Unforgettable crime thriller with an intangible iconic quality

Rating: 9/10 (12 July 2011)

Anyone could make a film about a botched heist job, even tell it out of chronological order, but Quentin Tarantino provides his film "Reservoir Dogs" with certain intangibles that not just anyone can offer. His trademark anecdotal dialogue aside, Tarantino infuses "Reservoir Dogs" with a certain iconicity, a power that creates lasting film memories and inspires stylistically. Even the opening credits sequence, which simply features all the main characters in their black suits and skinny ties walking in slow motion through a parking lot, exudes a kind of swagger that has few rivals.
For "Reservoir Dogs," the iconology starts with the characters. All dressed the same but most definitely different, they're initially introduced to us by color code name: Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), Mr. Blue (Eddie Bunker), Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) and Mr. Brown (Tarantino). They've been hired by Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) and his son "Nice Guy Eddie" (Chris Penn) to steal a shipment of expensive diamonds, a quick job, but one that requires a large team such as this one.
The other key is that we don't see this story from the beginning. We get to see one completely anecdotal lunch scene in which all the guys give Mr. Pink crap because he doesn't tip at restaurants and then after the credit sequence we see part of the aftermath of the heist, which has gone most horribly wrong. Rather than concern ourselves with story, Tarantino creates character portraits through thick amounts of dialogue and lengthy scenes dripping with tension. He takes his time filling us in on the details, but we get them all eventually. This disguises a rather generic plot with a subplot (although it's a bit more than that) that the audience infers from the subtext of the characters.
The source of the conflict comes mainly from misters White, Pink and Blonde. As a shot and bleeding-to-death Mr. Orange writhes in pain at a warehouse rendezvous point, White and Pink recall the events of the crime and begin to realize that someone must've informed the police. Enter the calm but ruthless Mr. Blonde, who makes tempers flare even more.
If excessive dialogue or drawn-out scenes aren't bookended by major turning points, they're usually blanketed by some kind of tension, such as Mr. Orange lying there freaking out from his wound as Pink and White discuss what to do next. A few flashbacks pull the snowballing momentum out from under the film at times, but they add the necessary depth to actually make us care about these characters.
To be clear, Tarantino hasn't executed a great crime thriller or heist film. Instead, he's made these genres into an experimental and violent ball of energy. He's written in scenes that burn images into your head and the swagger â€” his actors all get it. It's incredible what an "it" factor can do to a film and Tarantino and "Reservoir Dogs" have "it" in no small portions.
~Steven C
Visit my site http://moviemusereviews.com