Angered by Mickey's desire for a threesome, Mallory leaves, and Mickey rapes the hostage. Later, Mickey and Mallory hold a woman hostage in their hotel room.
After a whirlwind romance, the couple had murdered Mallory's sexually abusive father and neglectful mother before having an unofficial marriage ceremony on a bridge. The couple camp in the desert, and Mallory reminisces about how she met Mickey, a meat deliveryman who serviced her family's household. Mickey joins her, and the couple murder everyone in the diner, save one customer, to whom they proudly declare their names before leaving. She initially encourages it before beating one of the men viciously. A duo of rednecks arrive and begin sexually harassing Mallory as she dances by a jukebox. Mickey Knox and his wife Mallory stop at a diner in the New Mexico desert. 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. Some critics praised the plot, acting, humor, and combination of action and romance, while others found the film overly violent and graphic.
It was a box office success, grossing $110 million against a production budget of $34 million, but received a mixed critical reception. The film was released on Augin the United States, and screened at the Venice Film Festival on August 29, 1994. Jane Hamsher, Don Murphy, and Clayton Townsend produced the film, with Arnon Milchan, Thom Mount, and Stone as executive producers. Tarantino received a story credit though he subsequently disowned the film.
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. 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. Natural Born Killers is a 1994 American crime film directed by Oliver Stone and starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Sizemore, and Tommy Lee Jones.