Stone's Satirical Masterpiece

Oliver Stone's NATURAL BORN KILLERS is one of the most engrossing and powerful films I've seen. Many viewers see it only as some kind of sick exploitation, loaded with graphic violence and chaos, the like of which is rarely seen on the big screen. But what is really going on in the film is perhaps the greatest and most poignant satire ever conceived.

The story follows Mickey and Mallory Knox(played with an over the top edge by Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis). They go on a massive killing spree on a road trip throughout the American landscape. However, when their luck runs out they both land in prison...and the real fun begins.

The media plays a large role in the film, as Stone, through a exploitative television show about serial killers and mass muderers manipulates the public into falling in love with Mickey and Mallory. Robert Downey, Jr. is approriately sleazy and hilarious as Wayne Gale, the host of the program entitled "American Maniacs." Gale constatntly is looking for a way to get another great story out of Mickey and Mallory, and a story he gets!

Gale arranges a post-SuperBowl interview with Mickey to be broadcast live from the prison Mickey is housed in. The main warden in the prison is played by Tommy Lee Jones in another excellent performance, and he reluctantly allows the interview to be conducted. Obviously, the fact of this live telecast from the prison incites some of the prisoners, and a full-scale riot ensues, in which Mickey stages a daring escape.

This film is just great. The film is hallucinogenic in that there are many film mediums used from 16mm to 8 to color to black and white. These various effects only add to the surreal and spacy atmosphere during much of the film. There's a scene where Mickey and Mallory trip on mushrooms while walking through the desert ( a la Stone's THE DOORS where the group trips on peyote in the desert) which features some amazing cinematic effects and visual style.

The satire is also exceptional. Stone has created a scary and utterly believeable story of our times. I could really see something like this happening with the celebrity status afforded to some criminals. As long as this practice continues, NATURAL BORN KILLERS will be a story that practically and theoretically could happen.

Acting in the film is just top notch. Harrelson and Lewis are mesmorizing as the leads, totally creating their characters and reveling in them. Jones is impressive in his role as the prison warden who gets his just deserts in the end. Tom Sizemore plays ace cop Jack Scagnetti and is equally impressive in his role, as he slowly loses all control in his search for Mickey and Mallory. Rodney Dangerfield goes for a new role and plays Mallory's abusive father, in another great role. Dangerfield is just incredibly on the mark in a TV show parody of Mallory's life, in which he plays just the lowest of the low of human existence. Of all these, I really enjoyed Downey, Jr's portrayal of Wayne Gale, and I think his performance is what really makes this movie. He's absolutely hilarious and bumps the satire up to a new level of relevancy.

The violence and carnage here is almost indescribable. Stone has said that much of the furor the MPAA had about the film was centered on the total chaotic feel of the film, basically there was no one scene they could put their finger on as needing to be cut. Fortunately for us, a director's cut of the film was released which has a slew of deleted scenes that highly change the viewer's outlook on the situation.

New scenes in the director's cut include a rant by Dennis Leary, Ashley Judd's courtroom scene, even more violence and chaos, an alternate ending that is really far out and different, and more. Also included in the director's cut edition is a documentary on the making of the film, extensive interviews with the director and members of the cast, Nine Inch Nails's BURN music video (really good video), and other extras. Overall, the director's cut is very impressive, and a good bet for anyone looking to rediscover this film.

This film can be called a lot of things, personally I think nothing fully describes it as well as simply "brilliant." Great film for daring motion picture audiences who want to look beyond the superficial story and see what's really going on in the big picture.