Natural Born Killers Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Natural Born Killers
Year: 1994
Director: Oliver Stone
Country: U.S
Language: English 

After Bonnie and Clyde there was Natural Born Killers, an Oliver Stone film that I haven't bothered to see. I'm not sure why, I guess I assumed that the film would be full of mindless violence and wouldn't teach me anything. My girlfriend Deny Ferguson requested that I watch and review this film, so I gladly accepted the challenge. I have seen Stone's Platoon, The Doors, JFK and Wall Street, they have all impressed me in various ways. Natural Born Killers is also quite impressive.

The film follows the misadventures of Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis) They travel across Route 666 conducting psychadelic mass-slaughters not for money, not for revenge, just for fun. They become legendary folk heroes after being glorified by the media. Their story is told by the single person they keep alive after their killing sprees.

Over the years critics have called this film a "great glorification of violence". It has been protested by thousands who deem this film as "disgusting" and "vile trash", many feel this film should be banned based on content alone. People who don't necessarily "hate" this film will avoid it because of the politics surrounding it. Yes the film is violent, but the film is not about the violence. It is not necessarily about the killers, but the media attention the killers inspire. It is a not so obvious satire of the media, it is surprisingly intelligent and very thought provoking.

Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers definitely plays on the "serial killer turns pop culture icon" idea. One teenager in the film tells the TV cameras, "Mass murder is wrong. But if I were a mass murderer, I'd be Mickey and Mallory!" Media sensationalism is quite evident in our modern North American society. More people are caught up in Lindsay Lohan's breakdown or what Lady Gaga is wearing rather than the real deep issues like the civil war in Syria. This films holds a mirror to our face, it exposes our hypocritical love of violence and suggests that we are wrong for making a spectacle out of a train-wreck.

In conclusion, Stone's film is a good slap in the face. Wake Up! Watch this film then look around you, notice that incredibly violent films like Skyfall and Django Uncained are still playing in theatres and realize just how truthful Stone's film is. Natural Born Killers exceeds my expectations and will make me think for a very long time. Is it shocking? Yes, The truth is always pretty shocking. Praise it! 5/5