7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.7 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Mickey Knox and Mallory Wilson are two young, attractive mass murderers in love. After killing Mallory's loathsome parents, the pair perform a ritual "marriage" and take off on a "honeymoon" killing spree that wipes out 52 people. Bloodthirsty tabloid reporter Wayne Gale reports their every move to an adoring public while supercop Jack Scagnetti becomes famous for chasing and capturing them.
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones, Tom SizemoreCrime | 100% |
Dark humor | 79% |
Drama | 62% |
Surreal | 35% |
Action | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
As per Shout's site specs
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Natural Born Killers was an original screenplay that Quentin Tarantino wrote in the late Eighties which, along with his script for True Romance, he hoped to direct. NBK was going to be produced by Rand Vossler with a budget under $1 million. Tarantino waited a year and a half for it to get off the ground and when it didn't, he opted to direct Reservoir Dogs (1994). Vossler, as well as producers Jane Hamsher and Don Murphy, pitched it to Oliver Stone after he finished Heaven and Earth (1993). Stone and fellow scribes David Veloz and Richard Rutowski performed a rewrite of Tarantino's script, reshaping the structure and making it into a dark satire. Tarantino opposed the changes of the revised screenplay, causing him to request that his name be removed from the official writing credits with only a story credit given to his name.
Tarantino was able to get his unproduced script published, first by UK-based Faber and Faber in 1995, and then five years later in US by Grove Press. It offers a fascinating counterpoint to the rewritten version by Veloz, Rutowski, and Stone. Although Tarantino's screenplay also begins in a New Mexican diner where Mickey and Mallory's murderous ways get the best of some local rednecks, several story events are told in a different order. For example, Det. Jack Scagnetti and Warden Dewight McClusky of the California Prison Board are introduced much earlier in Tarantino's version. While there is a Deputy Warden Wurlitzer in the film (who's played by Everett Quinton), he is the superintendent of the jail in the original script and probably given more coverage than McClusky. However, Stone gives several of Wurlitzer's scenes to Tommy Lee Jones's McClusky. In addition, Mickey and Mallory are each incarcerated at an early juncture in the unused script. However, Stone delays all the prison scenes (with the exception of Mallory visiting Mickey in jail during the first act) till the second half of the movie. I would argue that this makes better sense in terms of the story's arc and dramatically as well because the prison scenes build toward an explosive climax.
Mickey and Mallory are gunning for you.
Shout! Factory has released a three-disc set of Natural Born Killers that comes with a slipcover. The unrated version (aka Director's Cut), which restores 155 cuts that the MPAA made, is included on a BD-100 and a BD-50. The Theatrical Cut receives its own BD-50. Each disc was made from new
2023 4K-scanned transfers from the original negative and approved by Oliver Stone. The DC is presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10-compatible).
Before detailing these transfers, as well as older ones, it's important to discuss the cinematographic process and diverse film formats employed. I will rely on an excellent article by Stephen Pizzello, who interviewed Stone and DP Robert Richardson for a November 1994 article in American Cinematographer. The picture was shot with color and black & white 35 mm, black & white 16 mm, Super 8, Hi8 and Beta. The film also incorporates heavy-metal animation. Richardson filmed the 35 mm footage in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio using a Panavision camera and Primo prime lenses. (Apparently, he also utilized an Aaton 35 mm camera.) The 35 mm stocks included Kodak's 5248, 5293, 5296, a little of the 5297, and some 5298. His 16 mm package comprised an Arriflex camera and Zeiss lenses. His 16 mm stocks were Tri-X (high-speed) and Plus-X. Additionally, he incorporated some Kodachrome and a bit of Ektachrome. The Super 8 scenes were filmed with a Beaulieu system. Richardson shot primarily with Kodachrome with some Ektachrome. A Nikon camera was used to film scenes with Hi8.
Richardson told Pizzello that the opening diner sequence was filmed on both 35 mm and high-speed 16 mm black & white stock. When Mallory dances on the car hood while pondering her spiritual connection to Mickey (Screenshot #s 26-30), Richardson aimed a Xenon light at the back of her head. Pacific Data Images later added dreamlike effects imagery to the evening sky. For four different scenes, Richardson employed a "sickly green hue" to the image. Stone states on the commentary track that Richardson bought 1,000 green fluorescent bulbs for the Drug Zone scene (frame grab #s 4, 31-35). But the DP actually purchased between 2,000 and 3,000 green bulbs for around $20,000 from General Electric, as he disclosed to Pizello. He shot the scene on 35 mm but coated it with "a veneer of repugnant color." The gas station sequence also displays a green tint (#8), but this time, Richardson says he used gels on fluorescents. He also utilized Kino Flos with a kind of fluorescent light that's typically used for lighting greenscreens in optical work. For the sitcom scenes, Richardson filmed with Ikegami cameras in the Beta format. The second sequence was shot at varying speeds (ranging from 6 fps to more than 24 fps). When they showed the American Maniacs program, Stone and Richardson sought to recreate a magazine-style TV show. The DP said he recorded Gale's intro in off-speed 35 mm at a rate of 6 fps. The footage was reprinted later at 24 fps. It still retains the element of sync dialogue but also gives it a jittery quality.
I have compiled a graphical comparison of five NBK transfers. The new transfers that Shout! did maintain the film's original colors. I used a 1995 CAV LaserDisc Warner Bros. did, which is presented in letterboxed 1.85:1, as a point of reference. A year after the Theatrical Cut's release, Pioneer put out a Director's Cut LD that restored 155 cuts. The Trimark DVD, which was authored in 1998, is a direct port of the Pioneer edition. Warners has issued NBK on Blu-ray thrice: a 2008 DigiBook of the TC, a "standard edition" of the DC in 2009, and a Diamond Luxe Edition of both cuts in 2014. WB employed the VC-1 video codec and opened the OAR slightly to 1.78:1. The 4K-scanned transfers on the three recent discs look the best of them all, especially the 4K UHD. Colors are rich, eye-popping, and very well-saturated without showing a hint of bleeding. Keep in mind that grain visible in B&W shots was added in post-production. The image sports a thick grain structure. For Shout!'s two Blu-rays, I watched one disc with the picture upscaled to 2160p and the other I viewed with the player set to 1080p. I did notice an uptick in detail when I upscaled one of the BD-50s to 4K. If I would rate the video when watching it in its native 1080p, I would score it 4.5/5.0. When viewing the UHD and Blu-ray transfers at full resolution, I would rate those a 5.0/5.0.
The feature carries a mean video bitrate of 85.0 Mbps and an overall bitrate of 94.6 Mbps on the BD-100. On the two Blu-rays, Shout! gives both cuts the MPEG-4 AVC encode. The TC boasts an average video bitrate of 35002 kbps and the DC delivers a rough average bitrate of 34999 kbps.
Screenshot #s 1-15, 20, 25, 30, 35, & 40 = Shout Select 2023 4K UHD Director's Cut BD-100 (downsampled to 1080p)
Screenshot #s 16, 21, 26, 31, & 36 = Warner Bros. 1995 Theatrical Cut LaserDisc
Screenshot #s 17, 22, 27, 32, & 37 = Trimark 2000 Director's Cut DVD
Screenshot #s 18, 23, 28, 33, & 38 = Warner Bros. 2008 Theatrical Cut VC-1 BD-50
Screenshot #s 19, 24, 29, 34, & 39 = Shout Select 2023 4K-scanned Director's Cut BD-50
Both cuts receive twelve scene selections.
Shout! has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround remix and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo Surround track. On the 4K disc, the standard bitrate is 4227 kbps for the 5.1 and 2045 kbps for the 2.0. The audio bitrates on the Blu-ray are also over 4200 kbps for the 5.1 and around 2045 kbps for the 2.0. Although NBK was recorded in Dolby Digital, it was mainly presented in theaters with either Dolby Stereo or DTS Stereo, according to my research of archival newspaper adverts. The Pioneer LD is the first edition on home video to remix it into AC-3. Trimark retained the DD 5.1 for DVD and it sounds loud, hyperactive, and often aggressive in its delivery of surround f/x. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is even deeper, richer, and more dynamic. I listened to the DTS-HD MA 2.0 mix twice and compared it to the Dolby Stereo track on the LD using roughly the same volume levels. On all, I can clearly hear the rattlesnake hissing along the satellite speakers in the first reel. I found the uncompressed 2.0 deliver a more comprehensive mix of the matrixed stereo. There are more f/x coming out of the surrounds. The most audible f/x I heard on all the mixes are gunshots fired from shotguns and revolvers.
Stone played nearly ninety pieces of music on the sound track, which also includes an original underscore by composer Brent Lewis. Artists as diverse as Patsy Cline, Leonard Cohen, Dr. Dre, Bob Dylan, Duane Eddy, Peter Gabriel, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Lou Reed, and Patti Smith are heard (mostly) on the non-diegetic track in the film. Shout! has also included Nine Inch Nails' ballad "Burn" on both cuts of the film.
Shout! has produced four new interviews with NBK's crew members. It has also retained a majority of extras that were on the Pioneer LD as well as prior DVD and BD editions. In addition to the commentary with Stone, the seven additional scenes with Stone's introductions and the making-of doc Chaos Rising are rehashed here. Missing is a Nine Inch Nails music video. Featurettes from the 2008/09 and 2014 Blu-rays are also included. Scream has not retained Charlie Rose's sit-down interview with Stone, which can be found on Warners' DVDs and BDs. Also absent is a 42-page booklet that was part of Warners' 2008 DigiBook. It contains an intro by Stone, some production notes (some of which were not part of the film's original press kit), cast/director bios, trivia, a very good essay on NBK, and pre-release "Director's Notes" by Stone that's more of an essay. The booklet is fully illustrated. The '08 release is still worth getting.
DISC ONE (4K Ultra HD): DIRECTOR'S CUT (2:01:55, 2160p)
In its incisive portrayal of sensationalist reporting of crime and murder across the mainstream media, Natural Born Killers (1994) remains as timely and relevant as it was when it first came out. It features the first adult dramatic performance by Robert Downey Jr., who masters an Australian accent. I would have considered Shout! Factory's three-disc set of NBK definitive had it also included the Theatrical Cut on a 4K UHD. Priority obviously was given to the unrated version, which is Stone's preferred cut. The movie looks and sounds as good as it ever has. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Theatrical on BD
1994
Theatrical on BD
1994
1994
1994
The Director's Cut
1994
Limited Edition
1993
2017
2012
1994
Limited Edition
2005-2012
2012
2009
1999-2007
1996
1990
1998
Collector's Edition
1990
1998
2008
2012
2013
10th Anniversary Edition
1999
1997
2013
2000