ABSTRACT
Oliver Stone is a name that often elicits strong opinions from the American public, a response which should come as no surprise to those acquainted with his films. In August of 1994 Regency Pictures released a film directed by Stone entitled Natural Born Killers. The screenplay, written by Oliver Stone, Richard Rutowski, and David Veloz, is based on a story by Hollywood hotshot Quentin Tarantino. While initially receiving many positive acknowledgments from movie critics, audiences had a hard time following the fast-paced editing, which some suggested was like watching two hours of MTV. Reports and misgivings regarding the extreme and unashamed violence of the film soon overpowered the positive reviews. While obliged to acknowledge the visual depictions of violence present in the film, we must also ask what Stone intended through the filmic medium beyond the basic story written by Quentin Tarantino.
