1h 58m
Director: Tony Scott

When I first saw this I hadn't seen enough film to really recognise a lot of the actors (except Christian Slater) but take it from me, especially now some of those people have really become cinematic royalty (some already were), you're in for a treat.

I usually just list the top 5 notable members of the cast but this is really a smorgasbord of talent, after you've watched most of the credits you'll see 'written by Quentin Tarantino' which should clue you in as to what kind of film you can expect and honestly, it doesn't disappoint.

It's directed by Tony Scott (brother of Ridley) who made some real stonkers during his career including Top Gun and Deja Vu which are 2 of my personal faves. So you get the idea, everybody knows what they're doing and you're in good hands and it really shows as you get to enjoy one classic scene after another.

The scene with Vincenzo (Chris Walken) and Clifford (Dennis Hopper) wouldn't feel out of place in a 70's classic movie whilst the scenes with Drexl (Gary Oldman) feel like 90's contemporary Tarantino, especially as Samuel Jackson is mixed in there too.

Clarence meets Alabama and they fall in love and immediately marry. Alabama reveals she is a call girl and has a violent pimp called Drexl. In a slightly absurd romantic gesture, Clarence decides to kill Drexl and retrieve Alabama's stuff - he's goaded on by his alter ego Elvis Presley (Val Kilmer). Clarence thinks he's got Alabama's stuff but it turns out to be a suitcase full of cocaine. So that's the basic set up, Clarence and Alabama must now find a way to sell the cocaine so they can run away and live happily ever after.

They are of course pursued by the villains who want their cocaine back which provides much of the tension as the narrative plays out.

There's a brutal scene where Virgil (James Gandolfini who you might recognise from The Sopranos) breaks into Clarence and Alabama's motel room and beats up Alabama in a bid to obtain the drugs. If you want a few pointers on how a woman might fight off a much stronger opponent then this entanglement is for you. Virgil's so nasty you really find yourself rooting for Alabama when she fights back.

This all of course (being Tarantino) meanders towards a stand off which ends up being a shoot out between the police, Lee (who wants to buy the cocaine) and the villains with Clarence and Alabama caught in the middle.

So it's another movie where although you might imagine Clarence (the male) being the hero, it's Alabama that deals with the assassin who comes to their motel room and it's also Alabama that carries Clarence to the car with the money after he is injured in the shootout.

The soundtrack includes music by Hans Zimmer mixed with some classic Elvis to play alongside Clarence's alter ego. Once you've seen the movie once you'll certainly recognise the main theme tune which has an instantly recognisable, almost ethic feel.

It's a superb movie which brings together an all star cast to play out an excellently written narrative replete with all those visual nods and stereotypes to classic movies you might expect from a modern Tarantino flick!

"Clarence, I like you. Always have, always will..."



Trailer: