Are you gonna bark all day little doggy, or are you gonna bite?

Rating: 9/10 (19 February 2013)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth and Michael Madsen.
Written by Quentin Tarantino
'After a simple jewelery heist goes terribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant' Reservoir Dogs was the film that put Quentin Tarantino on the map. This was his first film and it was done with such class that you are left stunned that this was his rookie film.
Quentin Tarantino did an incredible job with this film. His writing stands out the most more than anything. The words that come out of the actors mouths are words used as if you're talking to a best friend. So modern and 'street' like. It wasn't difficult to understand the film one bit. Another aspect I enjoyed was the story telling between the characters. At first, you begin with Mr.White, Mr Orange and Mr. Pink at the hideout after the failed heist. The only information that is given to the audience are rumors and personal outlooks. As the story goes on, more characters arrive to the screen and more information is told throughout. It's as if you are pulling the string from a ball of yarn bit by bit to find the end. It's great. I also enjoyed Tarantino's camera work. I noticed some 'Scorsese-esque' camera movements particularly in the police officer torture scenes. The manner at which Tarantino positions and moves his cameras are as if you're actually at the location witnessing everything with the other characters. The camera is itself a character and is brilliantly orchestrated.
The cast was amazing. Not only are the characters developed very believable and real but the actors do the writing justice. There are no unnecessary characters. I especially enjoyed Steve Buscemi and Michael Madsen in this picture. Steve Buscemi is the character that brings the most paranoia to the story and also to the audience. He is the character that questions everything and at the rate of his words, you can feel his emotions running through his veins. Michael Marden's character has to go down as one of the best bad-asses in film. As there is so much mayhem circulating around the group, Marden's character seems the most relaxed. His quotes are great and he does everything in the film with such class and patience. Great performance and a great character.
Tarantino has proved to me time and time again that he knows how to choose music in his films. The music presented this film's attitude, especially in the slow motion gang walking scene at the beginning and the torture scenes. The music creates the atmosphere and mood of the characters in it.
Reservoir Dogs is a classic film. You can't allow yourself to leave this off your movie list. The story, director, cast and music all come together to create one of or perhaps the best independent film of all time.