Could have been a bit better

Rating: Null/10 (4 December 2002)

Maybe its because I watched Pulp Fiction a good six months before I saw this, but Reservoir Dogs seems lacking in its potential.

The plot is extremely intriguing, what you would expect from Tarantino. Multi-layered, with interesting characters and some classic lines (I can't help it, but it all appears...inferior to PF). Superb acting from Steve Buscemi and Harvey Keitel, though Tim Roth clinches it. It's also nice to see the many references to Fiction (or vice-versa? Which one came out first again?) and of course Tarantino himself.
Still, was it me or did RD seem far too short? Most of the film was taken up by Buscemi's paranoia and the other character's monologues, which is where I felt it stumbled. The conversations in Fiction flow well although they are surreal, but in RD it was clunky and awkward. Plus the set got boring after a while, it was an abandoned warehouse after all.
There are still some things I don't get about RD. What was the message? There didn't seem to be any (apart from, don't be an undercover cop) whilst Pulp Fiction was clearly about redemption. The significance of *spoiler* Mr Pink the only one who survives? What, cowardice pays off? And although the whole torture scene didn't fit, I'll accept it because really it's nothing compared to the randomness of "the gimp" incident in PF. What gets me is that people are STILL yakking on about how gruesome it was (Mr Blondes torture scene, that is). It's just a prosthetic ear and some blood.

Ah well. Could have been more, but good nonetheless. Seven out of ten.