A fantastic foray into the early works of Tarantino

Rating: 8/10 (15 September 2011)

In 1992 Quentin Tarantino took 7 guys and an amazing script to an abandoned warehouse and started shooting. When Reservoir Dogs was first released it was met with relatively warm critical reception, however almost 20 years later I am here to tell you whether or not it holds up.
For those of you still unaware Reservoir Dogs is a heist movie, but only in premise, in execution however it plays out as a heist gone wrong. We follow a group of robbers each brought together for their specific talents, skills, and most importantly their ability to be trusted. However, it becomes quickly apparent that one amongst them had been miss-judged when they get to the location of the robbery and into the waiting arms of the police. This sends the group scattering in their own directions. This is where the action opens. (I say action because the movie itself opens with a hysterical breakfast conversation regarding Madonna.) After this we see very little of the rest of the heist.
From there the film turns into a sort of Clue for adults, as we are slowly introduced to each of the major players of the game. Each of these scenes plays brilliantly, Quentin manages to create within each character a personal motivation and a quiet determined distrust towards every other character. He constantly has the viewer's scrambling towards the discovery of the mole and how each character feels, but he never makes it feel frustrating.
This movie more so than any of Tarantino's others plays like a movie made by a writer. There aren't any spectacular sweeping wide shots, or any of the fantastic follow shots he has become so known for. No, this film is a well-planned and plotted sequence of dialog and events staged almost exclusively in an abandoned warehouse. And it is from here that Reservoir Dogs runs into its biggest problems. The film exists in such a singular environment that it seems to drag quicker than other films might. Though the quality of dialog keeps the scenes and movie as a whole from stagnating many viewers will quickly bore of the long scenes of nothing but dialog. Not only that but the characters we are presented with aren't incredibly developed. This is believable enough given that it takes place in a matter of hours, however we never really connect with any of the characters making continual investment in their story rather difficult.
These things being said Tarantino's first film still stands as brilliant foreshadowing of the career he would go on to create for himself. The films greatest strengths still lie in the moments it creates, the "stuck in the middle with you" scene is still one of the most gruesomely original in any film. While some may say that the movie is marred by its simplicity I feel the simplicity was by choice. Everything about this film revels in its simplicity from the names of the characters (simple colors) to the plot itself. Every aspect exudes the outstanding minimalism that can be studied for years to come.
While there are places where the film still stumbles, Reservoir Dogs still stands as a fine achievement of film making. Although it drags in places, the dialog and simplicity keep us hanging on long enough to make it to the thrilling conclusion. (The film is a perfectly portioned 99 minutes.) Tarantino's film making prowess proves to us why only he could make something like this work so well. Despite its few flaws Reservoir Dogs stands up twenty years later as a crowning achievement of independent films. (For more reviews visit www.bmf-movies.blogspot.com)