The birth of a new genre: Tarantino

Rating: 9/10 (24 August 2015)

I've written about Tarantino a lot of times, which is allowed because he's one of the most famous directors in the world. And with the release of the trailer for his 8th (rumoured to be his last) movie, Hateful Eight, it seems fair to wax lyrical over his first, breakout film, Reservoir Dogs. One of those films that needs to be watched twice, Reservoir Dogs gained Tarantino a lot of attention in Hollywood, for all the reasons that Tarantino has since become globally renowned. Plenty of blood which keeps your eyes fixed on the screen, plenty of swearing which makes it difficult to zone out, and a plot that doesn't go very far but develops the story and characters subtly. The reason I say it needs to be watched twice isn't due to subtle clues alluding to the finale that can only be noticed once you've already watched it, like Fight Club or Usual Suspects, but simply that Reservoir Dogs is a bad movie the first time through. OK not a bad movie, but as I mentioned previously, the actual time line of the film only lasts about an hour, so it stands to reason that it would be difficult to fit much action or drama into that short a space of time. The film is about a diamond robbery, and at no point in the 99 minute run time do we see any form of robbery occurring. People anticipating a movie with plenty of fighting and action will be disappointed, and those who can't stand a movie which refuses to move from a single location will be in tears. But those people who can focus on every detail, and every piece of dialogue, will be rewarded with one of the greatest movies they will ever see. The movie begins with a bunch of gangsters sitting in a coffee shop, discussing Like a Virgin by Madonna, and tipping. Innocuous conversation between apparent life-long friends, before walking off into the sunset to the sound of Little Green Bag. The credits roll, and you wonder if you're watching the right movie. Then, as if on cue, the screen is filled with blood, a screaming man, and instant tension. It's impossible to look away, as the viewer must find out what went so horribly wrong with whatever it was these well- dressed men were up to. All is explained surely enough, and this is another of the films strengths. The gang of gangsters have conducted a diamond theft, which went wrong when one of the gangsters started shooting people he shouldn't. The police arrive, all hell breaks loose, and the gang must return to a secret warehouse to regroup (the warehouse being the main set for the majority of the movie). Once here, they work out one by one that they have been set up by a mole in the group, an undercover cop. It is at this point that the audience is assuming the rest of the movie will be trying to work out who the cop is. What's unexpected though at this stage is that the mole is revealed, and dramatic irony is flowing through, as the audience knows the cop, but no one else does. This leaves the story wide open, but it is clear that a climax is imminent, and there must one last twist in this tale to leave us feeling stunned. There is no twist, but the ending is no less shocking, over the top, inevitable, but no less perfectly crafted. One of the factors causing this is the cast. The gangsters include names which have since been involved in most other Tarantino films. Michael Madsen, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth and Chris Penn all give excellent performances, but the standout was Steve Buscemi. He plays Mr Pink, and is the one guy you're designed to hate the whole way through. He complains about tipping waitresses at the beginning of the movie, which was unheard of in the USA in the 90's, as tipping your waitress was as important as paying for the meal itself. He seems to coward his way out of dangerous situations, and just seems like the one guy in the group that, despite them all being long-term criminals, you just wouldn't want to spend any time with. What's truly excellent, and I'm sure its intentional, is that Buscemi's character is styled and acted in such a way as to look as much like a rodent as possible, with the pencil moustache and slicked back hair. And when the finale comes in and guns are fired, Mr Pink manages to slink away unscathed. The definition of a rat, in the gangster community, is that it will do everything in its power to survive, typified by Buscemi's character. It's this sort of attention to detail, among other things, that makes this movie so re-watchable, that while there is very little visual action, the movie itself is a work of art. The soundtrack is understandably legendary, the dialogue is engrossing, and the ending catches you out every single time.