Plot
In 1992, Reservoir Dogs transformed Quentin Tarantino practically overnight from an obscure, unproduced screenwriter and part-time actor to the most influential new filmmaker of the 1990s. The story looks at what happens before and after (but not during) a botched jewelry store robbery organized by Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney). Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) is a career criminal who takes a liking to newcomer Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) and enjoys showing him the ropes. Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) is a weaselly loner obsessed with professionalism. Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) has just gotten out of jail after taking the rap on a job for Cabot; he's grateful for the work but isn't the same person he used to be. While Mr. Blonde goes nuts during the heist, the thieves are surprised by the sudden arrival of the police, and Mr. Pink is convinced one of their team is a cop. So who's the rat? What do they do about Mr. Blonde? And what do they do with Mr. Orange, who took a bullet in the gut and is slowly bleeding to death? Reservoir Dogs jumps back and forth between pre- and post-robbery events, occasionally putting the narrative on pause to let the characters discuss such topics as the relative importance of tipping, who starred in Get Christie Love!, and what to do when you enter a men's room full of cops carrying a briefcase full of marijuana. ~ Mark Deming, RoviReview
A study in violence and pop hoodlum cool, Quentin Tarantino's debut film adrenalized the gangster film and put Tarantino on the auteur map. Adapting the novelistic structure of Stanley Kubrick's The Killing (1956) and using observational long takes, Tarantino shifts between the preparations for an ill-fated heist and its extraordinarily bloody aftermath, increasing tension through the gradual revelation of each color-coded character's true nature as they figure out what went wrong. As in Howard Hawks's and Sam Peckinpah's films, the driving concern is honor among men, but, as in the films of Jean-Luc Godard, Tarantino's crooks also define themselves through a plethora of pop culture references, from Lee Marvin to the "Stuck in the Middle With You" ear-slicing and the opening exegesis of Madonna songs. Drawing praise and fire on the film festival circuit for juxtaposing humor and brutal violence, and attacked for being too indebted to the Hong Kong action film City on Fire (1987), Reservoir Dogs opened to critical acclaim, jump-starting former video clerk Tarantino's career. Although its extreme bloodshed hampered its box office, Reservoir Dogs's postmodern generic self-awareness went on to be almost as influential on 1990s gangster movies as Tarantino's next film, Pulp Fiction (1994). ~ Lucia Bozzola, RoviCast
- Harvey Keitel - Mr. White/Larry
- Tim Roth - Mr. Orange/Freddy
- Michael Madsen - Mr. Blonde/Vic Vega
- Chris Penn - Nice Guy Eddie
- Steve Buscemi - Mr. Pink
- Lawrence Tierney - Joe Cabot
Credit
Ronnie Yeskel - Casting, Harvey Keitel - Co-producer, Betsy Faith Heimann - Costume Designer, Jamie Beardsley - First Assistant Director, Quentin Tarantino - Director, Sally Menke - Editor, Richard N. Gladstein - Executive Producer, Monte Hellman - Executive Producer, Ronna Wallace - Executive Producer, Karyn Rachtman - Composer (Music Score), Karyn Rachtman - Musical Direction/Supervision, Michelle Buhler - Makeup, David Wasco - Production Designer, Andrzej Sekula - Cinematographer, Paul Hellerman - Production Manager, Lawrence Bender - Producer, Sandy Reynolds-Wasco - Set Designer, Ken Segal - Sound Mixer, Pat McGroarty - Stunts, Marcia Holley - Stunts, Quentin Tarantino - Screenwriter| Reserved to Fight (2008 Film), Reserved for Ladies (1932 Film) | |
| Reshimat Ahava (2000 Film), Reshma Aur Shera (1971 Film) |
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