The Best Film of the Early Nineties

Rating: Null/10 (1 July 2002)

Some time, probably around 1990, young video store clerk Quentin Tarantino had his third screenplay noticed by big-shot Harvey Keitel who subsequently gave him money to make the film and even starred in it. The result was this masterpiece of modern filmmaking. Gangster Joe Cabot(the late, great Lawrence Tierney) and his son Nice Guy Eddie(Chris Penn) are planning a diamond heist in downtown LA. They recruit a team of criminals who work under code names: Mr. White(Harvey Keitel), Mr. Blonde(Michael Madsen), Mr. Pink(Steve Buscemi), Mr. Blue(Eddie Bunker, a real life criminal), Mr. Brown(Writer/Director Quentin Tarantino) and Mr. Orange(Tim Roth) but the heist goes wrong and the gang end up dead, wounded or some of them managed to escape. Back at their central, an abonded warehouse(Filled with coffins, if you look close enough), they try to figure out what went wrong and who the undercover cop in their gang is through a series of flashbacks.
This is a film that you either love or hate. Some people love it and some people hate this film, Quentin Tarantino and especialy Pulp Fiction with a vengeance. The people who like it, though, have to agree that it's one of the most brilliant and smart movies of the nineties. Funny, violent, and complicated(But not as complicated as Tarantino's second film, Pulp Fiction), Reservoir Dogs gives the viewer the best glimpse since the film noirs of the fifties, into the criminal underworld. After seeing this film, a lot of things will stick for a while. You will never forget Mr. Brown's definition of 'Like a Virgin, Mr. Pink's thoughts on waitresses or the stylish violence that comes with it. The performances are something that can't be missed either. You won't be forgetting Harvey Keitel's hard, yet sensitive, criminal or Steve Buscemi neurotically babbling on about the cops or Tim Roth bleeding to death on the floor for most of the film. The real stand-out performance of the film is Michael Madsen as crazy cop killer Mr. Blonde. I would also like to take this moment to comment on the "infamous torture scene": It's not that big as it's cracked up to be. It mostly takes place off camera and you only see the aftermath which didn't disturb me at all. The upcoming special feature packed tenth anniversary DVD promises two alternate angles(One is a close-up) so we might see more violence out of that scene too. Back to actors, i was dissapointed that Eddie Bunker, who plays Mr. Blue, didn't get much screen time. In fact, playing the movie over in my head, i can't remember him saying one line. I would have loved to hear some of his redneck rambling. Another excellent feature of this film is the radio which blares in the background duriing the film with the 'Super Sounds of the Seventies Weekend'. You're bound to get one song in there that you love and it especially adds to the atmosphere of the film. Overall, this film may not be as brilliant or as long as Pulp Fiction but it's a very brilliant first film by a very brilliant first director. 8/10. Don't forget, Tarantino's next movie, 'Kill Bill' is coming out next year.