It was directed with energetic skill by <I>Top Gun</I> Tony Scott but t his breathtaking 1993 thriller (think of it as an adolescent crime fantasy on steroids) has Quentin Tarantino written all over it. <I>True Romance</I> is really part of a loose trilogy that includes <I>Reservoir Dogs</I> and <I>Pulp Fiction</I> with a crackling Tarantino screenplay that rides a fine line between raucous comedy and violent excess. Christian Slater plays Clarence the comic-book lover who meets a beguiling prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette) confronts her vicious pimp (Gary Oldman) and embarks on a cross-country odyssey with $5 million worth of Mafia cocaine. Mayhem ensues culminating in a favourite Tarantino climax--the Mexican standoff --in which a roomful of guys are pointing guns at each other waiting to see who shoots first. Brutal profane and totally outrageous <I>True Romance</I> is not for everyone but with a supporting cast that includes Dennis Hopper Christopher Walken Brad Pitt and Val Kilmer (as the ghost of Elvis!) you can be sure this movie will never be boring. --<I>Jeff Shannon Amazon.com</I>