True Romance
It is hard to pinpoint just what exactly is the greatest ensemble cast piece of all time, as several would point out films such as Itās A Mad Mad Mad Mad World, The Longest Day, or even Pulp Fiction. The winner, in this reviewerās humble opinion, would have to be this 1993 underrated Grand Masterpiece, written (but not directed) by Quentin Tarantino, and featuring a lineup that is not only first-class from top to bottom, but amazingly makes enough room for each of its big name stars to SHINE brighter than could be thought possible, making the most of its roster not necessarily via depth, but by quality. Christian Slater (mega-hot as an actor in the early 90s before falling down a bit, but definitely deserves a comeback) plays Clarence, your typical twentysomething loser who loves his comic books and kung fu movies, who through a twist of fate meets up with Alabama (Patricia Arquette from the TV show Medium), a beautiful, exuberant blonde who turns out to be a hooker set up for a date with him by his boss, and it isnāt long before she realizes that heās not just another customer, but someone she loves and wants to spend the rest of her life with, and soon after she swears off her past and they get married, only for further twists of fate to intervene which cause them to be in possession of a GIANT suitcase full of cocaine and having to head out to the West Coast where Clarenceās childhood buddy (Michael Rapoport) who works as a struggling Hollywood actor is recruited to set up a deal to sell it off to some Hollywood bigshot. Director Tony Scott smartly and economically makes the first 15 minutes of the movie about developing the main charactersā relationship and how they fall in love and, having accomplished that and won the viewerās hearts as well, begins to bring on the big stars with a vengeance, each one contributing brilliant work in their roles, as the story builds in tension, violence, and suspense along with well-written character humor. We get Gary Oldman first hitting it out of the park as Alabamaās dangerous ex-pimp who is first introduced making a drug deal with Samuel L. Jackson, as Oldman exudes a mystique that only hints at all the decadent endeavors that heās engaged in the past; then we get Dennis Hopper giving a wonderful blue collar working class performance as Clarenceās father, helping his son out before having an unforgettable confrontation with a mob boss played by Christopher Walken (more on that later); On to LA where we meet Bronson Pinchot as an unlikable but yet wonderfully wussy and wimpy actor friend of Rapoportās that sets up the deal; Brad Pitt as Rapoportās hilariously stoned out and oblivious roommate Floyd; James Gandolfini as a mob hitman who can be best described as a misogynistic uncaged animal; Saul Rubinek as a sleazy coked-up movie producer interested in buying the merchandise; and Tom Sizemore and Chris Penn as the loudmouthed cops who get in on the deal while looking for that one major bust, plus a number of other top-name character actors who pop up here and there in smaller roles. ALL are wonderful in their own way, with the only possible halfway exception being Val Kilmer as the Spirit Of Elvis (i.e. Clarenceās conscience) who materializes to advise him at key points during the movie, and even though Kilmer is not given enough of a chance to leave his mark, he does infuse the role with his natural charisma and comes off like a tasty cherry on top of a sumptuous chocolate fudge sundae. Even better are the setpieces the movie offers, most famously the part that has come to be known among cinephiles as āThe Sceneā, the one on one acting confrontation between legends Hopper and Walken where one man is arrogantly trying to intimidate and bully the other for the information he wants through any means possible, only to learn that that is easier said than done: For ten minutes all other characters and plotlines are set aside as these two square off, with both men doing brilliant work at trying to outplay the other and concluding in a manner that is at once shocking, hilarious, and tragic, truly the single greatest acting showdown in cinema history that may never be topped. Then there is the confrontation between Alabama and Gandolfiniās twisted hitman, who thinks heās going to have an easy time with this sweet, seemingly innocent little blonde, only to learn that her will, resolve and spine are as strong as steel (hint: things do NOT turn out the way that one expects). One could also throw in the showdown between Slater and Oldman as well as Pittās spaced out response when some bad guys come his way, and let us NOT forget the ending: An incredible three way shootout that would make John Woo proud, made even more amazing by the fact that the viewer is so wired into the story that it provokes an emotional response when even the most minor characters go down during it. Finally, a few more words about the lead players: Slater and Arquette show unmatched chemistry as they make their feelings and loyalty to each other seem completely genuine, with Arquette giving arguably one of the greatest female turns ever and was unfairly robbed of any kind of awards recognition, while Rapoport in the third wheel (and third largest amount of screen time) role of the best buddy setting everything up is irony in itself, since his character of Dick Ritchie is portrayed as a struggling actor, so did the filmmakers actually CAST a then-struggling actor like Rapoport to play the part and drop him into this cavalcade of mega-stars where he proves to be more than adequate given the nature of the role. Overall, a true embarrassment of riches for fans of great writing, great acting, Tarantino-style violence, and just great movies in general, and an absolute must for ANYONE whoās ever thought about getting into the business themselvesā¦
10/10