True Romance (1993)

The piece highlights Tarantino's gift for cruel, mechanical farce and stand-out scenes in the script but notes the assembled, movie-derived feel and questions whether the brutality is necessary alongside the humour. Tony Scott delivers his usual ultra-slick job directing.

The critic finds the film immensely entertaining violent action that is also genuinely romantic at times. Tarantino's dialogue sparkles while Tony Scott's glossy, energetic direction perfectly suits the material and keeps the absurdity moving at a relentless pace.

The critic calls the film a derivative dead end that pushes familiar genre themes past absurdity and finds it anything but truthful or romantic. He criticizes its lack of originality, tedious extremes, and smug attempts at wit.

Tony Scott directs a fast-moving tale of a comic-store worker and a hooker who steal cocaine and hit the road. The film blends Hong Kong gangster clichés, film noir and ultra-violence with Scott's superb visual style; great cameos and the Hopper-Walken confrontation are highlighted.

The critic describes the film as a vibrant, grisly, gleefully amoral road movie dominated by Quentin Tarantino's screenplay. She praises its consistency, dark humor, and strong performances from the ensemble cast including Patricia Arquette.

The film has become a modern classic, a rocket-fuel romance with a near-flawless script full of memorable speeches and one-liners. Scott's direction is singled out for seamlessly blending sweetness and violence, along with strong casting and emotional moments.

The review highlights the slick, violent and energetic film as an entertaining variation on the couple-on-the-run subgenre with amazing encounters and bravura acting turns. It notes Tony Scott's visually arresting style and praises standout performances including Gary Oldman's.

The critic calls the film a terrific, lavishly entertaining ensemble piece that holds up remarkably well, crediting Scott’s conventional direction as the right choice for Tarantino’s script and praising the brilliant cast and characters.

The critic describes it as juvenile and scattershot yet a blast, highlighting the boyish enthusiasm in the performances and cartoonish violence while singling out Clarence’s innocence as a romantic gesture.

The critic calls the film a cliché-filled mess driven by style over substance, with fast cuts and thin leads that fail to engage. He singles out strong supporting turns, especially the Hopper-Walken confrontation, for praise amid the noise.