True Romance is a 1993 American romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. It features an ensemble cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, with Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, and Christopher Walken in supporting roles. Slater and Arquette portray newlyweds on the run from the Mafia after stealing a shipment of drugs.
True Romance began life as an early script by Tarantino; he sold the screenplay in order to finance his debut feature film, Reservoir Dogs (1992). It is regarded by proponents as a cross-section of writer Tarantino and director Scott's respective trademarks, including a Southern California setting, pop cultural references, and stylized violence punctuated by slow motion.
Though initially a box-office failure, the film's positive reviews, with critics praising the dialogue, characters, and off-beat style, earned it a cult following. It has come to be considered one of Scott's best films and one of the best American films of the 1990s.
Cast[]
- Christian Slater as Clarence Worley
- Patricia Arquette as Alabama Whitman
- Dennis Hopper as Clifford Worley
- Val Kilmer as Elvis
- Gary Oldman as Drexl Spivey
- Brad Pitt as Floyd, Dick's Roommate
- Christopher Walken as Vincenzo Coccotti
- Bronson Pinchot as Elliot Blitzer
- Samuel L. Jackson as Don "Big Don"
- Michael Rapaport as Dick Ritchie
- Saul Rubinek as Lee Donowitz
- Conchata Ferrell as Mary Louise Ravencroft
- James Gandolfini as Virgil
- Anna Thomson as Lucy
- Victor Argo as Lenny
- Chris Penn as Detective Nicky Dimes
- Tom Sizemore as Detective Cody Nicholson
- Gregory Sporleder as Burger Stand Customer
- Maria Pitillo as Kandi
- Kevin Corrigan as Marvin
- Paul Ben-Victor as Luca
- Michael Beach as Detective Wurlitzer
- Eric Allan Kramer as Boris
- Laurence Mason as Floyd "D"
- Ed Lauter as Captain Quiggle (uncredited)