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Overall Rating
  Awesome: 77.98%
Worth A Look: 10.71%
Average: 5.36%
Pretty Bad: 1.79%
Total Crap: 4.17%
4 reviews, 144 user ratings
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| Reservoir Dogs |
by Brian McKay
"A classic freshman effort full of bark AND bite"
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After the disappointing KILL BILL 2 a few weeks ago, I decided to revisit Tarantino's roots, just to get a taste of the masterful old Q.T. that seemed to be missing in action throughout much of KB2. What I rediscovered was a hardcore film full of bullets, bloodshed, and mesmerizing exchanges of dialogue, well worthy of its "instant classic" status. While a bit rough around the edges, RESERVOIR DOGS remains on-par with what is widely regarded as Tarantino's best work, PULP FICTION - only without the hindrance of a somewhat laggy middle act.Focusing on a diamond heist gone terribly awry, Tarantino introduces us to the eight men involved in said heist in a hilarious opening scene set around a coffee shop table. As the band of theives exchange jokes and barbs, we instantly get a clear sense of who everyone is and how they fit into the group dynamic. Joe (Lawrence Tierney, giving a brilliant and hilarious performance) is the mastermind, who along with his sleazebag son "Nice Guy" Eddie (Chris Penn), has recruited six men to rob a jewelry store during a major transaction. Insisting that they do not use real names or share personal information during the course of the job, they go by the names of Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), Orange (Tim Roth), Blonde (Michael Madsen), Pink (Steve Buscemi), Brown (Quentin Tarantino), and Blue (Eddie Bunker).
But when the robbery is revealed as a setup, and a too-sudden police presence results in a bloodbath, the four survivors flee to a rendezvous point at an abandoned garage. One is an undercover cop, another a cold-blooded killer, while the remaining two are just trying to figure out what the fuck went wrong and who set them up.
Tarantino builds tension between the characters masterfully, while liberally sprinkling the narrative with non-linear flashbacks that give us a clearer picture of just who everyone is and what they're about. Except for a few outdoors chase scenes and shootouts, most of the story takes place inside the derelict warehouse. Yet the film never slows down or feels tedious (wish I could say the same for those scenes with Butch (Bruce Willis) and his annoying French girlfriend in Pulp).
As much as a top-notch script and a clever directorial style, the performances in Reservoir Dogs really sell the package. Keitel's character posesses the most depth, as the thief with a conflicted soul who is unsure of who to trust. Madsen is truly unnerving in the infamous "torture" scene, and Roth gives one of the most unsettling and realistic portrayals ever of a man who's been gutshot and is quickly bleeding out. Steve Buscemi, whose career really took rise after the role of Mr. Pink, gives a perfectly convincing portrayal of an oily but distinctly level-headed crook.It's too bad that Q.T. could only muster a portion of the wit and verve that went into RESERVOIR DOGS when he was slapping together KILL BILL VOLUME 2. But while DOGS is probably his most unpolished work, it strongly contends for the distinction of being his best.
 del.icio.us 
link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=1171&reviewer=258
originally posted: 05/19/04 10:30:22
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USA
02-Jul-1992 (R)
DVD: 24-Oct-2006
UK
N/A
Australia
02-Feb-1993 (R)
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