Why Quentin Tarantino Refused to Watch This Iconic ’90s Film He Wrote!

Fans of Quentin Tarantino will have to wait a bit longer to see his final film, as the American filmmaker plans to cap off his career with a tenth feature before pursuing other interests. Although he has directed only nine films to date, his enthusiasts also celebrate the scripts he has written.

Quentin Tarantino: More Than Just a Director

For instance, there’s “True Romance,” a script handed over to Tony Scott, which Tarantino has often praised for its excellent adaptation. Then there’s “Natural Born Killers,” also released in the early 90s, a film that Tarantino does not hold close to his heart due to the alterations made by director Oliver Stone.

Before becoming an icon of American cinema, Tarantino initially made his mark as a screenwriter. In the early 90s, he had completed three scripts: “True Romance,” “Natural Born Killers,” and “Reservoir Dogs.” To direct his first movie, he realized he would need to sell two of his scripts.

Tarantino Only Watched 20 Minutes of the Film

He chose to keep “Reservoir Dogs,” a thriller detailing the aftermath of a botched jewelry heist. Letting go of “True Romance” was difficult for Tarantino, but he had intended to adapt it only if it was his directorial debut. Thus, Tony Scott ended up directing it.

Oliver Stone, one of the leading filmmakers of that era, was captivated by the “Natural Born Killers” script. After acquiring the adaptation rights, the American director decided to rewrite it without involving Tarantino, a decision that the future “Pulp Fiction” director never forgave.

“[Oliver Stone] rewrote the script, and you don’t do that to me. I knew it, and I didn’t go to the screening thinking, ‘I’m not going to watch this damn thing,’ but I was hanging out with Juliette Lewis and we finally decided to go. We entered the cinema, paid for our tickets, and (…) after 20 minutes I was so upset that we left,” Tarantino said in a Howard Stern podcast in 2009.

History Proved Quentin Tarantino Wrong

This disagreement caused a permanent rift with Oliver Stone, a filmmaker he had once admired. When asked about the incident, Stone believed he was justified given the amount he paid to compensate Tarantino: “I don’t know if he ever saw it. He’s said a lot, and I don’t think that was the right thing to do.”

A road trip movie centered around modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, “Natural Born Killers” is a psychedelic film designed as a media satire. The film features memorable roles for Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis, as well as a young Robert Downey Jr. as a TV show host addicted to ratings (and other illegal substances), and Tommy Lee Jones as a wildly eccentric prison warden.

Closer to Oliver Stone’s style than Tarantino’s, “Natural Born Killers” was not initially successful at the box office. However, over the years, the film has achieved cult status among film buffs, much to the chagrin of its original screenwriter.

“Natural Born Killers” will no longer be available on Prime Video starting February 6th.

Check out the list of films currently available on the platform!

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