Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn, Lawrence Tierney, Edward Bunker and Quentin Tarantino

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Synopsis: In Tarantino’s first feature film, Reservoir Dogs tells the story of a failed diamond heist and the consequences of it.

As far as directorial debuts go, if you can find any better than Reservoir Dogs, you’re probably talking about the elite of the elite, because this is something special. The acting, the music, the cinematography, it’s all staggeringly good for a director’s baptism into Hollywood. What’s even better, is that this is pure Tarantino and all of those signature traits of his that he’d perfect even more over the next two decades are incorporated: Title cards, flashbacks, songs that are just right for the moment.

So, how does a director of Quentin Tarantino’s stature start his first film? How does he set the tone for a heist? You’re correct, he does indeed open with himself, casted as Mr Brown, discussing what Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” is about. It’s a character moment so raw and (somewhat) real, and it does make us realise how ridiculous it would be if a group of criminals, moments before a robbery, were nervous, uptight and discussing their plan in broad daylight. Tarantino connects us to these characters instantly by interpolating views of pop culture and daily life, emphasising this a few moments later when Mr Pink (Buscemi) makes it known what he believes about the logistics of tipping. A minute later these eight characters look larger than life in one of the coolest intros in cinema history, thanks to the use of slow motion and The George Baker Selection’s “Little Green Bag” – it wouldn’t be the last great song choice of Tarantino’s directorial career, and little did anyone know that it wouldn’t be the best song choice of this entire film.

After building great excitement for the robbery with that intro sequence, obviously Tarantino cuts to the immediate aftermath, as while many directors in their films build throughout to the heist in the grand finale, we’re told straight away that this director isn’t like any other. The in media res narrative grips our attention in a way a slow build may not and sets Reservoir Dogs apart from the rest. Mind you, it really helps that the first thing we see is a bloody Mr Orange (Roth) screaming in agony after being shot in the gut. Roth’s acting is harrowing and he really sells his peril to us, whereas Keitel as Mr White in his attempts to calm him is perfect blend of experienced and fatherly. It’s this relationship between Mr White and Mr Orange that sets the wheels in motion for the rest of the film to play out as it does, and it’s interesting to see how White’s relationship with every other character contrasts the one he has with Orange. After caring for this bloody, dying novice, we see Keitel and a panicking Buscemi care less about one another, before that boils over into sheer contempt over the collapse of their heist. The contempt these two share, however, pales in comparison to how Mr White feels about Mr Blonde (Madsen), who is a lunatic in every sense of the word.

You all know what the height of Blonde’s psychotic tendencies is. Even if you’ve never seen Reservoir Dogs in all of its glory, you’re familiar with that scene. The use of Steeler’s Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle with You” is the best use of music in the film, and one of the greatest in the history of cinema. It’s as controversially brutal as you’d expect and as you remember, oh, and it’s absolutely hilarious too. It’s not just Madsen dancing (the moment the music begins and he starts moving is guaranteed to marvelling at the brilliance of what’s happening) it’s when he leaves the warehouse and returns with a petrol canister with the intention to set a helpless policeman (Randy Brooks) he’s just deformed on fire. And it leads right into the moment that turns the film on its head, turning that comedy into stunned silence.

Reservoir Dogs is a masterclass of everything that makes Tarantino films a spectacle. With immense acting performances from the likes of Roth, Keitel and Penn and a story that never drags regardless of the several flashbacks, it makes you wonder, after setting the bar so high so soon, how could Quentin Tarantino possibly top this?

Rating: 5/5

Stay tuned for more Tarantino film reviews coming soon including his new release, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.