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Matt Glasby

This is the latest instalment in our ongoing From the Vault feature series, in which we reflect on culturally significant movies celebrating notable anniversaries.
Released 30 years ago this month, Natural Born Killers remains the most provocative film of Oliver Stone’s uncompromising career.
Rejected by its writer, decried by the media, even banned in some countries, his violent satire more than earned its place on Entertainment Weekly’s 2008 list of the 25 Most Controversial Movies Ever.
Based on a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, but heavily rewritten by David Veloz, producer Richard Rutowski and Stone himself, on the surface it is a familiar tale of lovers on the run.


We have seen it all before in films such as They Live by Night (1948) and True Romance (1993), another Tarantino original. But this time our heroes, Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis), are unrepentant mass murderers, and the film’s over-the-top aesthetic matches their excesses.
After a challenging shoot for Heaven & Earth (1993), Stone intended to make a straightforward action film, “something Arnold Schwarzenegger would be proud of”, he said on the DVD extras.
However, because of the breakdown of his second marriage, and his growing obsession with rolling news coverage of cases involving OJ Simpson, Rodney King, and the siege in Waco, Texas, it quickly morphed into “a vicious, cold-hearted farce”, he told Emanuel Levy.
The story is a simple one, following Mickey and Mallory as they drive along America’s Route 666 (now Route 491) killing people. After being sent to prison for crimes they very much did commit, they escape during an interview with sleazy TV journalist Wayne Gale (Robert Downey Jnr).
What is remarkable is the way the film is shot and edited to create a kind of sensory overload. There are almost 3,000 cuts, whereas most films have around 700, and no stylistic tic is left untried.

Stone, cinematographer Robert Richardson and editors Hank Corwin and Brian Berdan combine full-colour, filtered and black-and-white footage with subliminal inserts, animation, newsreel, adverts, vox pops, back projection – even a sequence at Mallory’s childhood home that plays like a sitcom.
It is exhausting, exclamation-mark cinema designed to overwhelm. On that basis, Natural Born Killers is extremely effective.
The soundtrack – compiled by Stone and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, who would go on to win an Oscar for the score for The Social Network (2010) – is a clever mix of old masters (Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith) and newer iconoclasts (Rage Against the Machine, L7, Marilyn Manson).
The casting pulls off a similar trick. Harrelson was best known for playing the slow-witted Woody in TV’s Cheers, but he is magnetic as the despicable Mickey. Lewis, who was already carving out an impressively offbeat career in indie cinema, is even better, turning from abused teen to avenging outlaw on a dime.
They are joined by Downey Jnr (complete with terrible Australian accent), Tommy Lee Jones and Tom Sizemore, all playing heightened versions of abusive men in power.
Because these secondary characters are so unrelentingly repellent, the only people to root for are the two leads. We even see a teenager admitting, “If I were a mass murderer, I’d be Mickey and Mallory.”


The way the violence is presented invites such complicity. During the opening shoot-out at a diner, Mickey waves a gun at the waitress in front of the camera. When he pulls the trigger, it feels like we are doing it too. It may be exciting, but it is a seriously mixed message. Is the film colluding in the very thing it seems to condemn?
Upon release, critics were outraged and Tarantino hated it so much he could not watch it all the way through.
It was also implicated in a series of copycat crimes, the most infamous of which was the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in the US state of Colorado, whose teenage perpetrators used the code NBK, an initialism for Natural Born Killers, in their planning.
It is easy to see why the film might connect with the disenfranchised and damaged. It is a work of real power, but scant meaning; less a coherent statement than a semi-crazed rant at the awful state of, well, everything, especially the media. Indeed, rarely has so much been employed to say so little.
Gale calls his brand of tabloid programme making “junk food for the brains” and is frequently intercut with images of the devil. Mickey tells him, “Killing you and what you represent is … a statement. I’m not a hundred per cent sure exactly what it’s saying but, you know ….”


The problem is, the film is just as confused.
Stone’s experiential assault may have seemed revolutionary at the time, but using mass-media techniques to criticise the emptiness of mass media does not feel quite so clever these days.
After the initial sugar rush wears off, it is like being repeatedly bludgeoned with a cartoon sledgehammer, canned laughter and all.
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1 of the most controversial films ever, Natural Born Killers at 30 still shocks the senses

Woody Harrelson in a still from Natural Born Killers (1994). Photo: Warner Bros.

Woody Harrelson (left) and Juliette Lewis in a still from Natural Born Killers. The 1994 movie remains the most provocative film of Oliver Stone’s career and one of the most controversial movies ever. Photo: Warner Bros

Robert Downey Jnr (left) and Woody Harrelson in a still from Natural Born Killers. Photo: Warner Bros

Tom Sizemore and Juliette Lewis in a still from Natural Born Killers. Photo: Warner Bros

Woody Harrelson in a still from Natural Born Killers. Photo: Warner Bros

A still from Natural Born Killers. Photo: Warner Bros

The Village at 20 finds the bleak, daring M. Night Shyamalan thriller has aged well

Bryce Dallas Howard in a still from M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village (2004), which remains one of his very best films. Photo: Touchstone Pictures

Adrien Brody in a still from The Village (2004). Photo: Touchstone Pictures

Director M. Night Shyamalan (left) and William Hurt on the set of The Village. Photo: Touchstone Pictures

Joaquin Phoenix in a still from The Village (2004). Photo: Touchstone Pictures.

Bryce Dallas Howard in a still from The Village (2004). Photo: Touchstone Pictures

The Notebook at 20: how Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams shot to stardom in 2004 romance

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James Garner (left) and Gena Rowlands in a still from The Notebook. Photo: New Line Cinema.

Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in a still from The Notebook. Photo: New Line Cinema.

Director Nick Cassavetes (left) and Gena Rowlands on the set of The Notebook. Photo: New Line Cinema.

Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in a still from The Notebook. Photo: New Line Cinema

The Babadook at 10: supernatural horror film Stephen King called ‘deeply disturbing’ is unafraid to tackle a taboo

Essie Davis (top) as Amelia and Noah Wiseman as Samuel in a still from The Babadook (2014).



Essie Davis (left) as Amelia and Noah Wiseman as Samuel in a still from The Babadook (2014), a horror film that poses questions no one dare ask.



Essie Davis as Amelia Vanek in a still from The Babadook (2014).

Noah Wiseman (left) as Samuel and Essie Davis as Amelia in a still from The Babadook (2014).

Noah Wiseman as Samuel in a still from The Babadook (2014).

Essie Davis (top) as Amelia and Noah Wiseman as Samuel in a still from The Babadook (2014).

Shaun of the Dead at 20: how Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s zombie comedy prefigured today’s infantilised pop culture

Simon Pegg (front) in a still from Shaun of the Dead. Photo: Rogue Pictures

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(From left) Dylan Moran, Kate Ashfield, Simon Pegg and Lucy Davis in a still from Shaun of the Dead. Photo: Rogue Pictures.

Director Edgar Wright (left) and Mark Donovan on the set of Shaun of the Dead. Photo: Rogue Pictures.

Nick Frost (left) and Simon Pegg in a still from Shaun of the Dead. Photo: Rogue Pictures.

Kate Ashfield (front) and Simon Pegg in a still from Shaun of the Dead. Photo: Rogue Pictures.

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Jim Carrey (left) and Kate Winslet in a still from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

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Kate Winslet as Clementine and Jim Carrey as Joel in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Jim Carrey as Joel in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Elijah Wood (left) and Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Jim Carrey as Joel and Kate Winslet as Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Carrey was recovering from the break-up of a relationship when he made the film.

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From the Vault: culturally significant films

How Steve McQueen’s Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave made a statement by not giving viewers ‘the chance to look away’ upon its release 10 years ago

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McQueen on set during the making of “12 Years as a Slave”. Photo: courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

McQueen and Brad Pitt with their Oscars for best picture for “12 Years a Slave” at the 2014 Academy Awards. Photo: Reuters

McQueen (centre) with producers (from left) Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Anthony Katagas and Brad Pitt with their awards for best film for “12 Years a Slave” at the 2014 Baftas. Photo: AFP

Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor in a still from “12 Years a Slave”. 

Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender in a still from “12 Years a Slave”. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Benedict Cumberbatch in a still from “12 Years a Slave”.

McQueen at the 2014 Baftas. Photo: Reuters

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Logan Lerman plays the young Evan Treborn in a still from The Butterfly Effect. Photo: New Line Cinema

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Kutcher (left) and Melora Walters as Evan Treborn’s mother in a still from The Butterfly Effect. Photo: New Line Cinema

Why The Shawshank Redemption might still be the greatest movie ever made, 30 years on

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Robbins and Freeman in a still from The Shawshank Redemption. 

(From left) Dion Anderson, Brian Delate and Clancy Brown in a still from The Shawshank Redemption.

(From left) Freeman, Gil Bellows and Brian Libby in a still from The Shawshank Redemption.

Robbins in a still from The Shawshank Redemption.

Team America: World Police at 20 and how it is a pitch-perfect send-up of action movies

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Michael Moore is portrayed in a scene from Team America: World Police (2004). Photo: Paramount Pictures

A still from Team America: World Police (2004). Photo: Paramount Pictures

Kim Jong-il is portrayed in a scene from Team America: World Police (2004). Photo: Paramount Pictures

How A Nightmare on Elm Street left audiences terrified 40 years ago

Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger in a still from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).

Amanda Wyss (front) and Robert Englund in a still from Wes Craven’s classic slasher film, A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). 

(From left) Jsu Garcia, Amanda Wyss, director Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp and Johnny Depp on the set of A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Heather Langenkamp (left) and Robert Englund in a still from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). 

Johnny Depp in a still from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). 

Heather Langenkamp in a still from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). 

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Robert De Niro as a young Vito Corleone in a still from The Godfather Part II.

John Cazale (left) and Al Pacino in a still from The Godfather Part II.

Robert De Niro in a still from The Godfather Part II.

Al Pacino in a still from The Godfather Part II.

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Ethan Hawke in a still from Before Sunrise.

(From left) Julie Delpy, director Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke in a still from Before Sunrise.

Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke in a still from Before Sunrise.

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Keanu Reeves (left) and Tilda Swinton in a still from Constantine. Photo: David James/Warner Brothers

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Keanu Reeves and Tilda Swinton in a still from Constantine. Photo: David James/Warner Brothers

Rachel Weisz in a still from Constantine. Photo: David James/Warner Brothers

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Gavin Rossdale (left) and Keanu Reeves in a still from Constantine. Photo: David James/Warner Brothers

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Malcolm McDowell as the villain Kesslee in a still from Tank Girl. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Jeff Kober as a Ripper and Lori Petty as Tank Girl in a still from Tank Girl. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

Lori Petty (left) and Naomi Watts as Jet Girl in a still from Tank Girl. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

A still from Tank Girl. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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Jessica Alba (left) and Nick Stahl in a still from Sin City.

Bruce Willis in a still from Sin City. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller,  it was one of a clutch of movies shot completely on a “digital backlot”.

Clive Owen (left) and Rosario Dawson in a still from Sin City.

Brittany Murphy in a still from Sin City.

Michael Madsen (left) and Bruce Willis in a still from Sin City. Photo: AFP

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Denzel Washington (left) and Gene Hackman in a still from Crimson Tide. Photo: Online

Gene Hackman (left) as the captain of a submarine armed with nuclear missiles and Denzel Washington (centre) as his executive officer in a still from Crimson Tide, the 1995 film directed by Tony Scott. Photo: Online

Gene Hackman as Captain Frank Ramsey in a still from Crimson Tide. Photo: Online

Denzel Washington as Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter (left) and Gene Hackman as Captain Frank Ramsey in a still from Crimson Tide. Photo: Online

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David Prowse as Darth Vader in a still from The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Photo: Lucasfilm

David Prowse and Mark Hamill in a still from The Empire Strikes Back. The 1980 film set Star Wars on track to becoming an enduring cultural phenomenon. Photo: Lucasfilm


Mark Hamill in a still from The Empire Strikes Back. Photo: courtesy of George Lucas Studios

A scene inside the Millennium Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back. Photo: Lucasfilm

Mark Hamill in a still from The Empire Strikes Back. Though ultimately a success, George Lucas said the second film in the original Star Wars trilogy “wasn’t the most fun” to make. Photo: courtesy of George Lucas Studios

Darth Vader in the scene in The Empire Strikes Back where he delivers his famous line. Photo: Lucasfilm

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Christian Bale in a still from Batman Begins (2005). Photo: Warner Bros Ent

(From left) Christian Bale, Jack Gleeson and Katie Holmes in a still from Batman Begins (2005), directed by Christopher Nolan. Photo: Warner Bros Ent

Liam Neeson (left) and Christian Bale in a still from Batman Begins (2005). Photo: Warner Bros Ent

(From left) Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale and Ken Watanabe on the set of Batman Begins. Photo: Warner Bros Ent

Christian Bale (left) and Morgan Freeman in a still from Batman Begins. Photo: Warner Bros Ent

Christian Bale (left) and Michael Caine in a still from Batman Begins. Photo: Warner Bros Ent

Gary Oldman (left) and Christian Bale in a still from Batman Begins. Photo: Warner Bros Ent

What went wrong with Waterworld, Kevin Costner’s big-budget flop, released 30 years ago?

Kevin Costner in a still from Waterworld. The actor and his director Kevin Reynolds clashed so much during the making of the movie that the latter resigned before it was released. Photo: Park Circus/Universal

Jeanne Tripplehorn (front) in a still from Waterworld. Photo: Park Circus/Universal

Dennis Hopper in a still from Waterworld. Photo: Park Circus/Universal

Kevin Costner (left) and Gerard Murphy in a still from Waterworld. Photo: Park Circus/Universal

Jeanne Tripplehorn in a still from Waterworld. Photo: Park Circus/Universal

The enduring legacy of Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man, documentary released 20 years ago

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Werner Herzog in an interview with the Post in 2018. Photo: Edmond So

A still from Grizzly Man.

Treadwell in a still from Grizzly Man.

How David Fincher’s serial killer film Seven is still influential 30 years on

Brad Pitt in a still from Seven. Photo: Warner Bros Entertainment

Morgan Freeman (left) and Brad Pitt in a still from Seven (1995). Photo: Warner Bros Entertainment

Morgan Freeman in a still from Seven. Photo: Warner Bros Entertainment

(From left) Gwyneth Paltrow, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in a still from Seven. Photo: Warner Bros Entertainment

(From left) Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman in a still from Seven. Photo: Warner Bros Entertainment

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Juliette Lewis in a still from Strange Days.

Ralph Fiennes in a still from Strange Days.

Juliette Lewis and Michael Wincott in a still from Strange Days.

Angela Bassett and Ralph Fiennes in a still from Strange Days.

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Samuel L. Jackson (left) and Bruce Willis in a still from Unbreakable (2000). Photo: Walt Disney Pictures

Samuel L. Jackson in a still from Unbreakable. 

Bruce Willis in a still from Unbreakable. 

Bruce Willis (left) and Samuel L. Jackson in a still from Unbreakable. Photo: Newsmakers

James McAvoy in a still from Split (2016), a surprise sequel to Unbreakable.

(From left) Samuel L. Jackson, James McAvoy and Bruce Willis in a still from Glass (2019). Photo: Universal Pictures

Why Steven Spielberg’s black drama The Color Purple remains controversial 40 years on

Willard E. Pugh (left) and Oprah Winfrey in a still from The Color Purple (1985). Photo: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Whoopi Goldberg in a still from Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple (1985). Photo: Warner Bros Entertainment

(From left) Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Avery and Bennet Guillory in a still from The Color Purple. Photo: Warner Bros Entertainment

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Danny Glover and Whoopi Goldberg in a still from The Color Purple (1985). Photo: Warner Bros Entertainment

Why From Dusk Till Dawn has aged poorly as the vampire movie with George Clooney turns 30

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George Clooney and Aimee Graham in a still from From Dusk Till Dawn.

Juliette Lewis and Quentin Tarantino in a still from From Dusk Till Dawn.

Salma Hayek in a still from From Dusk Till Dawn.

Michael B. Jordan in a still from Sinners (2025). Photo: Warner Bros.

How Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle is still terrifyingly relevant 50 years on

Robert De Niro in a scene in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. We take a deep dive into the film’s cultural impact, De Niro’s role, and its chilling relevance today. Photo: Columbia/TriStar

Harvey Keitel (left) and Robert De Niro in a scene from Taxi Driver. Photo: Getty Images

Robert De Niro in a scene in Taxi Driver. Photo: Getty Images

Jodie Foster and Robert De Niro in a scene from Taxi Driver. Photo: Getty Images

Why anarchist thriller V for Vendetta is as relevant as ever 20 years after its release

1 of the most controversial films ever, Natural Born Killers at 30 still shocks the senses

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Starring Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis as a pair of mass murderers, Oliver Stone’s 1994 movie has been implicated in a series of crimes

Starring Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis as a pair of mass murderers, Oliver Stone’s 1994 movie has been implicated in a series of crimes