Natural Born Killers: Oliver Stone's Crime Classic in Sacramento

Oliver Stone's *Natural Born Killers* comes to Sacramento for a night of pulpy, provocative cinema. The 1994 film follows Mickey and Mallory Knox—two lovers shaped by traumatic childhoods—as they tear across the desert on a murder spree and become lurid media celebrities thanks to tabloid journalist Wayne Gale. Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis lead the cast, with Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones, and Tom Sizemore in support.

Stone co-wrote the screenplay with David Veloz and Richard Rutowski from an original story by Quentin Tarantino, and the result is a deliberately over-the-top blend of crime, romance, and media satire. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize, and went on to become a box-office hit despite sharply divided reviews. For Sacramento audiences, it's a chance to see a film that still sparks debate about violence and the press.