Book #01
Natural Born Killers by Quentin Tarantino
Natural Born Killers is a disturbing and brilliant indictment of violence in the media and American celebrity culture. Mickey and Mallory Knox, outlaw lovers on the run, go on a killing spree of startling viciousness -- and find themselves transformed into cult celebrities by the tabloid media. The film, directed by Oliver Stone, departed significantly from Tarantino's original screenplay, so much so that Tarantino removed his name from the screenplay credits. Now available in America for the first time, the original screenplay offers fans and film buffs of all stripes the opportunity to compare Tarantino's original vision with Stone's version of the story of Mickey and Mallory.
I decided to read this because I didn't realise Tarantino had written the screenplay, nor did I realise that the director, Oliver Stone, had altered the plot in such a way that it prompted Tarantino to eventually remove his name from the credits of the screenplay.
I am certainly no movie buff, so I cannot comment on the comparison of the screenplay to the movie, but I did enjoy Tarantino's words. It's apparent that he's a bit of a rule-breaker, and loves to shock. I'm a sucker for a bit of disturbance, so it was definitely right up my street.
However, the screenplay was a mere 100 pages (or so) long, and I found myself slightly dissatisfied at the lack of substance. There wasn't much there aside from the bloody messes and declarations of love between Mickey and Mallory, so it is obvious why Oliver Stone had to pad the film out a bit.
Nevertheless, a good start to the book year! I enjoyed the violence, and it was a nice easy read to ease me into 2010.