R Is For Reservoir Dogs

Preamble: When you are a young punk, who fancy themselves a bonafided film buff and you also happen to be a student of pop culture and all things geeky, loving Quentin Tarantino as both a director and writer is kind of a must at some point. It's hard to believe that this was an "independent" film.

There's a lot to love about this movie but it is a violent and profanity laced ride choked full of more pop culture references than an episode of Supernatural so if that's not really your thing then I give you a pass to not check this out. Though, I might be silently judging you.
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Year: 1992

Rated: R

Summary - A group of thieves assemble to pull of the perfect diamond heist. It turns into a bloody ambush when one of the men turns out to be a police informer. As the group begins to question each others' guilt, the heightening tensions threaten to explode the situation before the police step in.

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Written by: Quentin Tarantino

Starring:

• Harvey Keitel
• Tim Roth
• Chris Penn
• Steve Buscemi
• Lawrence Tierney
• Michael Madsen

The Review
As a youngster, my parent let me read and watch just about anything that I wanted to that wasn't porn or ultra violent. So needless to say I didn't get a chance to watch any Tarantino flick until I was about 15 and could afford my own VCR/DVD player and a swanky TV and surround sound system. I remember having a sleepover where we marathoned Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, True Romance, Jackie Brown and From Dusk Til Dawn all in one day.

While I love Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs is much more memorable and gritty. It is highly quotable and the scenes just get seared into your brain because while they are simple and bare bones they pack a punch. The most important thing to me is that the violence is never glorified and neither is the criminal lifestyle. Despite the extreme violence, Reservoir Dogs still manages to deliver an important overall message about the consequences of your actions.

I loved that it was a fun take on the crime genre that I hadn't scene before. It felt fresh and raw. But the absolute best thing about this movie is that there is no stupid love interest subplot thrown in. It's not a summer blockbuster flick that's a ll style and no substance it the literal opposite. It's just pure storytelling.

Some have said that the violence was unnecessary and didn't move the plot forward as it did with Pulp Fiction. While, I agree,I saw the violence as way to develop the character's personalities. It showed their disregard for human life and really drove home the anti-hero vibe.
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Grade: A

Aces for Acting

• Tim Roth

MVP

• Steve Buscemi

Favorite Character

• Mr. Blonde

Best Character Interactions

• Nice Guy Eddie and anyone

Best Scene
Nice Guy Eddie: C'mon, throw in a buck!

Mr. Pink: Uh-uh, I don't tip.

Nice Guy Eddie: You don't tip?

Mr. Pink: Nah, I don't believe in it.

Nice Guy Eddie: You don't believe in tipping?

Mr. Blue: You know what these chicks make? They make shit.

Mr. Pink: Don't give me that. She don't make enough money that she can quit.

Nice Guy Eddie: I don't even know a fucking Jew who'd have the balls to say that. Let me get this straight: you don't ever tip?

Mr. Pink: I don't tip because society says I have to. All right, if someone deserves a tip, if they really put forth an effort, I'll give them something a little something extra. But this tipping automatically, it's for the birds. As far as I'm concerned, they're just doing their job.

Mr. Blue: Hey, our girl was nice.

Mr. Pink: She was okay. She wasn't anything special.

Mr. Blue: What's special? Take you in the back and suck your dick?

Nice Guy Eddie: I'd go over twelve percent for that.


Notable Quotable

[Nice Guy Eddie asks if anyone knows what happened to Mr. Blue]

Mr. Blonde: Either he's alive or he's dead, or the cops got him... or they don't.

Most Memorable Moment

Joe: This man set us up.

Nice Guy Eddie: Dad, I'm sorry, but I don't know what the hell's happening.

Joe: It's all right, Eddie. I do.

Mr. White: What the fuck are you talking about?

Joe: That lump of shit's working with the L.A.P.D.

Mr. Orange: Joe, I don't have the slightest fucking idea what you're talking about.

Mr. White: Joe, I don't know what you think you know, but you're wrong.

Joe: Like hell I am.

Mr. White: Joe, trust me on this. You've made a mistake. He's a good kid. I understand. You're hot, you're super fucking pissed. We're all real emotional. But you're barking up the wrong tree. I know this man. He wouldn't do that.

Joe: You don't know jack shit! I do! The cocksucker tipped off the cops and had Mr. Brown and Mr. Blue killed.

Mr. Pink: Mr. Blue is dead?

Joe: Dead as Dillinger.

Mr. White: How do you know all this?


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Did I whet your appetite to watch Reservoir Dogs for the first time or maybe just the first time in a long time?

Be sure to come back tomorrow because I'm discussing Scream.

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