#69: Reservoir Dogs

I’ve never been a huge fan of Quentin Tarantino. I’ve never caught any of his movies in the theaters or rented the videos upon their release. Upon looking at the Top 250, however, it becomes clear that the man cannot be ignored. Of the six films he has directed so far, that would be Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Kill Bill Vol. 2, and Grindhouse’s “Deathproof”, four of them are in the Top 250. Four out of six – that’s a 67% success rate if you want to get technical – not too shabby. He’s a director whose films are violent, crude, and most likely real (since I don’t hang out with the types of characters he creates, I don’t really know, do I?). What I do know is this; he does know how to make a particular type of movie. Reservoir Dogs was his first attempt at this type, and although it’s not the best movie in the world, it’s still pretty good.

The film follows a group of foul-mouthed crooks who got together to form a gang of sorts for a job. As the movie starts we are introduced to the characters, all named different colors to conceal their identities, at a diner for a meal arguing about the meaning of songs, specifically Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.” It’s comedic, behind-the-scenes shots like this that set Tarantino apart, others have done it (Guy Ritchie, for one), but rarely as well.
After this relaxing scene, chaos ensues - there is a flash forward sequence after the job that shows two of the men speeding away from a job gone terribly wrong. Some believe there is a police spy among the survivors; we later come to find out in a series of flashbacks and storylines how the characters got where they are and who they are. The story and characters all tie in and are strong and entertaining.

This is Tarantino’s first film, and I personally don’t see how it could have been any better. The characters are all spot-on, with Tim Roth as Mr. Orange, Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde, and Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink being the highlights. It’s not hard to see why the Coen Brothers chose Buscemi to be their villain in Fargo just a few years later – he’s the perfect frantic foul-mouthed little guy. The way Tarantino sets up the dialog is great too, and you can see where he is coming from in Pulp Fiction, which is better than this film, in my humble opinion.

There are a couple things to be wary of when you’re watching one of Tarantino’s films, especially this one. They make you squirm with discomfort. There is a lot of blood in this movie, along with high doses of violence in general – including a torture scene, so if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing, you may want to sit this one out. And as a side note, the choice of music for the soundtrack is quirky, weird, and in some instances creepy. Let’s just say you’ll never think of Bob Dylan’s “Stuck in the Middle with You” the same way again. It’s not exactly a feel-good movie.

All in all, while this isn’t Quentin Tarantino’s best work (Pulp Fiction), it is one heck of a debut. As much as I may seem to praise it, however, I feel a little let-down. Maybe it’s just that his films aren’t my favorites, but I felt like although this was a solid product, I don’t know if it’s deserving of being in the Top 250 movies of all time. There are other similar movies (Guy Ritchie’s “Snatch”) that I would recommend before this one. 7/10