Quality little film

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2001)

This is a nasty violent little gem. Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs is about a group of gangsters after a jewellery heist gone wrong, and the events surrounding them within the following hours. The plot isn't as important as the relationship between the characters and the trust and dis-trust being built in their minds.
The acting is superb. Remember that this was Tarantino's first flick and look at the cast list: Kietel, Madsen, Penn, Buscemi, Roth. Those are some damn impressive names. The violence is nasty, but it is in keeping with the style and spirit of the movie.
Where the movie lets itself down is in the pacing. The script follows the stories of a few of the leads and shows how they inter-connect. This is done to a much better effect in his follow up Pulp Fiction. Here, however, it drags the movie in places. The Mr. Blonde story is excellent, whereas the Mr. Orange story that follows it, kicking in about 2/3 of the way through the film, really slows it down and loses the audience attention.
Overall though this is a good movie, really for the guys. Knock back a few brews and enjoy. - 8/10