Quick Reviews!!

Rating: 10/10 (10 December 2004)

Some of the best performances of the decade, mixed with some of the best dialogue and most memorable scenes make Reservior Dogs Tarantino's first, and finest film. His direction is sure and every shot is played with utmost thought. The soundtrack is cool, the violence is strong, but not gratuitous, and the story is brilliantly told.
A cop goes undercover with a gong of crooks to expose their ring, and takes part in a heist that goes terribly wrong, leaving several of the thieves dead, and a bullet in his own gut. As he can't reveal his identity as he bleeds, he waits with the other survivors to work out a plan. The other survivors are torn over what to do, they have the jewellery but jealousy and egos flare until the final shoot out. Every actor gives perhaps their best ever performance, every scene is full of tension as we wait for someone to blow. Professionalism is ironically sliced apart, and the flashback narrative hasn't been used so well since Rashomon. None of the characters are particularly likable, but we are with them for the duration. Several scenes are brutal, but filmed with the audience's morality in mind, and nothing is done just for the sake of it. Genius in every way.