"A lot of people walkin' 'round out there already dead, just need to be put out of their misery," explains mass murderer Mickey Knox (Woody Harrelson). He has been on a murderous rampage throughout the southern United States with his wife, Mallory (Juliette Lewis). Separately, they're two messed up animals who kill whatever they want. Together, they're a loving couple bonded by a common lust for sex and blood. Either way, they're natural born killers.
At the upcoming Virginia Film Festival, the film's acclaimed director, Oliver Stone, will be showing and discussing his famous film JFK (1991). Stone's career has been marked by many excellent films that typically focus on political issues. He has produced movies and TV shows dealing with the Vietnam War and various presidencies. In honor of Stone's impending visit, I thought it appropriate to revisit one of his finest films, Natural Born Killers (1994). While not directly political or historical, Natural Born Killers is by far his most provocative film. According to a 2007 issue of Entertainment Weekly, the dark comedy is considered the eighth most controversial movie of all time.
Why the controversy? Natural Born Killers uses gratuitous violence in every way. Audiences see more people killed in this film than perhaps any other Hollywood film before it - excluding war epics. Mickey and Mallory are ruthless. They use knives and guns and pencils and every object you can imagine to create a spectacle of blood wherever they go. And get this - many of the violent scenes are filled with dreamy, romantic background music. Oliver Stone throws violence into our faces and mocks it at the same time. It doesn't take long for most viewers to become numb to blood and gore.\nThe style of the film also contributes to the general craziness and controversy. Stone mixes color, black and white, and newsreel shots together. Sequences that progress at breakneck speed are juxtaposed with slow-motion scenes. He uses extremely odd camera angles, rarely showing the characters straight-on. He throws in brief shots of dying animals, bloodied people and other dismal or evocative images. As a result, the film has nearly 3,000 cuts, while most films have between 600 and 700. Adding to the insanity, Trent Reznor contributes to perhaps the most eclectic sound track I've ever heard, using everything from '70s rock 'n' roll to Indian songs. As a whole, the film is psychedelic.
Stone's unique style creates confusion for audiences - which, in this case, is exactly what he wanted. Viewers are stuck between realism and absurdism. They don't know what is serious and what is for laughs. As we begin to sympathize with Mickey and Mallory - seriously! - we lose our ability to differentiate between good and bad. As the film progresses, Mickey and Mallory are propelled into celebrity status while big television reporters are turned into villainous egomaniacs like Wayne Gale (Robert Downey Jr.). The media personalities - not the mass murderers - somehow seem to be the demons.
A film that blends excess violence with a distinctive style, Natural Born Killers has indubitably altered the Hollywood scene. I'm pleased to say that it has not lost its ability to shock. As Mickey says, "Innocent? Who's innocent"
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