The story behind the polarizing, ultra-brutal crime drama

Hasitha Fernando delves into the story behind Natural Born Killers as the controversial film celebrates its 30th anniversary…

Natural Born Killers has often been called one of the most controversial films of all time, with its ultra-violent and highly controversial subject matter still dividing audiences 30 years after its release. In this article, we take a brief look at what went on behind the scenes during the filming of this polarizing, yet thought-provoking work three decades later.

The story was based on a real series of mass murders

Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate were a young couple who went on an infamous killing spree across the Midwest between November 1957 and January 1958, killing a total of eleven people. Along with the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's son, Starweather and Fugate's mass murder spree was one of the first crime scandals to attract national media attention. Several films were inspired by the couple's nefarious actions, with the most famous work being Terrence Malik's 1973 neo-noir crime drama. wasteland starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek. Other films inspired by the crime series over the years were The Sadist (1963), Gun Crazy (1992) and California (1993). The story, written by Quentin Tarantino, follows a similar plot: two victims of traumatic childhoods commit a series of murders, whose reprehensible behavior is glorified by the mass media.

Quentin Tarantino completely disowned the film when he saw it

After the breakthrough of Reservoir DogsTarantino was in high demand in Hollywood and during this time he secured the rights to two unproduced feature film scripts for films that would later True Romance And Natural Born Killers. Tarantino's original plan was to hire his friend Rand Vossler, a colleague who worked with him at Video Archives, to direct, but unfortunately the two were unable to find financing to get the ball rolling. Filmmaker Oliver Stone, meanwhile, was very interested in the Tarantino-penned script and expressed interest in purchasing it. In exchange for Vossler forgoing his directorial debut, he would be credited as co-producer. Tarantino was happy with the arrangement and gave Stone the rights to his script, but what happened next led to Tarantino rejecting the final product.

The script written by Tarantino was heavily rewritten throughout production by Stone, producer Richard Rutowski and screenwriter David Veloz. As a result, we saw on screen a version that was very different from what Tarantino had envisioned. Although Tarantino was credited as a “story by,” he completely distanced himself from the film. As a compromise, the producers of Natural Born Killers allowed him to release the original screenplay to help him overcome his hatred of the film, as he was primarily concerned with being credited for material he had no hand in creating.

Oliver Stone originally wanted to make the script into a “feel-good action film”

If the producers of Natural Born Killers Stone originally envisioned the project as a light-hearted, feel-good action film. This was because his previous film, the 1993 film, Heaven and Earth was a highbrow production that flopped at the box office, and Stone simply wanted to make an entertaining action film that played against the norms of the genre. However, as the project took shape, he soon realized that this was not the best approach to tackle the story, opting instead for a dark satire about how serial killers are idolized by the media for their despicable acts.

Woody Harrelson was cast because of his violent look

Woody Harrelson first received recognition for his groundbreaking performance in the NBC sitcom Cheers He won a Primetime Emmy Award for his role as the charismatic bartender Woody Boyd. When he moved to feature films, Harrelson had early success with 90s films such as White men can't jump, Money train And An immoral offerHe later received great praise and recognition for his role as Larry Flynt in “The Larry Flynt – The Naked Truth for which he received an Oscar and a Golden Globe nomination. When it came to Natural Born Killers Harrelson revealed in an interview that he was cast in the role of Mickey because director Oliver Stone said Mickey's eyes had a violent look. Warner Bros. initially considered Michael Madsen for the role, but was looking for someone who was less physically intimidating, as this would tone down the brutality of the character to some extent.

Oliver Stone wanted Juliette Lewis to build muscle for the role

Throughout her career, Juliette Lewis has been known for taking on quirky, unconventional roles in both mainstream and indie films. She rose to prominence for her performance in Martin Scorsese's 1991 psychological thriller. Cape Fearfor which she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. When Lewis was cast as Mallory Knox in Natural Born KillersOliver Stone wanted the actress to build muscle for the role to make her look mean and tough, but the actress refused because she didn't want her character to resemble a bodybuilder. In the end, Stone agreed to her suggestion, but insisted that she take kickboxing lessons to make her hand-to-hand combat in the film believable.

Robert Downey Jr. became a sleazy tabloid reporter

In the film, Wayne Gale is the sleazy reporter who documents the Knoxes' violent adventures as they travel through the American Midwest. After being cast in the role, Robert Downey Jr., whose body of work needs no introduction, spent time with controversial Australian journalist Steve Dunleavy to gain insight into his character. By the end of his prep time, Downey Jr. had an Australian accent and convinced Stone to allow him to play Wayne Gale with an Australian accent as well.

The film featured Rodney Dangerfield’s only dramatic performance

Rodney Dangerfield's career is full of comedic twists and turns, as he is a stand-up comedian by profession. But Natural Born Killers was the first and only time Dangerfield took on a dramatic role, playing the abusive father of Juliette Lewis' Mallory. Dangerfield was not given a script by the director and was simply told to play “the father from hell.” Stone also gave the comedian the freedom to write his own “disturbing” material for his devilish portrayal.

The main actors had to share a scene with 150 poisonous snakes

The nightmarish scene with the venomous snakes in the open desert was a challenge as it involved over 150 rattlesnakes. Initially, the producers were concerned as the actors had to perform their scenes near a large herd of snakes. However, as the sequence was shot at night, most of the rattlesnakes were inactive and none were aggressive, which certainly made things easier for the film crew.

For the cameraman, the shoot was a hellish experience

Shoot Natural Born Killers was quite an ordeal for Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson. At first, he hated the script and wanted nothing to do with it. But somehow Oliver Stone used their friendship to persuade Richardson to take part in the project. Despite this, the cinematographer called the filming a “nightmarish” experience and one of the worst of his entire career. Most of this negativity stemmed from elements in the story that triggered bad memories from his childhood, which led to insomnia and an apparent dependence on sleeping pills throughout filming. Additionally, unexpected mishaps happened to members of his family, which put additional stress on him. However, the talented creative went on to say that all of these obstacles gave him just the right amount of creative energy to successfully make the film.

Mixed reception, harsh criticism and a strange legacy

Shot with a production budget of $34 million Natural Born Killers grossed $110 million at the box office worldwide. The film received mixed reviews upon its premiere and, at the time of writing, has a 50% rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes based on 50 reviews. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the work four out of four, writing, “Seeing this film once is not enough. The first time is for the emotional experience, the second time for the meaning.” Other film critics felt that the film did not achieve what it set out to achieve. Janet Maslin of the New York Times wrote, “While 'Natural Born Killers' occasionally feigns disgust at the garish world of Mickey and Mallory, but more often he seems enthralled by their intoxicating freedom. If there's a point at which these caricatures start to look like nihilistic heroes, the film crosses that point many times over.”

Criticism has been leveled primarily at the level of violence in the film and its tendency to inspire audiences to violent behavior. The devastating Heath High School shootings and the Columbine High School massacres have often been attributed to the film's depiction and glorification of violence. In fact, the film was banned from local theaters in several countries due to its controversial nature. Regardless, Natural Born Killers holds up a dark mirror to society as a whole, showing how the media exploits and dramatizes violence for its own ends. The end result is the establishment of a vicious cycle in which society thrives on a constant orgiastic state of violence while the media irresponsibly satisfies our almost drug-induced demand. This raises the question of who is the real villain and the real victim in this complex, convoluted narrative.

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Hasitha Fernando is a part-time doctor and full-time cinephile. Follow him on Twitter at @DoctorCinephile for regular updates from the world of entertainment.