Natural Born Killers

Not to be confused with Natural Born Killaz.

Natural Born Killers
In black-and-white, a bald man sporting a leather jacket wears red sunglasses that contain the reflection of a blonde woman on both lenses, the movie's title is visible.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byOliver Stone
Screenplay by
  • David Veloz
  • Richard Rutowski
  • Oliver Stone
Story byQuentin Tarantino
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRobert Richardson
Edited by
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • August 26, 1994 (1994-08-26)
Running time
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$34 million[2]
Box office$110 million[3]

Natural Born Killers is a 1994 American romantic crime action film[2] directed by Oliver Stone and starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones, and Tom Sizemore. The film tells the story of two victims of traumatic childhoods who become lovers and mass murderers, and are irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.

The film is based on an original screenplay by Quentin Tarantino that was heavily revised by Stone, writer David Veloz, and associate producer Richard Rutowski. Tarantino received a story credit though he subsequently disowned the film. Jane Hamsher, Don Murphy, and Clayton Townsend produced the film, with Arnon Milchan, Thom Mount, and Stone as executive producers.

Natural Born Killers was released on August 26, 1994 in the United States, and screened at the Venice Film Festival on August 29, 1994. It was a box office success, grossing $110 million against a production budget of $34 million, but received polarized reviews. Some critics praised the plot, acting, humor, and combination of action and romance, while others found the film overly violent and graphic. Notorious for its violent content and inspiring "copycat" crimes, the film was named the eighth most controversial film in history by Entertainment Weekly in 2006.[4]

  1. ^ "NATURAL BORN KILLERS (18)". British Board of Film Classification. December 20, 1994. Archived from the original on November 21, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Natural Born Killers (1994)". Box Office Mojo. October 18, 1994. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  3. ^ "Planet Hollywood". Screen International. August 30, 1996. pp. 14–15.
  4. ^ 25 Most Controversial Movies Ever, Entertainment Weekly, 9 June 2006