Natural Born Killers (1994)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
Two victims of traumatic childhoods become lovers and mass murderers, becoming icons of the media's obsession with violence.
The story
Mickey Knox and his wife Mallory, both survivors of traumatic childhoods, embark on a violent spree across the American Southwest. As they commit a series of murders, they are pursued by a detective who is secretly a violent psychopath and a tabloid journalist who seeks to turn their crimes into a media spectacle. The film explores the symbiotic relationship between the perpetrators of violence and the media's sensationalist coverage of their actions.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Mickey and Mallory, a couple with traumatic pasts, engage in a violent spree across New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada, eventually claiming 52 victims. They are pursued by Detective Jack Scagnetti, a closeted psychopath, and Wayne Gale, a journalist who turns them into media sensations. After a series of incidents, including a desert survival ordeal and a confrontation with a Navajo man, the couple is captured and imprisoned. A year later, during a live interview with Gale, Mickey declares himself a 'natural born killer,' sparking a prison riot. In the ensuing chaos, Mickey and Mallory escape with Gale, eventually leaving him as the sole witness to their story. The film ends years later with the couple still at large, traveling in an RV with their children.
- First release year
- 1994
- Runtime (minutes)
- 119
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Oliver Stone
- Writers
- David Veloz · screenplay; Richard Rutowski · screenplay; Oliver Stone · screenplay; Quentin Tarantino · story
- Cast and characters
- Woody Harrelson · Mickey Knox; Juliette Lewis · Mallory; Robert Downey Jr. · Wayne Gale; Tommy Lee Jones · Dwight McClusky; Tom Sizemore · Jack Scagnetti
- Genres
- romantic crime; action; comedy
- Themes
- media's role in violence; impact of trauma; media representation of family
- Tone and mood
- frenzied; psychedelic; satirical
- Premise and plot tags
- road movie; serial killer; media critique
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original screenplay by Quentin Tarantino
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received polarized reviews, with some praising its action and humor while others criticized its excessive violence and muddled satire.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 50% · scale: percentage · review count: 50; Metacritic · score: 74 · scale: 100 · review count: 20
- Awards and nominations
- Grand Jury Prize · Venice Film Festival · 1994 · win
- Production trivia
- The film was named the eighth most controversial film in history by Entertainment Weekly in 2006.; The film was inspired by the 'vitality' of Indian cinema.; The Coca-Cola company was furious when they saw the completed film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…