After signing the script for “True Romance”, Quentin Tarantino collaborates again with Tony Scott on “USS Alabama”, working on certain dialogues. While on set, the director of “Pulp Fiction” suffered the wrath of Denzel Washington.
USS Alabama : on the brink of nuclear war
Released in 1995, USS Alabama Mark the first collaboration between Tony Scott and Denzel Washingtonbefore their reunion on Man on Fire, Deja vu, Subway Attack 123 and Unstoppable. Great submarine film, a subgenre that already has many references like Convoy to Russia, Les Maudits and of course Hunting for Red Octoberthe feature film begins with a particularly tense international situation.
As a Russian Nationalist general takes control of a missile base, several submarines are sent to monitor the area, including the USS Alabama. When the latter receives a firing order, Commander Ramsey (Gene Hackman) prepares to execute it. But the ship immediately receives a second, truncated message. While Ramsey is convinced that it is necessary to launch a missile, his second Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington) tries to talk him out of it. A mutiny is organized aboard the submersible to avoid starting a nuclear war by mistake.
George Dzundza, Viggo Mortensen and James Gandolfini round out the film’s cast. A project that marks the reunion between Tony Scott and Quentin Tarantino, who had signed the script for true romance. If Michael Schiffer is the only screenwriter credited in the credits ofUSS Alabamathe director of pulp Fiction and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood officiates as script doctor on the project, coming to the rescue for some dialogue, as does Robert Towne. His touch is particularly felt during a confrontation between the two main characters or during an exchange between Denzel Washington and Lillo Brancato during which the first compares himself to Captain Kirk in Star Trek.
A dialogue deemed racist by Denzel Washington
Quoted by Mr. Bobine’s film clubQuentin Tarantino tells Edgar Wright about his contribution to USS Alabamain the audio commentary of Hot Fuzz :
I was paid dearly but that’s not what motivated me. (…) I did it because I love Tony Scott. (…) I am very proud ofUSS Alabama and my work. (…) The author, Michael Schiffer, is a good screenwriter. That’s also why I did it, he had delivered a good screenplay, a good story. The credit goes to him. He had the idea and the script.
If the filmmaker is therefore very proud of his contributions, they nevertheless earned him a falling out with Denzel Washington. During a visit from Quentin Tarantino on the set, the actor would have let him know thathe found some of his dialogue racist. The director would then have offered to settle this dispute in private, which the actor would have refused. He then said to her:
No, if we have to discuss it, let’s talk about it now.
During an interview given to QG in 2012, Denzel Washington reveals having buried the hatchet with the filmmaker for many years. He says about this:
I went to see him ten years ago. I said to him: ‘Listen, I apologize. You just have to let go. Are we going to drag this all our lives? And then here we are ten years later, and my daughter is working with him (Katia Washington, production assistant on Django Unchainednote).
