True Romance in Millbrook

No, don't get over excited. This posting has nothing to do with salacious gossip, merely that Film Club watched the Quentin Tarantino penned film "True Romance" last night.

Anyone who's familiar with Tarantino's earlier (and vastly superior) work will almost undoubtedly have already seen this, the third of the "trilogy" that comprises Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and True Romance.

Neither Dong nor Shazzerooneypoos had had the pleasure of seeing this one before and Mrs The Millbrooker had only had one previous viewing some years ago. Apart from one evening at Shazzers' place a while back when Dong presented "Casino Royale" I've not seen him so precariously balanced on the edge of his seat in front of any film. Not one cigarette break throughout the entire 112 minutes. He couldn't bring himself to miss even a moment of the action.

For anyone not in the know about Tarantino, True Romance is one of his more polished efforts; expertly paced by the direction of Tony Scott and featuring some of the most illustrious names in film. There are marvellous cameos by Brad Pitt as the permanently stoned Floyd and by Dennis Hopper as a retired cop facing an excruciating torture scene with bravura and humour. Other huge names taking relatively small parts and shining from the screen are Gary Oldman as the obnoxious pimp Drexl Spivey, Christopher Walken as Don Vincenzo Coccotti (only one scene, but such a powerful one) and Val Kilmer as Elvis (never actually appearing at all, but still getting a star credit).

So, what's the film about? Come on, it's an early Tarantino. It's foul mouthed, violent, fast paced. The acting is first rate. The violence is, at times, quite sickening. The sense of style throughout is magnificent. It's a comic book caper for grown ups; even when you know some massively unpleasant and orgiastic pain is about to be meted out by one character on another you often find yourself smiling at the witty script and sheer Mickey-Mouse silliness of the whole thing.

If you haven't seen it, I have to recommend that you do - it's cinema history within its genre. The best of a crop of "running, jumping, falling down films". The dialogue is terrific (but expect plenty of potty-mouthed obscenity), the direction is taut, the acting top notch and it's a very very exciting piece of entertainment. Don't look for hidden messages or deep and meaningful statements about the human condition, just enjoy the ride and then say "phew" at the end.