We’re the demons
While the story was conceived by Quentin Tarantino, the script and direction for Natural Born Killers was done through Oliver Stone. You could just tell that both had their hands in the mix and it showed. The story of Mickey and Mallory Knox is a brutal tale of how the system, family and two individuals can go severely wrong. Mickey and Mallory Knox are mass murderers fueled by the underlying downfall of society’s need for media and ‘things’. Their killing spree is limitless and the media keeps them in the limelight throughout the entire film, until the very end.
Stone brought out some of the most gut-wrenching visuals that simply rivaled any movie up to that point. His purpose was not to simply show the brutality of two mass murderers, but to show how these individuals could be created. Through a series of events, starting with dysfunctional parents, the story that Tarantino and Stone put together shows how positively powerful the mixture of news media, a failing justice system and family issues can produce once it’s allowed to. Granted, what Stone put together was beyond the scope of violence that everyone was use to, but it certainly drove home the message. It’s true that what the media was back int he day is certainly not what the media is nowadays. For example, a certain large media outlet (who shall go unnamed) decided to interrupt a murder trial to report on Paris Hilton’s early release from prison. Think about that and how important one is to another. Anyway, let me get off my soapbox, Stone’s prediction of the downfall of society through media, family dysfunction and through our own fault as an audience fueling the need for this type of content was self-evident in Natural Born Killers. You might be looking for a movie that has tons of action, but when you come out of NBK you will want to better yourself as a human being.
Before we move on in the review to the actual blu-ray portion of it, let me just note how well Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis did as the two leads. To focus so terribly hard on becoming mass murderers is nothing short of brilliant. Having that crazy look in your eyes and developing such dark, demented personas could not have been easy. Without their performances the audience couldn’t be confused on whether Mickey and Mallory were the villains or the systems were (family, media and justice). They did an outstanding job and I hope people appreciate it more after this release.
Shifting gears to the blu-ray portion of this movie, the transfer was flawless in all accounts. The video is simply unrivaled when it comes to seeing it on a 1080 or 720p set. The combination of 32mm, 16mm, 8mm, video and animation is breathtaking in HD. You can even say that the movie really is more powerful thanks to the visuals and audio remastering. I know the brutality of the movie certainly does stand out more, as does Downey Jr.’s weird mullet. For example, when you see the two leads in the superstore suffering from Rattlesnake bites, the green tint of the store is so wickedly detailed and beautifully done that you can’t help, but wonder how wretched the snakebite must be for them. Moving from visuals, you also get a very well put together soundtrack that sounds simply superb on blu-ray.
The extended footage of the film is something worth noting. With the added scenes the film becomes a bit clearer, if not more violent. I understand that the MPAA has to do what the MPAA has to do, but quite frankly when does it get in the way of telling a story? This movie is truly one of the more recent examples of how the MPAA can destroy a message trying to be portrayed. All the violence needed to be there for the audience to feel a bit more guilty about their viewing pleasures and to drive home how the Mickey and Mallory product was developed by the combination of its three main ingredients (family, justice and media). Olive Stone is going to lose even more media friends with this uncut version of the film.
One thing to note on this blu-ray release is the very interesting 44-page booklet included with it. There is a new introduction (2009) from Oliver Stone in the booklet that details what they had hoped to accomplish with this new release. You also get some bio breakdown of each important actor and the 1994 introduction from Stone. All in all, the booklet is a great way to get deeper into the film and a welcomed addition to the blu-ray.
As for features, here’s what you’re looking at:
– NBK Evolution: How Would it All Go Down Now? (HD)
– Commentary and new intro from Oliver Stone
– 44-Page Booklet
– Chaos Rising: The Storm Around Natural Born Killers
– Deleted Scenes by Ashley Judd, Denis Leary, Rachel Ticotin and the Barbarian Brothers
– Charlie Rose Interview with Oliver Stone
– Alternate Ending
– Theatrical trailer
With the top three on the list being the new material, it blends well with the already seen material. The features are desperately needed for this film. Most people have completely misunderstood what was happening here, so it helps knowing a little bit more about the story itself and what Stone was trying to accomplish.