There're Only 2 Movies Tarantino Walked Out Of: 'Bambi' & This 52%-Rated Crime Drama

Quentin Tarantino prides himself on having audiences walk out of his movies. When 33 people walked out of a screening of Reservoir Dogs, for example, Tarantino took it as a compliment because it meant the movie had resonated with them.

In his entire life, Tarantino himself has only walked out of two movies. The first was Bambi, and the second was Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers, even though Tarantino wrote the original screenplay.

Here's why the great provocateur hates the movie based on his own screenplay.

Quentin Tarantino Wrote the Script for 'Natural Born Killers', but Has Never Seen the Film From Start to Finish

In an interview with Playboy, Quentin Tarantino admitted that he walked out of the theater during a scene featuring Rodney Dangerfield:

“I just hated that whole Rodney Dangerfield sequence so much. It was so unfunny, so disgusting. It did the number one thing I would never do: it came up with a little peanut psychological origin for why these people were the way they were.”

The director has not watched Natural Born Killers in its entirety since then and has no intention of doing so.

What Is 'Natural Born Killers' About?

Mickey Knox and Mallory Wilson are a young couple who fall in love and immediately start killing everyone they see. After murdering Mallory's parents, the two embark on a bloody odyssey across America.

Their crimes are broadcast on television by the unscrupulous journalist Wayne Gale, who turns the couple into national celebrities.

When Mickey and Mallory are finally caught, their trial turns into a circus, and Gale gets an exclusive interview with them. However, the killers have a surprise in store for both the journalist and the public.

'Natural Born Killers' Was Supposed to Be Quentin Tarantino's Directorial Debut, but Things Didn’t Go His Way

In the late 1990s, a young Quentin Tarantino dreamed of making his film debut with Natural Born Killers. However, he didn't have the funds to direct it himself, so he sold the script.

Oliver Stone was given the project and completely rewrote the script. The new version shifted the focus from the killers themselves to the media's role in glorifying violence.

Tarantino was furious and asked to have his name removed from the credits. In the end, the film was credited only as "based on a story by Quentin Tarantino."

He later published the original script in a book so that everyone could see what the movie could have been. Incidentally, Stone has made no secret of the fact that he considers Tarantino's version unfilmable due to its lack of structure and moral compass.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Natural Born Killers'?

• Natural Born Killers has 52% from critics and 81% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.2/10.

• On Letterboxd, Natural Born Killers scored 3.6/5.0.

Where to Watch 'Natural Born Killers'?

Natural Born Killers is available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.