Instant Cult Classic

Rating: Null/10 (25 January 1999)

I feel there is a lot of debate on meaningless things to do with this movie (is it too violent? is it a rip off?) bottom line, it is a terrifically entertaining film from start until finish. It does not have the same all encompassing size as Pulp Fiction, but it's much more instantly accessible.
All the things that would become Tarantino's trademarks are there in Reservoir Dogs; the gritty rawness of the film, the witty and natural dialog, the brilliant use of popular music, his ability to generate tremendous tension, his unnerving ability to make us relate to immoral characters, his wickedly funny black humour etc. etc.
Unlike Pulp Fiction there are things resembling holes that pop into the script at times, but these are totally covered over by the tremendous and committed performances from the entire cast. I'm not going to single out anyone, because every single character was portrayed excellently.
One comment made about Reservoir Dogs that I will never understand is that it glorifies violence. If anyone thinks that violence is cool after seeing this film, then they are mentally ill. The violence really 'hurts' in Reservoir Dogs. Mr Orange spends most of the film in agony. When Mr Blonde squirts fuel over Marvin, you can feel the sting. People actually bleed when shot. They bleed a lot. And besides that, most of the violence is only implied, not seen. This shows the skill of Tarantino. The fact that only a few people getting killed, usually off the screen can have such a deep effect on an audience while fifty people can be killed in an average Hollywood action flic without the audiance batting an eyelid.
9/10 - Extremely powerful film.