A True Romantic

My favourite film is True Romance directed by Tony Scott and scripted by Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino then disowned the script for some reason. It was pre-Reservoir Dogs so that may have been something to do with it. Apologies for any mistakes or mis-spellings of names as I am trying to rely on my often faulty memory.

The film has an absolutely stellar cast including Val Kilmer as the ghost of Elvis and Gary Oldman as a dreadlocked white drug dealer who thinks he is black.

While the film has lots of Tarantino hallmarks, gunfights, drug dealers and road trips, and much much more, for me I see it as the most beautiful love story on film I have ever seen.

Why do I feel this?

Well if you were to sit on my couch with me to watch it you would have my arm around you to hug you and probably fall in love with you (I am hetero so I probably wouldn’t give that to a guy). The film, for me, is that good.

I am going to pick up various snippets of this film that really do the business for me, although the lead in video encapsulates why I love this film so much. It is seven minutes long, narrated by Patricia Arquette’s character Alabama Worley (nee ) with the beautiful soundtrack from Hans Zimmer (“You’re So Cool”), which he lifted from Carl Orff’s “Gassenhauer” which was used on the soundtrack of “Badlands”.

The film is a love story, Clarence works in a comic shop and for his birthday his boss organises a call girl, Alabama, to spend the night with Clarence. It is her first job, but she works for a drug dealer, Drexl. Clarence and Alabama fall in love and Clarence steals Alabama’s belongings from Drexl after they are married.

The chase is on.

Because it wasn’t Alabama’s clothes and stuff it was Drexl’s cocaine, or rather The Mob’s cocaine as the ghost of Elvis appeared to Clarence and told him to kill Drexl.

Cue road trip to sell the cocaine, dropping in on a very stoned Brad Pitt who never moves from his couch and Clarence’s dad played by Dennis Hopper, a good guy for a change. Clarence and Alabama are away to sell the cocaine but the mob led by Christopher Walken are not far behind, cue excellent interrogation by Walken of Hopper where Hopper questions Walken’s Sicilian heritage, and shall we say Walken takes umbrage and Hopper pays the price.

In another incident, Alabama bests James Gandolfini with the lid from a toilet cistern. Both Alabama and Clarence most of the time end up on the right side unlike Clarence’s dad, but it’s never a good idea to insult Christopher Walken playing a Sicilian gangster.

This is a wonderful love story, don't you think?

The main finale is a Mexican Standoff with police and drug dealers including Chris Penn and Clarence taking a bullet but getting away and driving into the sunset with Alabama and the money.

The real finale is Alabama’s soliloquy on the beach, which is in the enclosed video, where her, Clarence and their baby are living happily ever after despite everything that they have had to go through to get there.

To me, this brings an incredible warmth to my heart every time I watch it and I always wish I had someone there to watch it with and feel the warmth and total loving feeling of “True Romance”.

Finishing the film in each other's arms, enjoying a truly happy ending, with some wonderful dialogue, and characters you will just fall in love with, well I certainly did, and hope that one day you will too.

This is why this is my favourite ever film and I will keep coming back and enjoying every moment.