject matter and a polarizing style; your score will vary substantially depending on taste.