Natural Born Killers
(1994)THE CONTROVERSY Oliver Stone's melodrama about husband-and-wife serial killers (Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis) was both a satirical commentary on how the media glorify violence and an exploitative example of same.
THE FIRESTORM Media outlets were quick to blame several real-life killing sprees on the film's influence, despite limited evidence. The Firm author John Grisham, friend of a victim of two Oklahoma teens who'd watched the film before embarking on their rampage, argued that Stone and other Hollywood filmmakers should be subject to product-liability lawsuits if their movies inspired real-life crimes.
THE AFTERMATH Sure enough, the family of another victim sued Stone, the producers, and the distributors (including Time Warner, EW.com's parent company), but a Louisiana appeals court ultimately dismissed the case, supporting an initial court ruling that the defendants were protected by the First Amendment's free speech guarantee.
