Natural Born Killers is a 1994 American crime film directed by Oliver Stone and starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones, and Tom Sizemore. Natural Born Killers was released on August 26, 1994 in the United States, and screened at the Venice Film Festival on August 29, 1994. The film tells the story of two victims of traumatic childhoods who become lovers and mass murderers, and are irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.
The film is based on an original screenplay by Quentin Tarantino that was heavily revised by Stone, writer David Veloz, and associate producer Richard Rutowski. Tarantino received a story credit though he subsequently disowned the film. Jane Hamsher, Don Murphy, and Clayton Townsend produced the film, with Arnon Milchan, Thom Mount, and Stone as executive producers.
It was a box office success, grossing $110 million against a production budget of $34 million, but received polarized reviews. Some critics praised the plot, acting, humor, and combination of action and romance, while others found the film overly violent and graphic. Notorious for its violent content and inspiring “copycat” crimes, the film was named the eighth most controversial film in history by Entertainment Weekly in 2006.
Natural Born Killers: A Soundtrack for an Oliver Stone Film is the soundtrack to the film Natural Born Killers, produced by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. It was released on August 23, 1994. The film also contains Bombtrack and Take the Power Back by Rage Against the Machine, Cyclops by Marilyn Manson, Anthem by Leonard Cohen, The Heat and In Doubt by Peter Gabriel, If You Were the Woman and I Was the Man by Cowboy Junkies, The Way I Walk cover by Robert Gordon, and Ghost Town by The Specials.
These tracks are not included on the soundtrack album. Also includes samples of Leader of the Pack by The Shangri-Las, and Steven Jesse Bernstein‘s No No Man-Part 1. Tracks 9, 10, 13, 18, 21, 23 and 25 are assembled from various recordings and dialogue from the film. The bathroom scene of this film contains a non credited selection from the Melvins‘ Houdini; specifically, the surreal percussion track Spread Eagle Beagle.
Rumours surround the genesis of this track, including one that it was done by Kurt Cobain. In the scene that depicts Mickey and Mallory‘s first meeting as a sitcom parody entitled I Love Mallory , the following pieces are heard: Happy Go Lively by Laurie Johnson, Happy Families by Sam Fonteyn, Pizzicato Playtime by Sam Fonteyn, and Domestic Fun by Ernest Tomlinson. Reportedly, Stone and Reznor wanted to include a track by Snoop Dogg on the soundtrack but Warner Bros. wouldn’t allow it as he was, at the time of production, on trial for murder. It charted at number 19 on US Billboard 200 album charts.
Tracklist:
- Leonard Cohen: Waiting For The Miracle
- L7: Shitlist
- Dan Zanes: Moon Over Greene County
- Patti Smith: Rock ‘N’ Roll Nigger (Flood Remix)
- Cowboy Junkies: Sweet Jane
- Bob Dylan: You Belong To Me
- Duane Eddy: The Trembler
- Nine Inch Nails: Burn
- No Artist; Route 666; Featuring; BB Tone Brian Berdan*, Robert Downey Jr.
- a No Artist: Totally Hot
- b Remmy Ongala And Orchestre Super Matimila: Kipenda Roho
- Patsy Cline: Back In Baby’s Arms
- Peter Gabriel And Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: Taboo
- a Jane’s Addiction: Sex Is Violent
- b Jane’s Addiction: Ted Just Admit It
- c Diamanda Galás: I Put A Spell On You
- A.O.S.: History (Repeats Itself)
- Nine Inch Nails: Something I Can Never Have (Edited And Extended)
- Russel Means: I Will Take You Home
- The Hollywood Persuaders: Drums A Go-Go
- a No Artist: Hungry Ants
- b Barry Adamson: Checkpoint Charlie
- c Barry Adamson: Violation Of Expectation
- Dr. Dre: The Day The Niggaz Took Over
- No Artist: Born Bad; Featuring; Juliette Lewis
- Sergio Cervetti: Fall Of The Rebel Angels
- Lard: Forkboy
- a No Artist: Batonga In Batongaville
- b The Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra: A Night On Bare Mountain
- Nine Inch Nails: A Warm Place
- a Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: Allah, Mohammed, Char, Yaar
- b Diamanda Galás: Judgement Day
- Leonard Cohen: The Future
- Tha Dogg Pound: What Would U Do?
