Reservoir Dogs

***Reservoir Dogs*** is a 1992 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and written by Roger Avary. The film stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, Quentin Tarantino, and Edward Bunker as diamond robbers whose heist of robbing a jewelry store goes wrong as one of the robbers sets up the crew, with them finding out who set them up. The film shows events leading up to the heist and after the heist. Actors Kirk Baltz, Randy Brooks, and Steven Wright play supporting roles.

Reservoir Dogs is regarded as a classic of independent film and a cult film, and was named "Greatest Independent Film of All Time" by *Empire*. Although controversial for its depictions of violence and use of profanity, *Reservoir Dogs* was generally well received, with the cast being praised by many critics. Despite not being heavily promoted during its theatrical run, the film became a modest success in the United States after grossing $2.8 million against its scant budget. It achieved higher popularity after the success of Tarantino's next film, *Pulp Fiction* (1994). A soundtrack was released featuring songs used in the film, which are mostly from the 1970s.

## Plot

Eight gangsters eat breakfast at a Los Angeles diner. All but the boss Joe Cabot and his son, the underboss "Nice Guy" Eddie Cabot, use aliases: Mr. Brown, Mr. White, Mr. Blonde, Mr. Blue, Mr. Orange and Mr. Pink. After Mr. Brown finishes rambling about the Madonna song "Like a Virgin", the group argues about Pink's policy of not tipping.

The gangsters carry out a diamond heist. White flees with Orange, who was shot during the escape and is bleeding severely in the back of White's car. At one of Joe's warehouses, White and Orange rendezvous with Pink, who believes that the job was a setup, and that the police were waiting for them. White informs him that Brown is dead, Blue and Blonde are missing, and Blonde murdered several civilians during the heist. White is furious that Joe, his old friend, would employ Blonde, whom he describes as a psychopath. Pink has hidden the diamonds nearby. He argues with White over whether to get medical attention for Orange, and the pair draw guns at each other. They stand down when Blonde arrives with a kidnapped policeman, Marvin Nash.

Some time earlier, Blonde meets with the Cabots, having completed a four-year jail sentence. To reward him for not having given Joe's name to the authorities for a lighter sentence, they offer him a no-show job. Blonde insists that he wants to get back to "real work", and they recruit him for the heist.

In the present, White and Pink beat Nash for information. Eddie arrives and orders them to retrieve the diamonds and ditch the getaway vehicles, leaving Blonde in charge of Nash and Orange. Nash denies knowledge, but Blonde ignores him and resumes the torture, cutting off Nash's ear with a straight razor. He prepares to set him on fire, but Orange shoots him dead. Orange reveals to Nash that he is an undercover police officer, and that the police will arrive soon.

When Eddie, Pink, and White return, Orange tries to convince them that Blonde planned to kill them all and steal the diamonds for himself. Eddie impulsively kills Nash and accuses Orange of lying, since Blonde was loyal to his father. Joe arrives with news that the police have killed Blue. He is about to execute Orange, whom he suspects is the traitor behind the setup, but White intervenes and holds Joe at gunpoint, insisting that Orange is not an undercover cop. Eddie aims at White, creating a Mexican standoff. All three fire; both Cabots are killed, and White and Orange are hit.

Pink, the only uninjured person, takes the diamonds and flees. As White cradles the dying Orange in his arms, Orange confesses that he is an undercover officer. White presses his gun to Orange's head. The police storm the warehouse and order White to drop his gun. Gunshots sound and White collapses.

## Cast

* Harvey Keitel as Larry Dimmick/Mr. White
* Tim Roth as Freddy Newandyke/Mr. Orange
* Michael Madsen as Vic Vega/Mr. Blonde
* Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink
* Chris Penn as Eddie Cabot/"Nice Guy"
* Lawrence Tierney as Joe Cabot
* Kirk Baltz as Marvin Nash
* Randy Brooks as Holdaway
* Quentin Tarantino as Mr. Brown
* Edward Bunker as Mr. Blue
* Steven Wright as K-Billy DJ (voice)