History Film / TrueRomance

* RealityEnsues: How do you fight for your life and win against someone who's over a foot taller than you, outweighs you by over a hundred pounds, and kills people for a living? As the fight between Alabama and Virgil shows, ''[[CombatPragmatist not fairly]]''.

* KillEmAll: At the big three way MexicanStandOff at the end, [[spoiler:everyone besides Alabama, Clarence, and Dick dies, and Clarence gets his eye shot out.]]

* AcceptableTargets[=/=]AssholeVictim: Invoked by Clarence's SpiritAdvisor after Clarence kills Drexl.
-->'''Clarence's Mentor / Music/ElvisPresley:''' You think a cop gives a fuck about a pimp? Listen. Every pimp in the world gets shot. Two in the back of the fuckin' head. Cops'd throw a party, man.

* AuthorAvatar: Clarence, with his love of Elvis, comic books and classic movies, is clearly a stand-in for Tarantino.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Don Vincenzo appears to have this reaction to Clifford's jibes about Sicilians being spawned by niggers. [[spoiler: It turns out Don Vincenzo actually finds it pretty unamusing, as he headshots Clifford for the tirade.]]

* CelebrityParadox: Clarence mentions ''Film/TheDeerHunter'' and ''Film/ApocalypseNow'', films starring Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper, respectively.

* GoOutWithASmile: More with a laugh, but damn if Clifford's speech about the Sicilians isn't one for him.

** Virgil already had found the drugs (that were under the bed) and all he had to do was kill Alabama, wait for Clarence and kill him then bring the drugs back to his boss. Simple, right? But no...Instead he decided to taunt Alabama thinking that she wouldn't stand a chance against him. Big mistake...She fights back, gets the upper hand and finishes him off in a[[RasputinianDeath brutal manner]].
** [[spoiler:Lee]] should have realized that throwing hot coffee to [[spoiler:Elliott]] in response to the latter's betrayal is not a very good thing to do in the middle of a Mexican standoff.

* TheConsigliere: Vincenzo Coccotti serves as this to the unseen Blue Lou Doyle.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Lee Donowitz was probably written as a is a take on Creator/OliverStone, as a major Hollywood player and a bit of a coke-lover best known for directing a movie about UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar. The rushes playing in his home are actually from ''Film/{{Platoon}}''. However, director Tony Scott stated that the character is based on producer Joel Silver in response to his negative experience directing ''Film/TheLastBoyScout''. According to him, he went out of his way to make sure the character looked, sounded, and acted exactly like Silver as an extended TakeThat

* AtomicFBomb: In the director's cut ending, before when Alabama shoots at [[spoiler: Nicky]], she shouts an loud "FUCK YOU!".

* AtomicFBomb: In the director's cut ending, before when Alabama shoots at [[spoiler: Nicki]], she shouts an loud "FUCK YOU!".

* TheGhost: Blue Lou Boyle is the mafia kingpin who owns the dope. He's referred to a number of times, but the closest we get to him is [[TheConsigliere his consigliere]], Vincenzo Coccotti, who is terrifying enough on his own. A scene was written for Blue Lou, but it was never filmed.

* ShoutOut: The use of "Gassenhauser" in the score could be seen as a reference to ''Film/{{Badlands}}''. That or Music/HansZimmer ripping off CarlOrff.

* SuicideByCop: Clifford intentionally enrages the mafia gangsters so that they'll kill him outright before they can torture his son's location out of him.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Virgil's death by interrogation: Virgil beats up Alabama, trying to find out where Clarence and the drugs he stole from Drexl Spivey are. Throwing her into the shower, she blinds him with shampoo, hits him over the head with the toilet cover, then sprays him with hairspray, stabs him once, and blasts him to hell with a shotgun, and once she's used up all the shells, strikes him with the shotgun barrel for good measure.

* TooDumbToLive: Virgil already had found the drugs (that were under the bed) and all he had to do was kill Alabama, wait for Clarence and kill him then bring the drugs back to his boss. Simple, right? But no... Instead he decided to taunt Alabama thinking that she wouldn't stand a chance against him. Big mistake... She fights back, gets the upper hand and finishes him off in a[[RasputinianDeath brutal manner]].
** [[spoiler:Lee]] should have realized that throwing hot coffee to [[spoiler:Elliott]] in response to the latter's betrayal is not a very good thing to do in the middle of a Mexican standoff.
** [[spoiler:Nicholson]] propably takes the whole cake for shooting [[spoiler:Lee over said throwing of hot coffee]] and thus triggering the stand-off.

* WorthyOpponent: Open to interpretation, but the hearty laugh and the kiss on the cheek that Vincenzo gives Clifford before he [[spoiler:shoots him]] indicates a sizable amount of respect for the balls the other man shows.

* {{Fanservice}}: The make-out >session in the phone booth, in particular.

* GoodScarsEvilScars: Drexl has a ''very'' evil scar.

* GroinAttack: Clarence shoots Drexl in the groin, from on the floor beneath Drexyl's spread legs. It looks even worse than it sounds.

* TheSnackIsMoreInteresting: Discussed. Drexl offers Clarence some of his Chinese food, but Clarence is more interested in looking hard to intimidate him. Drexl says that Clarence would have been more effective if he'd started chowing down as if he hadn't a care in the world.

* TheSlacker: Floyd, Dick's roommate who never leaves the couch, played by Creator/BradPitt.
* TheStoner: Floyd is seen puffing on a honey bear bong.

* TooKinkyToTorture[=/=]IShallTauntYou: Alabama goes out of her way to mock Virgil after using a Bust of Elvis on him.

* TooDumbToLive: Virgil already had found the drugs (that were under the bed) and all he had to do was kill Alabama, wait for Clarence and kill him then bring the drugs back to his boss. Simple, right? But no... Instead he decided to taunt Alabama thinking that she wouldn't stand a chance against him. Big mistake... As she pretty much gives him a dose of ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill.

* ShaggySearchTechnique: After beating Alabama bloody without finding out where the drugs are hidden, Virgil is bemused when he accidentally finds the suitcase hidden under the bed.
-->'''Virgil:''' I can't believe you hid it under the bed. I can't believe I didn't look under the bed! I'm getting fucking old.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Vincenzo underscores getting his own hands dirty after offing Clifford.

''True Romance'' is a 1993 movie written by Creator/QuentinTarantino (based on a script by Creator/RogerAvary) and directed by Creator/TonyScott. It stars Creator/ChristianSlater and Patricia Arquette, with a supporting cast that includes Creator/DennisHopper, Creator/ValKilmer, Creator/GaryOldman, Creator/BradPitt, and Creator/ChristopherWalken.

** [[spoiler:Dimes]] propably takes the whole cake for shooting [[spoiler:Lee over said throwing of hot coffee]] and thus triggering the stand-off.

* MusicalPastiche: The theme "You're so Cool" by Music/HansZimmer) is near identical to "Gassenhauer" by Music/CarlOrff.

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Virgil to Alabama. But then...
* NoKillLikeOverkill: The way [[spoiler:Alabama kills Virgil. She uses a cork screw, a toilet lid, a bust of Music/{{Elvis|Presley}}, an Aerosol Flamethrower, and a shotgun]]. BAD. ASS.

* TooDumbToLive: Virgil already had found the drugs (that were under the bed) and all he had to do was kill Alabama, wait for Clarence and kill him then bring the drugs back to his boss. Simple, right? But no... Instead he decided to taunt Alabama thinking that she wouldn't stand a chance against him. Big mistake... As she pretty much gives him a dose of NoKillLikeOverKill.

* DefiantToTheEnd: Despite being visibly shaken up, Alabama laughs at Virgil having been bloodied by the Bust of Elvis she smacked him over the head with.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:Clifford on realizing he won't make it out alive.]]