1992's Reservoir Dogs took Quentin Tarantino from unknown screenwriter to genius Director/Screenwriter literally overnight. Two decades later, the evidence of why is splattered all over the screen, along with buckets of blood and profanity.
Mr Pink (Steve Buscemi) Mr White (Harvey Keitel) Mr Blonde (Michael Madsen) Mr Orange (Tim Roth) Mr Brown (Tarantino) and Mr Blue (Eddie Bunker) are hired by underworld boss Joe and his son Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn) to knock off a jewelry dealer on the day of a major diamond delivery from Israel.
Showing vivid early examples of the style and flair that would become Tarantino's traits, the story flips back and forth in time, showing plenty of action before and after the heist, but never any scenes inside the store.
It's brilliantly structured, feeding you bits and pieces of the story so that you, along with the gang, slowly begin to realize that one of the group is a cop, but letting the mystery of who unfold deliberately and intelligently.
The dialogue is pure QT, profanity laced tirades mixed with smart and funny rants on everything from Madonna to tipping in restaurants.
The actors are terrific across the board, with 40's movie star Lawrence Tierney (Joe) filling his best film role in 40 years.
The violence is graphic, intense and realistic, showing the very bloody consequences of our boys choices.
With a lead up this strong, funny and intense, most films would fold under the set up & expectations, but Tarantino delivers one of the best climaxes of the 90's, blasting his way into film history and the ranks of our greatest writer/directors.
Tarantino also dazzles with his encyclopedic knowledge and passion for music, including Harry Nilsson's "Coconut" and the 70's pop hit "Stuck In The Middle With You" which he uses to accompany the most graphic violence in the film.
It's not for all tastes, but if you are a huge Tarantino fan like I am, its an explosive debut from a young filmmaker that would become one of the leading directors of our lifetime.
A crazy, funny, brutal, bloody A.
Comments