Brutal Epic Poetry

Rating: 8/10 (9 October 2006)

Quentin Tarantino is the most colorful director of his time, standing apart from the other directors of the nineties and 20-aughts. Though he is arguably a one-trick pony in some ways, (releasing almost only non-linear crime thrillers with poetic dialog and sadistic violence and gore), it has yet to fail him, and sets him on a winning streak with his first film, Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino takes a sub genre of crime films that is tried and true, the heist flick, but adds new touches to it that glow with his brilliant touch. Most heist flicks involve three distinct acts- The setup, the execution, and the fallout- but Tarantino mixes this up; he throws act two out the window completely, leaving the heist a complete mystery save one thing; we know it went horribly, killing one of the six guys and leaving another missing. Secondly, he switches back and forth from the two remaining acts; in one scene, we're with the three survivors, hearing what went wrong and witnessing the flimsy bonds of loyalty slowly unravel. The next, we see the doomed heist come together, watching the characters talk about their plans and joke with one another. These are some of the best scenes in the movie; Quentin is a master at dialog, giving his characters profane poetry exchange in a Shakesperean fashion. Watching grown men sitting around the table talking about top-40 Maddonna, arguing about tipping or pseudonyms, and describing humorous anecdotes from previous jobs is delightful. It really gives a chance for the actors to shine. Steve Buscemi, my perennial favorite, Harvey Keitel, and Tim Roth in particular are incredible, and Chris Penn proves that the acting gene didn't just get passed to Sean.
You have to see Reservoir Dogs. It's one of the best movies by one of the best directors of the 90s.