Studio executives summary / pitch
|
| We
got Woody from Cheers! Let's go. Whooo wee! |
Short plot
summary |
|
Mickey Knox
(Woody Harrelson) and Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) are two psychotic, married,
serial murderers who are on a rampage across the country (USA). They become infamous
thanks to the work of a tabloid television journalist Wayne Gale (Robert Downey
Jr) who is Australian. They
get arrested. |
Rating |
| Everyone
and everything advisory: Blood, fighting, cold blooded murder, slappy bald heads,
prison food warning, art house flashy images in windows, reporters (Australian)
with guns. |
What our
panel of critics thought |
|
"I had
a girlfriend like Mallory once. She died kick boxing a kangaroo. I still keep
in touch with the kangaroo though." "A
movie guaranteed to upset 95% of its audience, and 99.9% of those who have heard
about it but not seen it yet." "A
veritable evil cornucopia of winding uppage. Bravisimo in a Donald Duck type voice!" "What
this movie taught me was that I could be upset to a state of letter writing frenzy
but still grow spiritually. Thankfully, I was fine after the seventh verse of
Koombyaaa." "A
soundtrack to die for, or at least to be choked to unconsciousness." "An
important statement about the abuse of the media, cops who kill for pleasure,
and Australian reporters, said wittily using copious amounts of blood." "Who
is the maddest? The journalist, the cops or the crazee killers? No wonder newspapers
across the world slatted this movie so. Thankfully, American reporters did not
come out of this movie too badly. Why pick on Australian reporters though, Mr
Stone? I think you have some more answering to do mate!" "A
rare achievement. Oliver Stone's 'guaranteed to piss them off' assault
on the journalism 'profession.' An amazing movie, if uncomfortable to watch in
places." "Using
mainstream actors, this is a proud art house movie. Not until Fight Club did we
see anything as important and as similar. One to watch, and savor like the finest
of cigars, although it's very violent and it's probably best to take the cigar
out of your mouth when the fighting starts." |
Please tell me the ending
|
| Our
hero's succeed in a jail break when a live, televised (Super Bowl special!) interview
from the prison with Mickey, goes wrong. Wayne Gail (who ultimately becomes as
murderous with guns as our heroes) gets shot by our anti-hero's on camera, pleading
for his life at the end. Mickey
and Mallory end the movie free. |
Justify
this movie's existence in the classic strand. From
theVoiceof Reason.com's Veritable Cornucopia |
|
A
brilliant satire on the media and how it packages people into a commodity, in
a corrupt world where cops murder women and red necks dance all funny in out of
the way diners... A
scream fest of 'So who are the bad guys these days?'
proportions. In this world, serial killers are now just a commodity used to build
a sheep like television audience to sell advertisements to, journalists build
a career on the deeds of criminals, and corrupt cops write best seller books.
Folks, this movie is about packaged sin, sin as a commodity in the free market
and, be honest, apart from the killing, wouldntcha just do it if you could get
away with it? The money's mighty fine! The
movie is both harsh and bloody - it is not a painless ride - this is one of those
fulfilling long walks along a familiar trail, at times difficult, but, ultimately,
rewarding (if a little too peppered with blood, giblets and BANG!
for my liking). That
this movie was pilloried by the tabloid press when it was released is testament
to how effective the movie is. The gutter press should
hate this movie, else the movie would not have succeeded in delivering its 'up
yours tabloids' message. Oliver
Stone is worthy of hero worship, always. Sir, I am on both knees in the worship
pose just writing this review. A stunning masterpiece, brave, challenging, art
housey, mesmerizing, important, funny, strange and, yet, using mainstream actors
to telegraph an uneasy familiarity... Utter respect Stone dude. By
the way, M&M are Mickey and Mallory. Is this where Eminem got his name from?
Nobody tells me nothing. My previous certainty that it was the multicolored chocolate
nibbles has been shaken to the core. |
Quotable
quotes (real) |
|
Mickey
to Wayne: "Killing you and what you represent is a statement." "We're
not gonna murder anyone on our wedding day." "If
I was a mass murderer I'd be Mickey and Mallory." "If
I don't kill you, what else is there for them to talk about?" "I'm
alive for the first time in my f-wording life." |
What snack should I eat while watching this movie?
|
| Anything
you have seen on a tv advert in the past week. |
Could this
movie be improved with more guns'n'shootin? |
|
This movie is
a treasure trove of shooting people with guns. If you are in to this kind of killing
then do not miss this movie. Perhaps
this movie could be improved with more bunny rabbits and ducks ruffling their
feathers in dust. |
How anti establishment
is this film? |
|
You can judge
how antiestablishment this movie is by the rumpus the movie caused in the media
when it was released. This is movie making of the highest caliber. A movie which
attacks the media. Does
it glorify killing? Well, that's the whole point of the movie, surely - the way
trash TV glorifies killing, making it a prime time show.
The big time murderers are all characters in the evening's schedules and this
movie is about them. Try to defend that to a tabloid journalist, and they have
enough ammunition to make anyone sound like a gun toting hoodlum who wants to
see people being shot for sport... |
Would your
pets enjoy this movie? |
|
Dogs
with a weak heart may need to be guided from the room if the sound of gun shot
affects them. If, during the movie, the dog does have a heart attack try the heart
massage techniques they showed on public television the other day, and even the
kiss of life if you want - just try to stop your tongue touching his as it won't
taste nice, especially if he has just licked his bottom in the last thirty minutes. Cats
will enjoy the movie as they will be confident that they could jump out of the
way of the bullets. Snakes
will enjoy only the parts of the movie in which they feature. Avoid putting one
around your neck in the second half of the movie in case they get ideas of the
constricty kind... |
What can I take from this movie to make me a better person?
|
| There
is nothing that can't be distorted/hyped by the media in a television documentary
on any subject, especially if the only point of the documentary is to get a big
audience so that advertisers can sell products to them... |
Estimate number of deaths in this movie. |
|
Around 100.
|
How much would
you pay for a copy of this movie in goods? |
|
A bald Woody
Harrelson head paper weight. |
Does this movie shock? |
|
Don't watch
this movie unless you are in art house tabloid media attacking mode. There are
about 2500 cuts in this movie - lots of quick cuts to devils, rabbits and snakes. |
Would this
movie win awards for performances of the f-word? |
| Yes.
Watch out for the moment when the f-word is beeped in the live feed with Mickey
- brilliant. |
Other comments
|
| One
of those once in a while movies that caused a media frenzy when it comes out,
including the inevitable allegation of copy cat killings etc. An important movie
from an important director, but a director who is doomed to be only fully appreciated
in his home land if he ever dies violently, and they get it all on film. This
is an utterly awesome movie which treats it's contemptible subject with utter
contempt. Oliver Stone we salute you with every salutable limb and appendage in
our body. |
Date of Review |
| June
16, 2003 |