THE REWATCHABLES · September 20, 2018
A 1993 romance / crime directed by Tony Scott, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
Clarence returns to Drexel for the money, leading to the film’s opening violence and the mistaken suitcase.
Opening minutesThe famous monologue scene is praised as one of the greatest of the 90s and a perfect Tony Scott showcase.
About 16 minSeen as brutally difficult to watch but crucial to grounding the movie’s fantasy in real danger and consequence.
About 40 minThe showroom/promo scene is remembered for its frenetic energy, movie-business satire, and Vietnam-movie riffing.
About 8 minDescribed as the payoff for the movie’s escalating chaos and the moment everything converges.
About 16 minWHERE THEY DISAGREED
Bill SimmonsClarence confronting Drexel is the standout because it is one of the great five minutes of the 90s.
Chris RyanThe Hopper/Walken Sicilian scene is the best because it is the most famous and best-written set piece.
Bill SimmonsArgues it could still work because the movie’s moral universe is about dirtbags and crooks.
Sean FennesseySuggests it would likely be altered or judged far more harshly in 2018.
Bill SimmonsArgues this film is peak Tony Scott because it captures his style and identity most clearly.
Sean FennesseyPushes back that Top Gun is more clearly the career apex because it was a larger cultural hit.
Chris RyanConsiders Pitt, Rubinek, or Walken.
Bill SimmonsUltimately insists Saul Rubinek is the correct surprise winner.
Says the movie really holds up, has great 90s scenes, and is only slightly too long.
Opening minutesSays the movie changed his life in the same era as Reservoir Dogs and other early-90s cultural shocks.
Opening minutesArgues the movie exposes viewers to a whole world of posters, songs, and actors they would not otherwise know.
Opening minutesCalls this peak Tony Scott, emphasizing his neon visuals, wet streets, steam, and kinetic action.
Opening minutesSays Walken is one of the funniest and best parts of the Sicilian scene and can somehow pull off a ludicrous role.
About 16 minTreats Oldman’s Drexel as a strange, unforgettable, fully entertaining Tarantino original.
About 16 minDescribes Floyd as a near-perfect improvised supporting turn and possibly the movie’s most important character.
About 24 minDefends the scene as the movie’s emotional and narrative gravity point, even though it is deeply uncomfortable.
About 40 minUltimately declares Rubinek the Dion Waiters winner because he turns a tiny role into a huge scene-stealing performance.
About 32 minBriefly names The Doors as a future rewatchables topic when discussing Val Kilmer.
About 48 min · medium confidenceThe hosts see the movie as a gateway to other movies, songs, characters, and future Tarantino connections.
Opening minutesThe episode frames the film as Tarantino material filtered through Tony Scott’s glossy, kinetic direction.
Opening minutesThey place the film in a broader shift from generic early-90s studio fare to the brattier, more auteur-driven mid-90s.
Opening minutesClarence and Alabama’s story is discussed as wish-fulfillment that becomes darker when violence and consequences arrive.
About 40 minMany actors are praised for treating small parts like big swings, especially in limited screen time.
About 16 minThe film was made for $12.5 million and grossed about $12.3 million domestically.
About 8 minWarner Bros. reportedly considered changing the title to Reckless Hearts.
About 40 minThe original ending reportedly had Clarence die and Alabama leave with the money.
About 40 minThe hotel drug-deal scene was filmed at the abandoned Ambassador Hotel.
About 40 minThe movie theater used for the kung fu sequence is the Vista on Sunset.
About 40 minTony Scott allegedly used a 'persuader' by slapping Patricia Arquette before difficult scenes.
About 40 minBrad Pitt’s Floyd was reportedly improvised in large part.
About 24 minTarantino says the Sicilian speech came from a conversation with a Black friend, then was put in a white character’s mouth.
About 40 min · medium confidenceThe score is tied to an older German composition and then to Badlands.
About 40 minTarantino was reportedly not present for the film’s shoot.
About 48 minUsed as Tarantino’s prior breakthrough and as a comparison for the dialogue and cultural impact.
Opening minutesDiscussed as part of Tarantino’s evolving connected universe and recurring names/characters.
Opening minutesUsed to explain Tony Scott’s visual style and his reputation before this film.
Opening minutesAnother Tony Scott touchstone used to describe his filmmaking look.
Opening minutesSource of the 'beer is all I ever eat' line that Tarantino lifts into the film.
About 40 minReferenced as an influence on the score and Patricia Arquette’s voiceover style.
About 40 minReferenced by the 'I'm not watching the TV' line in the Sicilian scene.
About 16 minMentioned as an earlier example of making bad characters likable.
Opening minutesUsed to discuss Christian Slater’s early star-making work.
About 8 minCited as another formative Christian Slater role and jokingly linked to podcasting.
About 8 minReferenced as Brad Pitt’s breakout leading up to this role.
About 8 minUsed as a comparison point for supporting performances and Tom Sizemore’s heat-check energy.
About 24 minReferenced as one of Christopher Walken’s other absurdly funny performances from the same era.
About 48 minMentioned as another unusually strong Walken performance.
About 48 minConnected to Brad Pitt’s Floyd and the idea that the character inspired later stoner-comedy energy.
About 24 min · medium confidenceThe hosts repeatedly riff on the phrase from the movie and use it as a recurring joke.
Opening minutesBill jokes by misnaming Roger Ebert as Robert Ebert, and the others play along.
About 8 minThe hosts joke that Pump Up the Volume made Slater the original podcast host/Joe Rogan type.
About 8 minThey repeatedly use the basketball analogy to explain supporting actors taking huge swings in tiny roles.
About 16 minSlater’s 'body bags' line becomes a repeated quote about war movies and acting.
About 8 minBrad Pitt’s Floyd line is repeatedly quoted as a favorite.
About 24 min“Is it white boy day, guys?”Opening minutes
“You got me in a vendetta mood.”About 16 min
“For me, the action is the juice.”About 24 min
“Don't condescend me, man.”About 24 min
“I treated you like a son!”About 24 min
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before True Romance, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
Bill SimmonsThe Rewatchables
Chris RyanThe Rewatchables
Sean FennesseyThe RewatchablesREWATCH FAVS
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