True Romance (1993)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A pair of lovers on the run find themselves entangled in a dangerous drug deal while being hunted by the mob.
The story
True Romance follows Alabama Whitman and Clarence Worley, two people who fall in love and marry after a chance encounter at a theater. After Clarence kills Alabama's abusive pimp and discovers a suitcase of cocaine, the couple flees to Los Angeles. They find themselves in a desperate situation, pursued by the Mafia and navigating a dangerous underworld. As they attempt to navigate their new life together while dealing with the consequences of the stolen drugs, they must evade the law and the criminal organizations closing in on them.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Alabama Whitman and Clarence Worley meet at a theater and marry the next day after Clarence kills Alabama's pimp, Drexl Spivey. They discover the bag he left behind contains a large amount of cocaine stolen from the mob. They flee to Los Angeles, where they encounter various allies and enemies, including a producer and a reporter. Amidst a series of dangerous encounters, including a shootout at a hotel involving the police and the mob, the couple eventually escapes to Mexico. There, Alabama gives birth to a son they name Elvis. The film features a variety of characters, including a reporter, a stoner, and a ruthless pimp, all caught in the crossfire of the drug trade.
- First release year
- 1993
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tony Scott
- Writers
- Quentin Tarantino · writer
- Cast and characters
- Christian Slater · not specified; Patricia Arquette · not specified; Dennis Hopper · not specified; Val Kilmer · not specified; Gary Oldman · Drexl Spivey; Brad Pitt · Floyd; Christopher Walken · not specified
- Genres
- romantic crime drama; black comedy; crime comedy; romantic comedy
- Themes
- romance; crime; loyalty
- Tone and mood
- violent; stylized; offbeat
- Setting
- Detroit, Los Angeles, and Mexico.
- Premise and plot tags
- road movie; drug trade; mafia
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film was a box-office failure but gained a cult following due to positive reviews praising its dialogue, characters, and style.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 93% · scale: percentage · review count: 61
- Awards and nominations
- Best Writing · Saturn Awards · 1993 · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The title is a play on romance comic books.; The film's score is based on a theme from Carl Orff's Schulwerk.; The character of Drexl Spivey was praised as one of the most memorable villains.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…