Natural Born Killers

Natural Born Killers

1994

Director- Oliver Stone

Cast- Juliette Lewis, Woody Harrelson, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones, Tom Sizemore, Rodney Dangerfield, Balthazar Getty, Edie McClurg, Russell Means, Dale Dye, O-Lan Jones, Arliss Howard

           

      It doesn’t take much to sum this movie up. Mickey and Mallory (Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis) are mass murderers tear-assing across America, killing people as they go. They become national celebrities until they are caught by a violent cop (Tom Sizemore) who is just as amoral as they are. They are locked up in prison (ran by Tommy Lee Jones) where Mickey is interviewed by a Geraldo-esque sleaze bag (Robert Downey Jr). There. You know the entire plot.

           

      But the plot isn’t really the important part of this movie. What happens is not as important as HOW it happens and how it’s portrayed. The movie is a satire, a commentary on spectator culture. It’s a parody on our hyper violent modern society where apathy is something that can be marketed and catered to.

           

      A big focus of the film is the portrayal of (and infatuation with) violence and murderers in the media. The film was made in the 90s when OJ Simpson, Lorana Bobbit, and the Menendez brothers consumed a massive amount of the public consciousness. The modern 24 hour new cycle and our cell phone shortened attention spans probably precludes any modern day “icons” capturing our attention for months on end today, but Netflix and other streaming services are always offering serial killer documentaries that people consume as soon as they are released, so maybe things haven’t changed that much.

           

   

 Robert Downey Jr. as the reporter, Wayne Gayle, is an avatar for the media. With his affected accent he looks down on the public as intellectual zombies eager to swallow whatever he puts in front of them. Mickey and Mallory are even less human to him. He doesn’t view them as people or murderers. He views them as a marketable product. It’s not difficult to see the parallels between him and our click-bait “news” that lures people away from meaningful thought provoking content to sensationalist “filler” that distracts while it titillates. 

           

      If there is any difference between the apathetic world presented in Natural Born Killers and our world today, it’s that our world may be worse. There are mass shootings every single day in America (in 2019 there were 434). When Natural Born Killers came out, the idea that someone would kill complete strangers for no reason other than their own gratification was unthinkable. Now, it is an accepted part of our daily routine like traffic jams or bad weather. Like Mike Judge’s Idiocracy, Natural Born Killers was rather prescient.

           

     Mickey and Mallory are not just predators in society, they are victims of it. Mallory is the victim of regular sexual abuse from her father (played by Rodney Dangerfield) and Mickey was the product of a violent home and saw his father commit suicide. Mallory’s abuse, rather than being presented seriously, is shown as a joke, complete with a laugh track, which makes it that much more horrifying.  We, the viewer, are invited to treat her trauma as flippantly as the world in which she lives.

           

      Wrapped inside all the horror that permeates this film is a pretty authentic love story. Mickey and Mallory aren’t simply partners in crime. They are lovers, trauma-bonded and reliant on each other. That is not to say that they have a relationship built on mutual respect. Mickey is abusive to Mallory and cheats on her. She puts up with it because she loves him and desperately wants the affection she never got anywhere else in her life. Despite his unfaithfulness though, Mickey really does love Mallory. He knows she is the only women who could understand him and he would sacrifice everything for her if it came down to it.

            

     But they are not simply a modern day Bonnie and Clyde; romantic rogues flavored with cynicism. Mickey and Mallory are a firestorm destroying everything in their path.  There is no rhyme or reason to who they kill or when they kill because the world they live in defies reason.

           

     To say that the film is avant-garde would be an understatement.  Oliver Stone switches between narrative styles using flashbacks, POV shots, documentary style, and surrealist dream like scenes. There is a mixture of live action and animation interspersed with scenes from pop culture. The whole thing is woven together with a great mix of music making it seem like the longest, most violent music video you’ve ever seen.

            

      The movie has talent coming out of its pores. The entire cast is stellar and they were all at the top of their game. The soundtrack was produced by Trent Resznor and the screenplay was by Quentin Tarrantino. Cinematography was by 3 time Oscar winner Robert Richardson.

            

     Try to get the longer director’s cut. The added scenes don’t change the feel of the movie but do add to the experience. It shouldn’t be that hard to find today.

           

      I can completely understand why some people wouldn’t like the film. It’s very hard to watch, especially when you consider that there is very little in it that is far-fetched. But good art either makes you think or feel. Natural Born Killers does both.