Reservoir Dogs, Dir. Quentin Tarantino, 1992



This review is analyzing the editing of Quentin Tarantino’s movie – “Reservoir dogs”. While acting, editing and directing his own movies Tarantino shows his true love to his work. This review is based on Roger Ebert’s review from Chicago-Sun Times, James Berardinelli’s review from ReelViews and Peter Travers’s review from Rolling Stone page.

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Reservoir Dogs is a 1992 American crime film and the debut of director and writer Quentin Tarantino. It depicts the events before and after a botched diamond heist, though not the heist itself. Reservoir Dogs stars an ensemble cast with Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, and Lawrence Tierney. Tarantino has a minor role, as does criminal-turned-author Eddie Bunker. It incorporates many themes and aesthetics that have become Tarantino's hallmarks: violent crime, pop culture references, memorable dialogue, profuse profanity, and a nonlinear storyline. According to Roger Ebert: “The movie has one of the best casts you could imagine, led by the legendary old tough guy Lawrence Tierney, who has been in and out of jail both on the screen and in real life. He is incapable of uttering a syllable that sounds inauthentic.” (October 26, 1992, Chicago-Sun Times). Without actual experience of the events happening throughout the movie realistic feeling is also given by a perfect sound editing which with surround sound system lets you feel that you are in a café, street or that bloody storage.

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James Berardinelli touches another interesting fact: “Tarantino invests each member of his group with a unique and multi-faceted personality. Not content with stereotypes, the writer/director digs deeper, bringing out the humanity in even someone as viciously sadistic and reprehensible as Mr. Blonde.” (Date of the publishing is unknown, www.reelviews.com). The investigation of the characters also touches by it’s editing, because it is the reason why the plot is non-linear (flashback). Non-linear plot shows everything on the right moment to keep the interest always on, makes the audience fully satisfied and doesn’t make it like it would be a waist of time by waiting of what happens next when anybody can already presume it. That kind of story helps sophisticated twists look even more sophisticated and surprising.

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All in all this interesting and twisted movie has everything – As Peter Travers said: “It's all here: hoods with color-coded names like Mr. Pink and Mr. White; the gabbing about tipping and Madonna's pussy; the tension generated by showing the before and after but not the heist itself” (September 13, 2002, Rolling Stones). There is no question whether somebody should watch it if haven’t seen before.







Illustrations:


Figure1. Walk-out scene right after the cafe in the beggining http://www.filmreference.com/Films-Ra-Ro/Reservoir-Dogs.html

Figure2. Cruel Scene with Mr. Blonde http://www.listal.com/viewimage/720491

Figure3. Tarantino emphasizing into his roli in the cafe scene http://brantleypalmer.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/loveandhatefortarantino/



Bibliography:



1. Roger Ebert http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19921026/REVIEWS/210260301/1023



2. James Berardinelli http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_template.php?identifier=261



3. Peter Travers http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/reservoir-dogs-20020913