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Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers is one of the most extreme, bizarre, and unforgettable films of the past 30 years, for better or worse. One of the best ‘90s movies, this blood-soaked, genre-bending cult classic about a pair of psychotic lovebirds on a murderous rampage through the “lower 48” is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and I decided to go back and watch it for the first time in years.
While Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis’ Mickey and Mallory Knox are clearly the stars of this iconic 1994 movie, I came out of the experience with a great appreciation for one specific character: Robert Downey Jr.’s Wayne Gale. The memorable news reporter with an over-the-top Australian accent and a larger-than-life personality adds so much to the movie and creates a dynamic that makes everyone else look even better. Allow me to explain.
Though The Performance Is Over The Top, There’s Also A Certain Subtly That’s Brilliant
Next time you watch Natural Born Killers, which is currently one of the best movies on Netflix, make sure to focus on Wayne Gale whenever Robert Downey Jr.’s character is on screen. Try, please try, to not get distracted by what the TV crime reporter is saying and doing and instead focus on his facial expressions. Much like those close-ups of RDJ’s face whenever he’s inside the Iron Man suit in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are small and subtle inflections and expressions that are just marvelous.
Yeah, this is without a doubt one of Downey’s craziest roles but it’s also one of his best performances of the ‘90s. I’ll get into the iconic Super Bowl halftime show prison interview later on, but I just have to use that scene as a way to illustrate the nuanced expressions and body language on display. Though not quite on the level of his Oppenheimer performance, RDJ is a master of his craft in Natural Born Killers.
Wayne’s Descent Into Madness Is Honestly Some Of RDJ’s Best Work
Throughout his career, Downey Jr. has played multiple characters who find themselves on a descent into madness, and Wayne Gale is one of the best examples of that. Look at Wayne the first time we meet him (about 22 minutes in) and the last time we see him after escaping the prison riot with Mickey and Mallory, and then compare the two.
Early Wayne is well-dressed, presentable yet a little cagey, and seems to have a firm grip on the situation. Fast forward an hour and a half, and he’s an absolute madman running around a prison with a tie around his head like a bandana while calling things off with his wife and talking about feeling alive for the first time in his life. All of this going on while a prison guard’s lifeless body hangs from a pipe in the bloody and busted bathroom creates a wild visual.
Even his death scene is a trip. The way Downey throws his arms around and stumbles about after being shot down by Mickey and Mallory is absolute madness.
It’s Also Wild Seeing The MCU Hero Playing Such An Unhinged Character
We’ll soon be seeing a more villainous side of Downey Jr. when he starts playing Dr. Doom, but for years I was used to seeing him as the hero in some of the best Marvel movies. I mean, the guy pretty much helped the MCU get off the ground with his portrayal of Tony Stark in Iron Man back in 2008, a role he held down for more than a decade. This is to say that while I’m used to seeing RDJ play a jerk, I forgot how great he is as an unhinged lunatic.
Outside of his Oscar-winning performance in Oppenheimer, the two Sherlock Holmes movies, and a handful of other smaller projects, the past decade-and-a-half has been superhero films for Downey. It’s wild going back and seeing his non-Iron Man performances and just how electric they are, especially here.
The Devilish Look On Gale’s Face At The End Of The Prison Interview Is The Stuff Of Wonder
As mentioned earlier, the prison interview sequence from Natural Born Killers is one of my favorite parts of the movie and one of the most legendary moments of ‘90s cinema. Harrelson’s monologue and facial expressions are sinister, and Oliver Stone’s decision to cut to different camera angles and types of film creates a dizzying effect, but Robert Downey Jr.’s presence throughout this scene is just as important.
In fact, I’d argue that Wayne’s facial expression after Mickey’s famous “I’m a natural born killer” line sells the entire scene. The forming of the smile in the corners of his mouth, the way his mustache perks up, the silent laughter, and the way he shoots his head back to see if his crew got the shot are all just perfect.
One of the major themes of this movie is the over-sensationalizing of the news by media figures in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The presence of Wayne Gale, and his satirical spin on personalities like Geraldo Rivera, really drives home that point.
Throughout the movie, I noticed Wayne trying to not only present the news but also be a part of it, as seen in the aforementioned prison interview and subsequent riot. Objectivity, ethics, and journalistic integrity are lost on the self-serving reporter, and that feels like a direct response to the “if it bleeds, it leads” mentality of the time.
Even before the big blowout at the end, in the early goings of the movie, we see the morally bankrupt host of American Maniacs with Wayne Gale hamming it up for the camera, trying to make himself look good, and blending truth and fiction.
I Know The 1994 Best Supporting Actor Race Was Stacked, But RDJ Should Have Been Included
Now, I’m not saying that Downey Jr. should have won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar at the 67th Academy Awards (though an argument can be made), but his portrayal of Wayne Gale should have earned him a spot on the list of contenders.
This is the year Martin Landau (Ed Wood) beat out Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction), Chazz Palminteri (Bullets Over Broadway), Paul Scofield (Quiz Show), and Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump). RDJ could have replaced Palminteri or Scofield, even though those are tremendous performances. And, if we’re being honest, Jackson should have won that year, and it’s a crime he didn’t.
Though Oliver Stone and Quentin Tarantino have feuded over Natural Born Killers, one thing that is for sure is that Robert Downey Jr. absolutely killed it as Wayne Gale, and I’m so glad I went and revisited this iconic and controversial cult classic.