Comical, Crackling Crime Yarn

Rating: 8/10 (18 October 2000)

Tarantino's violent crime tale and character study is a fast-paced, lurid, and wonderfully wicked film about a group of criminals who converge to pull off a diamond heist that ultimately goes awry and causes them all to question who gave their schemes away.
While all of Tarantino's characters are dishonest, morally-corrupt, criminals, they all show very different methods of handling their work, and all the actors do a fantastic job of presenting an array of seemingly similar characters and fleshes them out as individual, thoughtful, and sometimes sickly logical. Steve Buscemi here steals the film as the extremely talkative, motor mouth Mr. Pink who initiates the idea of a conspiracy. Harvey Keitel is also a formidable force as the too-sympathetic and trusting Mr. White. The soundtrack is also something to rave about. The 70's music fits the film perfectly.
Tarantino's script is sprinkled with some very amusing and well written dialogue as well - he literally transforms excessive cursing and obscene stories into operatic and poetic filth. Also, the few action scenes reinforce the tension that builds up to the brilliant ending.

Reservoir Dogs is a throughly entertaining crime movie that doesn't take itself gravely seriously and presents a thrilling tale in a comical way. Reservoir Dogs is well-acted, well-scripted, and has a gritty feel that separates it from the glossy crime movies that spew from Hollywood. With a cast of almost virtual unknowns and a dynamite script, Tarantino goes for the audience's throat and packs Reservoir Dogs with thrills and tension to spare.
8 out of 10