Reservoir Dogs (1992)

After the disappointment of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), I was in a strange place, as a fan of Quentin Tarantino. It seems like his latest film stumbled blindly into every single criticism that had ever been lobbed at him. And I couldn't defend the movie, as I had done so many times before with his previous films. So, were the critics right all along? Was I blinded by nostalgia? Or by Tarantino's cool? Was I one of those shitty movie bros?

I decided that I needed to find out for myself. I decided that I would head back down Tarantino's rabbit hole, and do a series of retrospective reviews on Tarantino's canon. And either justify my fandom... or, ya know, let it go.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

I. What Is It?

This is the story of a diamond heist gone bad. When the thieves retreat to their rendezvous, they begin to suspect that one among them is a rat.

II. It's a Stage Play

The thing that made Tarantino famous was his dialogue. His sense for snappy, pop-culture infused monologues and compelling character-driven word-play that played by show-don't-tell rules. And Reservoir Dogs (1992) is the pitch-perfect embodiment of that.

His characters freewheel from riffs on Madonna, to the virtues of tipping, to tough-guy anecdotes. These stories and monologues reveal the character of the speaker without Tarantino having to laboriously tell you everything about them. When married with actors who speak the language nimbly, you get compelling characters in a compelling world. And Tarantino has married his script to some wonderful performers: Harvey Keitel is the tough-guy dad of the group; Michael Madsen is a stone-cold psychopath; Steve Buscemi is a raw nerve twitching with paranoia; Tim Roth deftly handles the transition from cool customer to squealing wreck with panache. Tarantino's ensemble is here to play, and they do so wonderfully.

Having said all that, the point I'm trying to make is that this script could, with a few edits, be compressed into a stage play format. The action is mostly all suggested (the heist happens almost entirely off screen), and the story relies on long-form single location scenes, much like plays do. This is Tarantino at his leanest, too: the movie skates in at 99 minutes. You could trim some of the non-warehouse scenes and still have a cracking hour-long play on your hands. A script that isn't dependent on the trappings of a big budget movie to be entertaining is a rare and respectable thing. Reservoir Dogs doesn't need CGI, or explosions, or fanciful sets and costumes. You could get together with your friends and mount this thing in your back yard, and it'd still be pretty entertaining.

III. Beautifully Shot

Tarantino has an eye for detail. Specifically, he has an eye for populating his frame in dynamic, interesting ways. He makes excellent use of fore, middle and background, and frames his characters well. Consider the opening diner scene, where the camera pans around the table. The faces of the rogues are all presented interestingly, framed by the shoulders of those sitting opposite them. The camera spins and spins, and keeps offering us interesting images of these guys. The camera movement and framing make what could have been just a boring conversation feel alive and dynamic.

And that warehouse set? What a beauty. Or maybe it's just the way Tarantino shoots it. It becomes a character in its own right, as the guys criss cross through its space and explore its nooks and crannies. It's a single location, but it never gets tired, and it always feels fresh.

III. Tricky Restraint

This film was lambasted for its violence, but that's an interesting thing. You see, Tarantino flirts right up to the line of gory violence, but rarely outright crashes over it. Remember the infamous ear scene? The one where Mr. Blonde brutally slices off a cop's ear with a straight razor? You never actually see it. The camera slyly pans away. And you hear it. Or, rather you hear the cop's muffled shrieks and Blonde's sinister chuckles. But you never see the razor actually slice the ear off. You see before, and you see after, but Tarantino never shows the deed. It's either a trick of convenience (how do you film such a thing on a limited budget?) or a brilliant piece of storytelling (we imagine far worse than Tarantino could ever show us).

This movie has gallons of blood in it, but Tarantino is surprisingly restrained when it comes to onscreen deaths. We don't see Mr. White going out in a blaze of glory at the end. We just hear the shots and see Mr. White fall backward. The Mexican standoff scene builds and builds and builds and is over in flash. Tarantino would go on to earn his reputation for gleeful cartoonish violence, but he shows a remarkable amount of restraint, here.

IV. That Bitchin' Soundtrack

Reservoir Dogs still has one of my favorite soundtracks ever. It is anchored by the use of an in-world radio station, K-Billy's Super Sounds of the Seventies, and Steven Wright's dead-pan radio jock. What a clever little tool to use to ensure a rad classic rock soundtrack. We hear the tunes come through car radios and stereos before they assimilate into the soundtrack of the film proper. And Tarantino knows how and when to drop the needle: each song breathes and feels alive in the context of the film, enhancing the scenes and the storytelling. "Stuck in the Middle With You" is the most inappropriate torture song ever, but it works, here; "Little Green Bag" is a song I'd never heard of before this movie, but it is so fucking cool, underscoring that slow-motion cool-guy walk. The soundtrack is great.

V. About the Slurs

Tarantino has long been criticized for his use of racial slurs peppered throughout his scripts. I understand that those terms are not politically correct. I understand that they are offensive. I understand that they taint otherwise interesting characters with shades of racism and cruelty. But, and go with me here, what if that's the point? Are you SUPPOSED to like any of these people? They are hardened criminals. Do you want woke armed robbers and murderers? Tarantino tempers the cool-guy attitude of his characters with dashes of racism and misogyny, and I wonder if that isn't a bug but a feature. A challenge: go ahead and like these guys, and see what that says about you.

Why You Should See It

- The film features Tarantino's soon-to-be-trademark whip-crack dialogue and pop-culture-infused mania.
- It's the shortest of his work: it's leaner and more focused than all of his later films.
- Remember its context: this movie broke all the rules, and ushered in a new era of modern film. Try to place yourself in the context of an average movie-goer in 1992. This thing must have been mindblowing at the time. We're used to it, now, but Tarantino burst into the gift shop and immediately began breaking shit left and right.
- What can you do with limited sets and a shoestring budget? Quite a bit, actually. This is clever filmmaking at its finest.

Why You Shouldn't See It

- It's a classic for a reason.

In Conclusion

I am greatly relieved. Tarantino's freshman effort still feels vital and vibrant some 27 years after its release. Tarantino's first is better than many filmmakers' pinnacle. It still has a rightful place in cinema history.

And even if he didn't change the face of cinema with Reservoir Dogs, he would irrevocably alter the course with his second film, Pulp Fiction (1994). We'll get there, soon.

Miscellany

- The budget was so low that the actors wore their own wardrobe throughout the film. The black suits were donated by the designer free of charge.
- Tarantino originally wanted to play Mr. Pink himself. But Steve Buscemi blew him away with his audition and nabbed the part.
- Michael Madsen has an aversion to violence, and actually had a very difficult time filming the infamous torture scene.
- Mr. Blonde's real name is Vic Vega. He is the brother of Vincent Vega, John Travolta's character, from Pulp Fiction. Tarantino even had an idea for a movie about the Vega brothers, but never got around to writing it properly. There is also an ad on the radio for Jack Rabbit Slim's, the diner from Pulp Fiction. Tarantino's been doing the whole shared cinematic universe thing long before Marvel made it du jour.
- Mr. Orange's apartment is actually an upstairs room in the warehouse made to look like an apartment. Budget, baby.
- The movie was filmed over 35 days with a budget of $1.5 million. Tarantino was set to film it with a group of friends, but a copy of the script made its way to Harvey Keitel. Keitel was instrumental in locking down the funding, and assured himself a part in the film.
- Edward Bunker, a real life career criminal, played Mr. Blue. For his part, he said, in later interviews, that the whole heist was ridiculous, and that he'd never do a job with guys he didn't know, and that they'd never wear matching suits like that in public. Oh well: movies.
- The film debuted with little fanfare in America, but was a smash hit in the UK.
- Laurence Tierney, who plays Joe, was reportedly a nightmare to work with. He was fired on the third day of filming.