Winona Ryder stars as one of four girls named Heather in a high school clique. Christian Slater (who exudes the easy, relaxed charisma of a young Jack Nicholson) is new student Jason “J.D.” Dean, who begins murdering anyone who wrongs him.
It’s tonally strange – a little like a much nastier Clueless – but there’s plenty of wit and intelligence among the morbid and tasteless elements.
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is merely adequate as Maid Marian, while Christian Slater is slightly odd as Will Scarlett.
Production values are poor, with constantly changing light and an often washed-out quality to the footage.
The famous theme song by Bryan Adams ("Everything I Do) I Do It for You") doesn’t even appear in the film, although it is used over the end credits.
The film cleverly works as both a sort of fairytale (the “true romance” of the title) and also as an absolutely brutal crime thriller. This uneasy combination gives it a fresh energy. Tarantino's usual preoccupations are evident, with martial arts, comic books, and Elvis Presley all figuring notably in the plot.
Slater is excellent – like a young Jack Nicholson, in terms of his charisma. Arquette is also superb, and the chemistry between the pair is unmistakable.
Perhaps most striking of all is Hans Zimmer’s beautiful soundtrack.
John Travolta and Christian Slater are military pilots testing a stealth plane armed with two nuclear missiles. But Travolta seizes the weapons and holds the world to ransom. The action plays out in the Utah desert (the scenery is stunning), where Travolta is helped by a gang of henchmen and Slater is joined by a friendly park ranger (Samantha Mathis).
The action is unrelenting. There are plenty of James Bond tropes – a ticking timer on a bomb, fighting on top of a train, macho feuding and plenty of helicopter explosions – but it’s all done with John Woo’s sense of heightened reality. Everything is turned up to 11, with a deliberately absurd element. It’s made even more exciting by Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack, which incorporates motifs from westerns and clanking industrial interludes.
It’s a violent and bloody drama that occasionally seems trashy (I would have ditched the slow-motion shots and intrusive music), but gains depth from focusing on strong characters and introducing some philosophical and ethical questions.
Cage is highly watchable, as always. He just “has it” – whatever “it” is.
Surprisingly, the film lost $38 million and received mixed reviews.
