The 30-year feud between Oliver Stone and Quentin Tarantino
For anyone familiar with the gritty cinematic world of the 1990s, two names that stand out are Quentin Tarantino and Oliver Stone. Both auteurs, in their own right, brought to the screen a brand of filmmaking that has been described as genre-defying and often controversial. Their takes on violence, society, and the human condition are compellingly distinct, yet, there’s an intertwined tale of clashing egos that has been simmering for three decades, capturing the attention of film enthusiasts the world over.
This originates in the bustling tapestry of ’90s Hollywood: a moment in film history in which originality was at a premium, and the fresh blood of directors and actors were looking to make their mark. In this vibrant atmosphere, a particular movie was conceived, one that would take the world by storm, not just because of its audacious narrative but also because of the turbulent relationship between its two leading filmmakers.
The film was Natural Born Killers, the 1994 crime drama about two young lovers on a killing spree. Though Tarantino holds a “story by” credit, having written the original script, Stone directed. However, Stone wasn’t content with merely directing; alongside writers Richard Rutowski and David Veloz, he heavily revised Tarantino’s vision. The transformation was so extensive that Tarantino later attempted to release his original script as a paperback – which led to a lawsuit by the film’s producers.
Years later, on Brian Koppelman’s The Moment podcast, Tarantino confessed to never having watched the film “from beginning to end”. He expressed frustration, saying: “It was like, why didn’t he do at least half of [my script]? It was, like, done for him”.
Stone, on the other hand, while admitting Tarantino’s displeasure, told IndieWire in 2019 that the former was paid “a lot of money” and felt Tarantino’s public criticisms were unfounded.
Yet, the feud ran deeper. Stone, never one to shy away from vocalising his opinion, firmly believed that Tarantino actively tarnished the movie’s reputation. Speaking to MovieMaker magazine, Stone pointed the finger squarely at Tarantino for Natural Born Killers’ initial critical panning. He accused Tarantino of sour grapes, claiming that despite not having watched the movie, Tarantino was disparaging the film and “saying stuff about my films. It was just outrageous”.
As years passed, some serenity seemed to settle between the two. Stone reflected on the animosity: “I don’t think it’s right in our filmmaking culture for filmmakers to trash other filmmakers… We take so much from press, especially if you’re established, that it’s mean-spirited… I never went out with a hatchet for the director, because I understand the nature of the medium, which is that it is the director’s call.”
Tarantino’s hatred, though, particularly towards Natural Born Killers, remained undiminished. His loathing was such that he proclaimed, “I hated that fucking movie. If you like my stuff, don’t watch that movie”. Tarantino reiterated his refusal to ever sit through it in its entirety. As creatives clash and their perspectives collide, it begs the question: do these off-screen battles elevate the art, or do they tarnish the legacy?
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