It took me a while before I could convince myself to watch Natural Born Killers. The violence in it and the bad press that came with it’s opening didn’t help. I was foolish enough not to see it at the movies and waited for its release on tape. Of course I deeply regretted it after seeing it.
The violence in the film is undeniable. But as Oliver Stone put it : “Society is violent”. I am not competent to judge whether such a film can actually provoke even more violence among the already deeply deranged. I was able to sit through the whole film without blinking even once because I knew it was only a movie. And what a movie!
In Natural Born Killers, the incredibly ambitious T.V. reporter, played by the incredibly talented Robert Downey Jr., constantly obsessed by his search for a hit story, follows a couple of insane murderers during their terrifying journey through slaughter. Although the main characters are the two murderers, the presence of the reporter is essential to the film. Without the reporter, the doings of the killers are pointless. He becomes their toy while they are his path to fame, regardless of their acts.
The acting of Robert is crucial. Through his character, victim of his own ambition, is tackled the issue of the power of the media and how far they would go for a good story. Robert brings to the role all the craziness and humour needed, with spectacular scenes in which, within seconds, his face shows as many different emotions as a human being can show, from anger to tenderness, threat, despair or fear.