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True Romance

Play trailer Poster for True Romance R 1993 1h 56m Crime Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 60 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
A comic-book nerd and Elvis fanatic Clarence (Christian Slater) and a prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette) fall in love. Clarence breaks the news to her pimp and ends up killing him. He grabs a suitcase of cocaine on his way out thinking it is Alabama's clothing. The two hit the road for California hoping to sell the cocaine, but the mob is soon after them.
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True Romance

True Romance

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Critics Consensus

Fueled by Quentin Tarantino's savvy screenplay and a gallery of oddball performances, Tony Scott's True Romance is a funny and violent action jaunt in the best sense.

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Critics Reviews

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Budd Wilkins Slant Magazine Jul 22, 2022
The varying sensibilities of Quentin Tarantino and Tony Scott come together to fashion one of the cornerstone films of the early 1990s. Go to Full Review
Anton Bitel Little White Lies Jul 19, 2021
This is the realm of meta-cinema, where those who make movies, those who long to be in them and those who model their behaviour on them all come together to contrive between them a classic movie climax: a shoot-out... Go to Full Review
Mark Kermode Observer (UK) Nov 22, 2015
4/5
This is the best film Quentin Tarantino never made. Go to Full Review
Alistair Lawrence Common Sense Media Dec 10, 2023
While it might not have garnered the same critical praise as the Tarantino-helmed Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, True Romance has a charm of its own, which makes it impossible not to love. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Jan 1, 2023
5/5
'...the perenially absorbing kinetic character collisions of True Romance are worth savouring...' Go to Full Review
James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk Jul 12, 2022
3/4
wildly improbable and delightfully unpredictable, even when charging through some very familiar territory Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Carlos May 18, 2025 A stacked star studded roster of actors. A great story with great action. True Romance should be acknowledged more often on how great it is. See more Kathy V @RT64332554 1 day ago Really really great movie. Tarantino never disappoints. Good line up of actors. Again, Gary Oldman so good, didnt know it was him. The dreadlocks pimp. See more Janav S @TheCoolJ92781 2 days ago THE BEST movie Tarantino has ever written but not directed, and yet, you can still see his mark and craft in it. It feels more like a Bonnie and Clyde to me, and I feel like that's the direction they went with it. The bloody gore scenes remind us of Reservoir Dogs, in my opinion, as well as the future Inglourious Basterds. It is one of the greatest romance films in history, especially the MOST UNDERRATED score from Hans Zimmer ever. See more Ryan T @RT91888008 3 days ago Oh yeah. You know QT wrote this for sure! See more Sam T @RT85636428 Sep 30, 2026 This really is Tarantino at his best (although directed by Tony Scott) before he got too self indulgent. The story is not realistic at all, but you watch this for the characters and the patented dialogue and action that only Tarantino, Scott and possibly Michael Bay could provide. Starting in Detroit, Christian Slater plays Clarence a self insert for Tarantino, a nerdy store clerk interested in Elvis Pressley (who serves as his conscience), movies and comic books and Patricia Arquette plays Alabama: a prostitute who falls in love with him (like I said not that realistic). After killing Alabama's pimp (Gary Oldman), Clarence accidentally comes into a lot of cocaine that he plans on selling off in LA when he takes a road trip with Alabama to sunny California. Of course it's not as easy as he anticipates. There's a great scene with Clarence's dad (played by the late great Dennis Hopper) antagonizing a group of mobsters headed by Christopher Walken. A fun watch from start to end. See more Chris H @RT60525826 Sep 5, 2026 This is written by Tarantino, so you get what you expect; a jittery plot which just about hangs together, but some great set pieces. The ensemble cast are amazing but Dennis Hopper stands out, as does Christopher Walken; the scene between the two of them is the best part. See more Read all reviews
True Romance

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis A comic-book nerd and Elvis fanatic Clarence (Christian Slater) and a prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette) fall in love. Clarence breaks the news to her pimp and ends up killing him. He grabs a suitcase of cocaine on his way out thinking it is Alabama's clothing. The two hit the road for California hoping to sell the cocaine, but the mob is soon after them.
Director
Tony Scott
Producer
Gary Barber, Samuel Hadida, Steve Perry, Bill Unger
Screenwriter
Quentin Tarantino
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
August Entertainment, Morgan Creek Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 10, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 23, 2016
Runtime
1h 56m
Sound Mix
Stereo, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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