Reservoir Dogs (1992) * Viewed Twice *

And some sweet foreshadowing from Mr. Blonde.

Genre: Crime Drama Thriller

Starring: Harvey Keitel (Bad Lieutenant; From Dusk Till Dawn), Tim Roth (Rob Roy; Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead)

Directed By: Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill; Pulp Fiction)

Overview: This is the story of a jewel heist gone awry, the players involved and a slow unveiling of the mysteries of the elements of the crime, all to the super sounds of the 70s.

Acting: The thing about Quentin is that he likes being in his own movies, and everyone knows he isn't a very good actor. He knows it too, so he doesn't say too much. Buscemi, Keitel and Roth, everyone else, amazing! There were a couple odd acting moments I found strange, like Harvey pretending to light his smoke and smoke rather than actually smoking it, but man, this is intense.
Rating: 8

Cinematography: The low budget of this film is obvious in the warehouse, but there's good pans and a solid effort to make it look cool and hip, which it still is. The spinning around the breakfast table, and especially the effects used in the Commode Story were top-notch cinematographic quality. Oh it's not super duper pretty, but you know seeing this, that Quentin only picks the best.
Rating: 8

Script: "Are you gonna bark all day, little doggy? Or are you gonna bite?"
"...Featuring Rick Bodine's monster truck, The Boh-hwee-meth."
"Some other GUY on some other JOB is Mr. Purple. You're Mr. PINK!"

I could go on and on. Yes there's a couple dated lines that seem cheesy, but the rest is gold, gold, gold.
Rating: 9

Plot: The story is terrific, and the editing style of coming in half-way though the movie to explain the beginning and putting a hunk here and a clue there rather than telling the tale in a straight line really makes for exciting storytelling. I love this style, and Quentin pulls it off like a genius. The story itself is fun and you know that you have to see this film, there's no question of why, just when.
Rating: 9

Mood: When one is very much aware of the music of a film, that's a bonus. And how many people do you know own this soundtrack? I know I do, do you? See, if it's one thing I know about Quentin it's that he NEEDS the music to be just right and with a high recall value. With that said, the black suits and the big silver guns, the hip chic of every character, and the mood set by the Commode Story? Man oh God!
Rating: 9

Poor Chris Penn, died because his heart was just too big... (RIP 2006)

Overall Rating: 86% (Stop Bitchin' and See This Already!)

Aftertaste: The what now? The eighth or ninth viewing of this classic Tarantino film? You can tout and rant about must see War Epics and black and white important historic retellings, but when it comes down to it, my generation wants a solid story, cool guns, nice surprises and one hell of a soundtrack. Reservoir Dogs has it ALL, and sadistic torture to boot. Man, this will never die, never fade. It's brilliant. In fact, it's one of the first films that made me begin my true exploration of film as something to study seriously, no shinola.

First Reviewed December 25, 2005. See comments for re-viewed review.