Reservoir Dogs Reviews

(MU) One of comtemporary masterpieces, hall almost all that was more stylized in "Pulp fiction", in special the rotine of bad guys discussing pop nonsense and habits. The two alternaed times structure is ok here because yoy need to cool off so much tension...

A group of men are having benign banter in a diner. They have color code names. Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) brings a horribly wounded Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) back to the hideout. Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) is ranting about the quick police response as a setup. Joe Cabot hired the crew for a diamond store holdup keeping their identities secret from each other. Calm and disturbed Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) shows up with a captured cop.

Quentin Tarantino deconstructs the crime movie by concentrating on the in-between scenes. He peppers the scenes with sharp extraneous dialog. It makes for some really memorable scenes. The diner scene and the torture scene are unforgettable. The whole movie does drag as we wait for the actual robbery action scenes but this movie is something completely different.

"Reservoir Dogs," Quentin Tarantino's second film after the little known low-budgeter "My Best Friend's Birthday," is a good and polished early effort from a brilliant and controversial filmmaker.

A lot of Tarantino's trademarks are present here- extreme violence, black humor, brilliant dialogue, and unflinching portrayal of racism- but a little more emotion is present than with Tarantino's other works, including a rather touching relationship between two of the main characters, Mr. White and Mr. Orange.

The color-coordinated characters, Mr. White (Harvey Keitel,) Mr. Blonde (MIchael Madsen,) Mr. Orange (Tim Roth,) Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi,) Mr. Blue (Edward Bunker,) and Mr. Brown (Director Tarantino)- a group of criminals who are cornered by the police during a diamond heist.

After a bloody shootout- a group of them escape, including Mr. Orange (Roth,) who is badly injured in the getaway. Stationed at a hiding spot, the remaining thieves suspect that someone among them may be a police informer. And with volatile Blonde in their midst, the situation has nowhere to go but down.

As per usual with Tarantino, the dialogue is clever and quirky, rife with the idiosyncrasies and oddities of daily life. I didn't find the dialogue as funny this time round as "Pulp Fiction," which was ultimately a more engaging work. The acting here is very good, with Chris Penn as 'Nice-Guy' Eddie being a weak-point in an otherwise strong cast.

Tim Roth is a stand-out as reluctant newbie Orange, while Michael Madsen as Blonde makes a very convincing psycho. Harvey Keitel and Steve Buscemi give steady support as White and Pink, respectively. The violence is occasionally shocking, and provoked walk-outs during "Reservoir Dogs'" stint at the film festival circuit, but has become maybe less so with time.

Overall, "Reservoir Dogs" embodies what we have come to excpect from Tarantino- shocks, thrills, and graphic violence, like an invigorating roller-coaster ride, but with a little extra heart- we care about the relationship between White and Orange, and the following events saddens us. But most of all, it is spectacular Tarantino entertainment. Who could ask for anything more?

It's been an unusually good year for the discovery of first-rate new American film directors: Barry Primus ("Mistress"), Nick Gomez ("Laws of Gravity"), Allison Anders ("Gas Food Lodging") and Carl Franklin ("One False Move"), among others. Now add to the list the name of Quentin Tarantino, the young writer and director of "Reservoir Dogs," a small, modestly budgeted crime movie of sometimes dazzling cinematic pyrotechnics and over-the- top dramatic energy. It may also be one of the most aggressively brutal movies since Sam Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs."

"Reservoir Dogs" is about a Los Angeles jewelry store robbery masterminded by a tough old mob figure named Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney). The principal characters are introduced in an extended precredit sequence in which the thieves are seen relaxing over lunch sometime before the job.

The camera looks on with the indifference of a waitress who expects no tip. One guy holds forth on the meaning of the lyrics of popular songs, with special emphasis on the oeuvre of Madonna. His discoveries are no more profound than those of academe, but his obscene jargon, which disgusts some of his colleagues, is refreshingly blunt and more comprehensible than any deconstructionist's. It's a brilliant scene-setter.

Cut to the initial postcredit sequence, just after the heist has been carried out and two of the hoods, played by Harvey Keitel and Tim Roth, are fleeing the scene. Mr. Keitel is at the wheel of the car while Mr. Roth lies across the back seat, bleeding badly and clutching his stomach as if to hold in the organs. Something obviously went wrong. One of the hoods became panicky during the holdup and began shooting. It's also apparent that the police had been tipped off. Mr. Roth begs to be taken to a hospital, or just dumped somewhere near a hospital, but Mr. Keitel refuses. They go on to the warehouse where the gang members were to meet according to the original plan.

Though all of the film's contemporary action takes place inside this warehouse, "Reservoir Dogs" cuts back and forth in time with neat efficiency to dramatize the origins of this soured caper. One of the elements of old Joe's plan was the anonymity of the men he hired for the job, to protect them from one another and from the police.

To this end he gave them noms de crime (Mr. White, Mr. Pink, Mr. Orange and so on), which especially offends the man dubbed Mr. Pink, who thinks it makes him sound like a sissy. In the course of the film, some of the men do reveal their real names, which leads to a certain amount of confusion for the audience when the men are talking about characters who are off screen.

Though small in physical scope, "Reservoir Dogs" is immensely complicated in its structure, which for the most part works with breathtaking effect. Mr. Tarantino uses chapter headings ("Mr. Blonde," "Mr. Orange," etc.) to introduce the flashbacks, which burden the film with literary affectations it doesn't need. Yet the flashbacks themselves never have the effect of interrupting the flow of the action. Mr. Tarantino not only can write superb dialogue, but he also has a firm grasp of narrative construction. The audience learns the identity of the squealer about mid-way through, but the effect is to increase tension rather than diminish it.

"Reservoir Dogs" moves swiftly and with complete confidence toward a climax that matches "Hamlet's" both in terms of the body count and the sudden, unexpected just desserts. It's a seriously wild ending, and though far from upbeat, it satisfies. Its dimensions are not exactly those of Greek tragedy. "Reservoir Dogs" is skeptically contemporary. Mr. Tarantino has a fervid imagination, but he also has the strength and talent to control it.

Like "Glengarry Glen Ross," another virtually all-male production, "Reservoir Dogs" features a cast of splendid actors, all of whom contribute equally to the final effect. Among the most prominent: Mr. Keitel, whose moral dilemma gives the film its ultimate meaning; Steve Buscemi, as the fellow who has thought long about the messages in Madonna's songs; Mr. Roth, the English actor who gives another amazing performance as a strictly American type; Chris Penn, as Mr. Tierney's son and heir; Michael Madsen, as a seemingly sane ex-con who isn't, and Mr. Tierney, who more or less presides over the movie.

The film also marks the American debut of Andrzej Sekula, the Polish-born director of photography. Mr. Sekula's work here is of an order to catapult him immediately into the front ranks. One of the principal reasons the film works so well is the sense of give-and-take that is possible only when two or more actors share the same image. Mr. Sekula and Mr. Tarantino have not been brainwashed by television movies. They don't depend on close-ups. "Reservoir Dogs" takes a longer view.

Pay heed: "Reservoir Dogs" is as violent as any movie you are likely to see this year, but though it's not always easy to watch, it has a point.
nyt

You can never get tired of Quentin Tarantino's movies. Well, maybe the Kill Bill Volumes but certainly not Reservoir Dogs. With such extreme focus on blood, violence, characters & pop-culture laden dialogue, there was little wonder why Reservoir Dogs became such a big hit and is still a favourite among movie appreciaters today.

Arguably the best dis-organized crime movie I've seen which delivers all goods and keeps you fixed onto the screen. This film ain't Titanic or Forrest Gump in which haters can view their opinions or dislikes. This film doesn't leave room for arguments or debates or any of that sort of nonsense. This film does nothing but command respect and just like wine and Meryl Streep, is getting better with time. Maybe it's because of the lack of Reservoir Dogs-esque movies we're getting? Maybe no-one has come up with a better torture scene? Whatever the reason might be, Reservoir Dogs is always fun to visit and the memorable scenes & dialogues just won't leave the head.

In this film there are 2 plots running at the same time: The robbery-gone-wrong-and-we-must-find-the-rat plot and the Mr. Orange-and-Mr. White subplot. These two people, out of the whole six, are shown in a father-son relationship and if you look it from their points of view, both acted as heroes, or at least anti-heroes, in their own rights. Their progress throughout the film is expertly shown from Mr. White taking care of Mr. Orange, even to the point of pointing a gun at Joe's face, his long-time friend but ends up shooting Mr. Orange himself after when the latter admits his is a cop. Truly an excellent moment there as Mr. White hesistants and realizes his mistake he had been covering 'the rat' all the time... and they both wind up dead anyhow!

From the great ensemble cast, I frankly think that Tim Roth, the rat-cop Mr. Orange, should've been nominated for Best Supporting Actor as he gave one of his best performances - alongside Rob Roy. Everyone was perfect in their own way but there was something about Tim Roth's performance that dominated the screen whenever he opened his mouth and his bloody passed-out body, a position which he remains for literally the whole movie, only makes his character more great. If you're questioning this, I suggest you watch the part in the car after when he is shot or the part with the commode story.

In conclusion, this is a must see movie but be warned: When Mr. Blonde starts dancing, close your eyes and lower the volume... Or skip all that!

Oddly I didn't like this move at first. But over repeated viewings, it grew on me. I like the scene on the roof with Samuel Jackson coaching Mr. Orange ... give him acting lessons. Very well written.

Reservoir Dogs is a testament to the idea that "less is more." This doesn't apply to the violence, the film is extremely violent from beginning to end, but the details of the botched diamond heist, which the entire film is based on, are conveyed only in the dialogue, except for one scene where Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) recalls his escape. The whole film takes place after the failed robbery is over, and the mystery that unfolds among the criminal participants is amazing to watch.

This is not a normal crime film. The thing that really sets Reservoir Dogs apart from all of the others is that it is PURE. When you look at the screen, you're looking at reality. There are no Hollywood actors, there's no make-up to make them look pretty, there's little to no comic relief, and most important of all, there's no goofy romantic subplot clumsily thrown in, a detrimental trademark of so many action films, as well as virtually all Jerry Bruckheimer films. Instead of all of that garbage, Tarantino decided to just present the film as simply and straightforwardly as possible, and by doing that he makes it seem that you're really looking at a bunch of criminals trying to figure out what to do after a suspiciously failed robbery.

Even though most of the actors were known at the time this film was made, the film was delivered in such a way that you don't see the actors at all, you only see the brutal characters that they portray. It is genuinely frightening to imagine being in the same room with any of them, and this is a quality that is rarely achieved in any kind of film.

Make no mistake, Reservoir Dogs is among the most violent films ever made, and some scenes are really painful to watch, but the way that reality is captured is something that justifies the violent excesses in this film. The violence is never glorified, nor is the criminal lifestyle. When films are overly violent, they usually get branded as such, but despite the extreme violence, Reservoir Dogs still manages to deliver an important overall message about the consequences of your actions. It remains high on the growing list of Tarantino's classic films, and it will not be soon forgotten.

"Hardy fuckin har."

ACTING 8/10: The acting in this movie is great. A few guys I have heard of but never really saw in a movie, they all impressed me. Steve Buscemi is known for great acting so it wasnt supsrising that he was great in it. Lots of yelling in the movie and I for some reason love when actors yell.

SCREENPLAY 9/10: The screenplay is pretty awesome. Lots of quotes that are worth remembering. There was a lot of cursing just to warn the ones who for some reason cant look past cursing and just watch the movie.

DIRECTING 9/10: Tarientino did another awesome job at directing. To get all these scenes to look great was really impressive, I liked it alot because there arent a lot of settings in the movie, to take a simple idea and to make it see and feel real, I got to give cuudos to Tarinetino.

STORY 10/10: The story is really original. Its unique in its own way, and that is you figure out the story as you go on, its not really explained in the first half hour.

The reason I am not giving it a 10, is because there are one or two scenes that did drag a little, but everything else was pretty much perfect. If you're thinking about watching it, I suggest you borrow it or rent it because this movie ROCKS. WATCH IT