#76 Reservoir Dogs

In Summary

There is a Quentin Tarantino film less than 100 minutes long? Yes, there is, it's called Reservoir Dogs.

Tarantino's first film is a stripped-down and efficient tale of a crime gone wrong. Told in non-chronological order, the audience are first introduced to a gang of criminals having an informal get together at a diner, before the film flashes forward to after the crime has been committed, with it then left to a series of confrontations and flashbacks in order to piece together exactly why the crime fell apart.

Featuring the profane, snappy, non-tangential dialogue and violence that would become Quentin Tarantino's hallmarks, Reservoir Dogs is a confident effort for a first film with a few stylistic flairs along the way - such as the slow motion title shot, or Mr Blonde dancing to 'Stuck In The Middle With You' while torturing a police officer.

Furthermore, another feature that would soon become typical of a Tarantino film is apparent in Reservoir Dogs, the quality of acting performances. Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth and Steve Buscemi all carry this film forward with charisma in the lead roles as the various Mr Colours.

As the film progresses it becomes more chaotic as the mysteries behind the failure of the crime are elucidated. The claustrophobic warehouse where most of the film's action takes place becomes almost comically drenched in blood as the lead characters duke it out between one another.

Bloody, profane yet stylish, Reservoir Dogs is Quentin Tarantino at his very essence.

A Memorable Quote

I don't tip because society says I have to. All right, if someone deserves a tip, if they really put forth an effort, I'll give them something a little something extra. But this tipping automatically, it's for the birds. As far as I'm concerned, they're just doing their job.

Things You May Not Know

• The budget for the film was so low that the actors mostly wore their own clothes. The iconic black suits were donated for free by the designer because of their love of crime films.
• Because the film couldn't get police assistance for traffic control, the scene where Mr Pink (Steve Buscemi) forces a woman out of her car had to timed to when the traffic light turned green.
• Quentin Tarantino was set on playing the role of Mr Pink, only allowing Steve Buscemi to do so based on the quality of his audition.

One of the Greatest of All Time?
Reservoir Dogs is a very good first effort for Quentin Tarantino. Is it one of his best? No.

I don't really have any major issues with this film. Apart from a couple of scenes though, there's nothing I find particularly memorable about it. It doesn't make it a bad film, it's just not one I would turn to that often.