Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” has been imitated many times but it still feels raw and shocking. A lot of the film’s appeal is in its unconventional approach to a heist film, in which the heist itself is not nearly as important as the setup and the aftermath.

Five strangers are brought together by a mastermind to perform a robbery. Identified only by their aliases, Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino), Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) and Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) are each given a particular task, strict orders and promises of easy money. When the heist goes wrong only one thing is for sure, the police knew they were coming and that can only mean that there’s a rat among them.

I love that this film knows what the meat of the story is. Who cares about the heist when omitting it makes the aftermath that much more suspenseful? It’s a delight to watch as you try and piece together who did what and what went wrong and probably give away the biggest surprise of all, who the police’s inside man is. Could it be the last guy to arrive? Could it be the first to arrive? Could it be the dead guy? This is a perfect example of “Less is more”. You get plenty of descriptions of the operation and you are able to imagine it all. Thanks to the sharp dialogue and expert direction, you don’t feel like you’re missing out at all. Similarly, there is a grisly scene of “interrogation” in which the tension rises to its peak. Just as it gets to its most intense, the camera angle changes slightly, putting the violence off-screen. It actually makes it more disturbing and shocking. I doubt you’ll ever hear Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle With You” the same way ever again.

“Reservoir Dogs” is a memorable film that sticks with you. It’s gripping even when the characters are just chilling and discussing such mundane things as tipping or the meaning of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”. (On DVD, January 22, 2014)