NATURAL BORN KILLERS

I remember sneaking into a Paramatta cinema in Sydney to see Natural Born Killers when I was 15 years old. The film's impact on me was undeniable... Oliver Stone's film is his masterpiece as far as I'm concerned. It's a wonderland of components... its experimental, it's topical, it's satirical, it's confronting! The story of Mickey & Mallory Knox's murder spree across America serves as a base for a larger commentary on the state of American culture. Looking back on the film from 2012 its just as relevant, if not more. We (I exclude myself from this generalisation) settle for mediocrity as success. The film was originally written by Quentin Tarantino who penned a more traditional blockbuster action film. By the time it arrived on the screen it had become an Oliver Stone picture... Tarantino's script was a great foundation but it lacked substance. I own a copy and it's nothing special. But Stone recognised an opportunity to do something daring and he created a film that essentially attacks the viewer. He used a variety of mediums to convey the story and along with a brilliant soundtrack it does what few other films can... that is to challenge, confuse and shake an audience. You can't simply watch Natural Born Killers once and have your mind made up about it. It demands repeat viewings. If I were to award star ratings to films, I would give NBK 5 out of 5. It's perfect.

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