Reservoir Dogs is an independent neo-noir crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film helped establish Tarantino as a major new filmmaker and paved the way for Pulp Fiction, the movie that would make him a household name. Reservoir Dogs centers on a plan to rob a diamond broker. The leader of the operation and his son recruit six professional criminals to carry out the robbery. To protect their identities, the men are forbidden from revealing personal information to one another. Instead, they are assigned aliases: Mr. White, Mr. Brown, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blue, Mr. Blonde, and Mr. Pink. The robbery quickly goes wrong. Although the diamonds are stolen, Mr. Brown and Mr. Blue are dead, and Mr. Orange has been shot in the abdomen and is bleeding out. The surviving crew members quickly realize that the police knew they were coming. Someone in the group is either a cop or a police informant.
Reservoir Dogs is a perfect example of how strong performances and sharp dialogue can hold an audience's attention without elaborate action sequences or special effects. Tarantino never actually shows the robbery. Instead, the film focuses largely on its aftermath, with much of the story unfolding inside a warehouse. Flashbacks reveal how several members of the crew became involved in the job. The film is perhaps best known for its disturbing torture scene, in which Mr. Blonde dances to Stealers Wheel's "Stuck in the Middle with You." For me, it also has one of the most memorable endings in crime-film history. However, it is the script that steals the show. Much of the film consists simply of the characters talking to one another, yet Tarantino's sharp dialogue keeps the audience engaged. In many ways, Tarantino structures Reservoir Dogs like a stage play. The audience becomes invested in the conversations, personalities, suspicions, and conflicts between the characters rather than chase scenes or special effects. Having seen many of Tarantino's films, I think this remains one of his greatest strengths: he can make a simple conversation as engaging as an action sequence.
Reservoir Dogs was made on a remarkably small budget. Tarantino has said that the production spent its music budget securing the rights to Stealers Wheel's "Stuck in the Middle with You." Despite its small budget, the film boasts an impressive cast, including Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn, and Tarantino himself. Reservoir Dogs demonstrated that skilled writing and talented actors can overcome the limitations of a small budget.
TF's Notes - I first became a fan of Tarantino when I saw Pulp Fiction. I thought it was an amazing film, and it led me to seek out Reservoir Dogs. One detail that always stuck with me is the connection Tarantino created between characters in Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. Mr. Blonde, played by Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs, is actually Vic Vega. John Travolta's character in Pulp Fiction is Vincent Vega. The shared surname is no coincidence: Tarantino conceived Vic and Vincent Vega as brothers, both inhabiting his interconnected criminal world. Tarantino even considered making a prequel centered on the Vega brothers. Unfortunately, the project never materialized, and as Madsen and Travolta grew older, it became increasingly difficult to make the concept work.