Solid but far from greatness

Rating: 7/10 (18 March 2003)

There's really not much to this flick. It's an ultra-slick, highly stylish, ultra-violent quasi-gangster flick about an undercover cop working a sting on a diamond heist. If you like this kind of thing, then you will get a big kick out of this, but otherwise, avoid it at all costs. Tarantino, in his debut directorial gig shows he has a panache for very interesting dialogue (that usually has nothing to do with the plot) and a very stylish director's hand. This flick is far superior to his overly praised "Pulp Fiction," (**) which in my mind was a sloppily put together episodic flick that had some decent movie moments but ultimately had nothing to say beyond its own shock value. Tarantino's only other turn at direction was "Jackie Brown," (***) which for me was his only real "film" whose only downfall was that it took its sweet time getting around to what it had to say about midlife crises. As it stands, "Reservoir Dogs" (**1/2) is a solid flick but nothing great. If you want all this clever crime caper/con-game stuff without all the ultra-violence but still have the great dialogue, I recommend the work of David Mamet ("The Spanish Prisoner" or "Heist" should do the trick).