by Scott Jentsch

Nov 3, 2009

This is a highly stylized statement made by Director Oliver Stone about the state of the media and its viewing public in the early 1990's, a fact which is explained in the trailer for the movie as well as the extras contained on the 2009 home video "Unrated Director's Cut" release.

If you don't like violence, don't see this movie. It's full of it, and not cartoon-style violence, either. You get to see things most people would rather not. It's all done as part of a style that is meant to evoke a reaction. Some people can handle it some won't.

If you can get past the fact that people tend to drop like flies around these two mass murderers in love, you can appreciate the style for what it is, and you can even start to appreciate what Stone is trying to say about society's reactions to people like this. This is especially true in the second half, when an exploitative reporter who has made a career of glamorizing the worst in people interviews Woody Harrelson's character on live TV from prison.

Speaking of Harrelson, he carries this movie with aplomb! For a guy who was best known for his role as the goofy bartender on the TV series Cheers, his serial killer/mass murderer Mickey Knox is spot-on! Juliette Lewis does a good job as well, and supporting actors Robert Downey Jr. and Tommy Lee Jones round out the scene chewing cast.

This is really a rental, and if you're going to rent it, watch the trailer so that you can get an idea of what it's like beforehand. Even then, you may not be prepared for the violent tendencies that are set right away in the diner scene. This is definitely not something to watch with kids in the house!