True Romance (1993)
Stealing. Cheating. Killing. Who says romance is dead?
Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 9 September 1993 |
| Genre | Action, Crime, Romance |
| Director | Tony Scott |
| Starring | Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette and Dennis Hopper |
| Runtime | 119 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 7.5/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 93% · Metacritic 59/100 · IMDb 7.9/10 · TMDB users 7.5/10 |
| Budget | $13 million |
Where to watch True Romance
True Romance is streaming on Netflix ($19.99 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Netflix is $19.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 29 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Rent or buy
You can rent True Romance on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home and Plex. It is also for sale on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch True Romance in 5 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Canada | Netflix $18.99 CAD |
| Guernsey | Netflix |
| Ireland | Netflix €11.99 |
| Spain | Prime Video €4.99, Filmin |
| United Kingdom | Netflix £13.99 GBP |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
True Romance is a 1993 action crime romance directed by Tony Scott. It runs 119 minutes and features Christian Slater as Clarence, Patricia Arquette as Alabama, and Dennis Hopper as Clifford. The film blends high-energy violence with a central love story. It presents a world where romance and crime are inseparable. The tone is loud and kinetic. It does not soften the edges. The characters are loud and the plot moves fast. It is a film that keeps the volume up.
What the critics said
The numbers tell a story of mutual respect. Rotten Tomatoes reports a 93% approval rating as of October 2024, backed by an average score of 7.8/10. Metacritic is more reserved, landing at 59/100 in August 2025, a score that signals a divided critical field rather than universal acclaim.
Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it "dynamite," a verdict that does a lot of heavy lifting for the film’s reputation. Phil Villarreal of the Arizona Daily Star saw it as "one of the most dynamic action films of the 1990s." Not everyone was so enamored. Richard Harrington of The Washington Post found the style "visceral" but the result "aesthetically corrupt." It is a film that refuses to be polite, and the critics noticed.
How it did with audiences
The $12 million budget bought a $12.3 million domestic return. Accounting calls that a failure. Critics agreed it was a success. The opening weekend pulled in $4 million, landing third behind The Fugitive and Undercover Blues. Audiences eventually caught up, giving it a 7.9 on IMDb as of February 2026. TMDB users rate it 7.5. It found its real audience in the years that followed.
What came next for the cast
Christian Slater moved from Robin Hood to Mr. Robot. Dennis Hopper shifted from Apocalypse Now to Speed. Val Kilmer went from Top Gun to Heat. Patricia Arquette walked from Dream Warriors to Boyhood. The credits list what came next. They do not prove this film caused any of it.
Where it left its mark
Empire ranked the film 83rd in 2017, comparing Tony Scott’s direction of Quentin Tarantino’s script to cocaine-flavored bubble gum. That specific pairing produced a bright, violent kick. The Hopper/Walken sequence, often called the Sicilian scene, earned praise from Oliver Lyttelton of IndieWire as a beautiful tête-à-tête. Tarantino cites it as one of his proudest moments, recalling how he overheard a speech from a black houseguest and later shared it with a Sicilian friend. Gary Oldman’s brief turn as the villain Drexl Spivey also left a mark. Maxim journalist Thomas Freeman ranked it the greatest performance of Oldman’s career. The character’s brutal, dreadlocked presence stood out even in a cast packed with luminaries. The film’s influence extends to music, with the 1975 and Charli XCX both citing it as inspiration.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched True Romance.
Sources
- True Romance on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q1127709 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “True Romance” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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