Editing Natural Born Killers (section)

== Plot ==
Mickey Knox and his wife Mallory stop at a diner in the [[New Mexico]] desert. A duo of [[rednecks]] arrive and begin [[sexual harassment|sexually harassing]] Mallory as she dances by a jukebox. She initially encourages it before beating one of the men viciously. Mickey joins her, and the couple murder everyone in the diner, save one customer, to whom they proudly declare their names before leaving. The couple camp in the desert, and Mallory reminisces about how she met Mickey, a meat deliveryman who serviced her family's household. After a whirlwind romance, Mickey is arrested for [[Motor vehicle theft|grand theft auto]] and sent to prison; he escapes and returns to Mallory's home. The couple murders Mallory's [[child sexual abuse|sexually abusive]] father and neglectful mother, but spare the life of Mallory's little brother, Kevin. The couple then have an unofficial marriage ceremony on a bridge.

Later, Mickey and Mallory hold a woman hostage in their hotel room. Angered by Mickey's desire for a threesome, Mallory leaves, and Mickey rapes the hostage. Mallory drives to a nearby gas station, where she flirts with a mechanic. They begin to have sex on the hood of a car, but after Mallory suffers a [[Flashback (psychology)|flashback]] of being raped by her father, and the mechanic recognizes her as a wanted murderer, Mallory kills him. The pair continue their killing spree, ultimately claiming 52 victims in New Mexico, [[Arizona]] and [[Nevada]]. Pursuing them is detective Jack Scagnetti, who became obsessed with mass murderers at the age of eight after having witnessed the murder of his mother at the hand of [[Charles Whitman]]. Beneath his heroic façade, he is also a violent psychopath and has murdered prostitutes in his past. Following the pair's murder spree is self-serving tabloid journalist Wayne Gale, who profiles them on his show ''American Maniacs'', soon elevating them to cult-hero status.

Mickey and Mallory become lost in the desert after taking [[psilocybin|psychedelic mushrooms]], and they stumble upon a ranch owned by Warren Red Cloud, a [[Navajo people|Navajo]] man who provides them food and shelter. As Mickey and Mallory sleep, Warren, sensing evil in the couple, attempts to [[exorcism|exorcise]] the demon that he perceives in Mickey, chanting over him as he sleeps. Mickey, who has nightmares of his abusive parents, awakens during the exorcism and shoots Warren to death. As the couple flee, they feel inexplicably guilty and come across a giant field of [[rattlesnake]]s, where they are badly bitten. They reach a drugstore to purchase [[Antivenom|snakebite antidote]], but the store is sold out. A pharmacist recognizes the couple and triggers an alarm before Mickey kills him. Police arrive shortly after and accost the couple and a shootout ensues. The police end the showdown by beating the couple while a news crew films the action.

One year later, the imprisoned Mickey and Mallory are thought to be [[criminally insane]] and are scheduled to be transferred to [[psychiatric hospital]]s, with Scagnetti overseeing their transfer. Warden Dwight McClusky tells the detective that he should kill the Knoxes during their transfer and claim they had tried to escape.

Meanwhile, Gale has persuaded Mickey to submit to a live interview that will air after the [[Super Bowl]]. During the interview, Mickey declares himself a "natural born killer", inspiring the other inmates to start a [[prison riot]]. After McClusky terminates the interview, Mickey is left alone with Gale, the film crew and several guards. He manages to overpower a guard and kill most of the people in the room, taking Gale and several others hostage. Gale and his crew give a live television report that profiles the riot. Meanwhile, when Scagnetti attempts to seduce Mallory in her cell, she beats him viciously before another guard subdues her with [[tear gas]]. Mickey and Gale reach Mallory's cell, where Mickey kills the guards and engages in a [[Mexican standoff]] with Scagnetti before Mallory kills him.

Gale's entire television crew is killed trying to escape the riot, while Gale himself begins indulging in violence, shooting at prison guards. Mickey and Mallory steal a van and escape into the woods with Gale, to whom they give a final interview before declaring that he must die. He attempts various arguments to change their minds, appealing to their trademark practice of leaving one survivor. Mickey informs him that they are leaving a witness to tell the tale: his camera. Gale accepts his fate and is shot to death. Unbeknownst to the three, the entire exchange is transmitted to a horrified news anchor through Gale's in-ear microphone.

Several years later, Mickey and Mallory, still fugitives, travel in an [[Recreational vehicle|RV]], as a pregnant Mallory watches their two children play.