Reservoir Dogs

For this entire month, I’m going to look at some of the famous movies by one of the famous directors ever, Quentin Tarantino. Let’s look at the very first film he made, that was independent, “Reservoir Dogs,” released in 1992.

If you withdrew at the direct language in “Glengarry Glen Ross” or the violence in “Unforgiven,” keep away from “Reservoir Dogs.”

This movie won’t only offend you; it will probably hurt you mentally.

A rash, brutal crime-caper film, “Reservoir Dogs” has enough of an energy for 10 movies and more than enough tough to traumatize the ones who cannot handle this. Jay Boyer said in his review, “But not only does Dogs have teeth, it has brains.”

In the beginning of the movie, we see a group of jewel thieves as they sit at a coffee restaurant for breakfast. Most of them don’t know each other: Boyer noted, “They've been brought together by a mob kingpin specifically to pull a heist, and they've been kept deliberately ignorant of one another's identities.”

Boyer continued, “Calling each other by made-up names (Mr. White, Mr. Orange, etc.), they shoot the breeze about this and that - the fine points of tipping waitresses, the promotional gimmicks of radio stations, even Madonna.” The movie really gets going after you can easily tell that at least one of the members is a snitch.

But which one?

That’s where the movie’s smart foundation is shown. Writer/director Quentin Tarantino keeps showing us different times from before, during and after the crime. Each scene gives enough information to fill in the gaps.

By the end of the movie, we can figure out everything and lots of people are dead.

Along with the behind-the-scenes work, Tarantino plays a really small role of Mr. Brown. The leader of the group is Harvey Keitel as Mr. White, a gangster who, even though he’s tough, is in some ways too sentimental for this career he picked.

With his long, expressive eyebrows, Michael Madsen comes close to being the highlight as Mr. Blonde, the most crooked member of the group. Steve Buscemi does steal at least a scene or two as the logical, goatee-face Mr. Pink.

Boyer credited, “Cast as the wounded-and-bleeding Mr. Orange, Tim Roth (Vincent & Theo) gives a finely calibrated last-gasp performance.” The rest of the cast – and the gang- are the late Chris Penn, fittingly gangster as Nice Guy Eddie, Lawrence Tierney as Eddie’s kingpin father, and Eddie Bunker as Mr. Blue.

The structure of “Reservoir Dogs” is only one appearance of the irresponsible skill of filmmaker Tarantino, who makes his directorial debut here. He also has a sharp fun that shows up in tough, crafty dialogue (the breakfast discussion of Madonna is funny) and in the use of the thick, uncertain voice of straight-faced comedian Steven Wright as a DJ.

Boyer noted, “Also darkly amusing is the film's ironic use of such musical selections as "Hooked on a Feeling," "Coconut" and "Little Green Bag." A horrifying torture sequence is choreographed to the tune of "Stuck in the Middle With You" - if you can imagine that.”

There’s even something theoretically amusing about the way the gangsters dress for the crime, in anonymous black suits and ties, white shirts and dark glasses. They look like they’re looking for trouble, and it turns out they really don’t have to go far.

Overall, this is a great movie, for an independent film that Quentin Tarantino made. Especially with the famous line, “Are you going to bark all day little doggy, or are you going to bite?” If you’re a Tarantino fan and have not seen this film yet, you should. It’s one of the best films he ever made.

Look out next week when I look at another popular film in “Quentin Tarantino Month.”