A couple of nights ago I saw an interview with Quentin
Tarantino on Film 2013 ahead of the
release of his latest picture Django
Unchained. The interview touched upon a lot of his films and with each film
mentioned I turned to my girlfriend and said “Ooh! I really want to watch that
again soon” while turning to my DVD shelf. When Reservoir Dogs was mentioned I looked for my DVD copy and suggested
we watched it that night but my girlfriend told me that it was playing for one
night only at our local multiplex the next evening. Five minutes later the
tickets were booked and my excitement grew as I was getting the chance to see
such an iconic film on the big screen, twenty-one years after its release. Reservoir Dogs burst on to the scene in
late 1992 and unusually went on to make more money at the UK box office than in
the US but following the release of Pulp
Fiction two years later became more widely known and is today recognised as
one of the greatest independent films of all time as well as one of the
greatest debuts by any film maker.
Featuring a lot of the themes which define Tarantino’s
filmography such as a non-linear story, extreme violence, pop culture
references, rock and pop soundtrack, rich and deeply woven dialogue and a plot
based around an accident, Reservoir Dogs
takes place before and after an armed robbery orchestrated by Joe Cabot
(Lawrence Tierney) and his son ‘Nice Guy’ Eddie (Chris Penn). We see various
meetings and discussions which take place before the heist as the crew is slowly
formed but the most famous and memorable scenes take place following the
robbery when the various members of the group make their way back to their safe
house. The audience never sees the robbery itself but with some of the gang
dead and others badly wounded it is soon obvious that something went wrong and
that they have a rat in their midst, but who?
The film opens with a long piece of typical Tarantino
dialogue in which we meet all the main players but aren’t really introduced to
them. We pick up snippets of information about their characters but the scene
feels more like eves dropping into the conversation of strangers. I could have
listened to them all day. Tarantino’s script and dialogue are both so sharp and
deep that just listening to the conversations put a smile on my face. Following
this opening scenes we are treated to one of the most iconic title sequences
from the 90s in which the actors are introduced while walking towards the
camera in slow motion wearing their black suits and Little Green Bag playing over the top. For what is essentially a
shot of men leaving a diner and walking to their cars it has become a defining
and iconic image. Tarantino’s ability to pick the perfect song for his scenes
has become something he is famous for. There isn’t a lot of music in Reservoir Dogs but when it is heard it
makes a real impact. One of the most terrifying scenes is accompanied by Stuck in the Middle With You and like
the opening has become iconic. The sight of Michael Madsen dancing to the song
in front of a tied up cop with a cut throat razor in hand was still unnerving
on what was my forth or fifth viewing.
Reservoir Dogs is
an incredibly assured and confident debut. Perhaps the fact that it was
independent of studio interference gave Tarantino the freedom to work as he
wished and keep in some of the more controversial scenes. It is obvious thought
that even though this was his debut feature he knew exactly what he was doing
and exactly what he wanted. He often shoots using a single camera and leaves
the camera lingering. Because of this he is able to capture the great dialogue
and performances and the audience isn’t distracted by fast cutting or multiple
camera angles. When more than one camera is used it is always with purpose.
When tensions are heated late on there is a scene featuring Mr. Pink (Steve
Buscemi) and Mr. White (Harvey Keitel). Tarantino uses reverse angles to
capture their conversation but shoots the calm and composed Mr. White fairly
close up and straight while Mr. Pink is shot from further away and with a Dutch
angle to allow the character room to move. The slight off centre angle also
shows that the character is on edge.
The acting performances are pretty much without exception
very strong. Despite the large ensemble at the beginning of the movie we only
spend extended time with a few of the cast. Steve Buscemi’s Mr. Pink is a
highlight. He is funny and smart but on edge and cautious and has some great
scenes with Harvey Keitel’s Mr. White. Keitel, who was responsible for helping
to find much of the funding behind the film, plays a blinder. He is at the
centre of the whole story and his cool head on wise shoulders both helps and
hinders him. Michael Madsen is terrifying as the psychotic Mr. Blonde. Even
before he is properly introduced the other characters talk about him as though
he a psycho and he lives up to his reputation on screen. Tim Roth’s Mr. Orange
rounds out the main players. He is given a lot to do and plays it very well.
For me Buscemi and Roth are the stars.
One of the highlights of the film in my opinion was hearing
Mr. Pink battle his way through the police towards the end. The entire film
takes place in what feels like a sealed box. You rarely encounter the outside
world and have little idea of what is going on out there but in this scene you
hear what is happening very faintly a block or so away. It’s fantastic and also
leaves some ambiguity as to his fate.
Reservoir Dogs
reminded me a lot of much of Martin Scorsese’s work. From the violence,
soundtrack, non-linear story to dialogue there were a lot of parallels. What
Tarantino often does with his films is he takes a genre, theme or style and
makes it his own. He has done this with Kill
Bill (Asian revenge), Death Proof
(Grindhouse), Django Unchained
(Western) and here does the same with the heist movie. Tarantino puts his own
spin on things and creates a film which somehow manages to take a lot from
other film makers but remain totally unique. It is up there with his best and
there is nothing I can fault it for. Unlike some of his later films it doesn’t
outstay its welcome and a 99 minute run time is just enough to keep you wanting
more.
10/10
GFR 8/10
This is easily in my top 10, if not top 5 films. It was my introduction to Tarantino (and remains the film of his I'll most readily watch), there are four posters in my flat, of which Reservoir Dogs will probably never come down, I listen to the soundtrack all the time (even Steven Wright's asides) and Little Green Bag is my ringtone.
ReplyDeleteYour 'Sealed box' analogy is a good one, and I hadn't noticed how Keitel and Buscemi, whose Mr. Pink is my personal favourite character, are framed - good points that I'll look out for next time.
And why does my local cinema never play these kinds of film? Where do you live? I'm moving!
I'm based in Manchester. It's rare we get something like this though. My multiplex also plays host to a church which pisses me off as they have no room for the likes of Amour etc but let people use a screen for magic invisible singing.
Deleteoakley sunglasses, nike air max, prada outlet, air max, nike free, prada handbags, polo ralph lauren outlet, nike air max, longchamp outlet, kate spade outlet, louboutin pas cher, oakley sunglasses, louis vuitton, replica watches, louis vuitton, ugg boots, ralph lauren pas cher, louboutin shoes, ray ban sunglasses, uggs on sale, longchamp pas cher, tory burch outlet, cheap oakley sunglasses, louboutin outlet, longchamp outlet, replica watches, michael kors, ugg boots, ray ban sunglasses, louis vuitton outlet, oakley sunglasses, oakley sunglasses, nike free, nike roshe run, sac longchamp, louis vuitton outlet, louis vuitton, tiffany and co, tiffany jewelry, jordan shoes, louboutin, ray ban sunglasses, nike outlet, gucci outlet, christian louboutin outlet, air jordan pas cher, chanel handbags, polo ralph lauren outlet, longchamp, burberry
ReplyDeletetimberland, ugg boots, ray ban uk, converse pas cher, oakley pas cher, michael kors outlet, michael kors, nike blazer, michael kors outlet, burberry, true religion jeans, lululemon, coach outlet, north face, air force, nike air max, sac guess, hollister, michael kors, lacoste pas cher, michael kors outlet, mulberry, new balance pas cher, ray ban pas cher, abercrombie and fitch, replica handbags, nike free run uk, north face, michael kors outlet, vanessa bruno, coach outlet, burberry outlet online, hermes, michael kors, ralph lauren uk, true religion jeans, kate spade handbags, nike roshe, nike air max, tn pas cher, nike air max, michael kors, ugg boots, true religion jeans, vans pas cher, coach purses, true religion outlet, hogan, michael kors outlet, hollister pas cher
ReplyDeletehermes outlet
ReplyDeletedior sunglasses
doudoune moncler
nike outlet store
christian louboutin uk
christian louboutin outlet
polo ralph lauren outlet
nike huarache
armani sunglasses
air max 90
201711.4chenjinyan
hermes birkin
ReplyDeletereplica watches
cheap basketball shoes
rolex watches
mac cosmetics outlet
occhiali oakley
true religion outlet
ugg
air max
air force
2017.11.22chenlixiang
Dogs have an uncanny ability to sense when something is wrong. Simparica Vs Advantage II
ReplyDelete