Why I picked to use both characters as opposed to just one of them:
The film is based on the two characters- Mickey and Mallory Knox, they are world famous serial killers, and are also in love. I chose to write about both of them as their morals and way of life is built by the relationship they have with each other. The way they act around together is extremely important as they define one other. Mickey and Mallory are one character in the film; they are rarely seen apart and carry out their trail of murder and mayhem together.
Why I picked this scene as being the best portrayal of the characters:
This is the opening scene of Natural Born Killers. The scene takes a sudden turn that the audience most likely didn’t see coming. This shows the audience what they are initially like in the eyes of their victims, in any other scene we (as an audience) are fully aware of what they do and what they are capable of. The scene shows their way of living in reality but also hints that they are capable of dark things- this is shown by quick cuts, for example the quick shot of Mickey covered in blood, this also shows what Mickey is thinking after the crude comment one of the men made about Mallory. The black and white shots represent how they interpret other people’s reactions and behaviours; this may be what leads them to do what they do as they misinterpret people’s body language, when they are shown in black and white- it is when Mickey or Mallory are thinking to themselves how they ‘should act’.
Mickey:
Mickey is a sinister character in the way no one expects him to act like he does (especially as the actor is Woody Harrelson who often played charming and innocent characters. This was the first film he played such a dark role) he comes across as talkative and pleasant to other characters. The comment to the waitress “I was a completely different person back then” suggests that he has improved his lifestyle- to himself he has, but to society he is now a murderer and much worse off. He is shown to build up his anger to unleash it at full force when he feels the time is right, this again is shown by the flashing image of him covered in blood, this fast shot suggests that he hides his true self from reality until he feels like it. Although he lets the other man act crudely towards Mallory he doesn’t do anything about it or defend her- he knows she is able to defend herself and if she finds offense she will start the attack, it also shows that they are in sync with each other for when they want to cause chaos. As Mallory starts a fight he remains very calm and acts as though nothing is happening showing that this behaviour isn’t unusual and that he is waiting for Mallory to allow him to join in as they work as a team.
Mallory:
Mallory is immediately much more confrontational than Mickey by being rude to the waitress. She is sinister in the way that she is obviously aggressive (not a surprising role for Juliette Lewis to play) but no one expects her to be as evil and crazy as she turns out to be. Mallory is a free spirit and does what she likes, this is shown when she dances in the diner and doesn’t care what others think of her. She goes along with flirting with the other men- this is for her own enjoyment and acts as a build up to her attack, this shows she is like Mickey in the way she likes to build things up for an explosion. She is confidant when she starts the fight with one of the men, she seems to enjoy herself. She is much crazier than Mickey who acts very calm suggesting he prefers the status and thrill of being a well-known killer rather than Mallory’s enjoyment of just carrying it out. Mallory is less skilled than Mickey when it comes to killing, but she is more brutal and sadistic. When she is choosing who to keep alive her hands cut into a gun at points- this shows she is in a very powerful position.
What do we learn about them throughout the film?:
Although they are evil and sinister to the extremes of most thriller characters the audience loves them. This is because the film plays on the interesting and complex concepts of morality. They are in love and are doing what makes them happy- this brings them closer, this for any kind of film would make the characters liked, it is also apparently true even if what they enjoy doing is killing innocent civilians. At the end of the film they are caught and put in prison, oddly the audience wants them to have freedom. The public in the film are depicted to love Mickey and Mallory and even treat them as celebrities. The film uses the idea that the media has a heavy influence on our views- this is proved by the pubic in the film and even us as an audience. The times they are alone together in the film are the only times they aren’t causing mayhem, they are truly in love and for this we adore them.
What are their ethics and morals?:
It would be easy to simply say ‘Mickey and Mallory have no morals’ but Mickey and Mallory aren’t simple characters. They have extremely high morals. They believe in love, trust and staying together no matter what. In one part of the film Mickey accidentally kills a native Indian man who lets them stay with him for a night, both Mickey and Mallory are distraught by this as they got to know him as a person and because he took them in when they had nowhere to go. Their morals slip only once when Mickey cheats on Mallory with a girl he took hostage and in revenge Mallory looks to find someone else as well- but her morals are returned when she decides it is wrong and kills the other man instead. They look out for each other, when they are separated in prison they cannot bare to be apart and they suffer greatly. Ethics and morals means a character caring about other things apart from themselves, traditionally it means a character caring about strangers and society, Mickey and Mallory don’t believe in society, they care about each other and nothing else.
How are they portrayed?:
The film is directed by Oliver Stone and written by Quentin Tarantino, therefore the shots, angles and editing are extremely unusual. However each shot means something, whether it be the black and white shots showing how they interpret others or the cartoon and quick flashing images showing their psychology and what they are thinking. They are not torn between good and evil, society or love, the famous tag line of the film describes them well “Mickey and Mallory know the difference between right and wrong. They just don’t give a damn”. They are two people who do as they please and whenever they want and nothing matters as long as they have each other, the reason they are caught in the first place is because they were not together to fight and as Mallory was threatened Mickey surrendered.
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