5 out of 5 stars
Family Appropriateness rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Rated R
-A moderate amount of gun violence, some showing gun wounds as it happens.
-Quite a bit of blood is shown, but it is mostly on someone who had been shot previously. It is enough to form a small puddle by the end.
-Strong language, including f-words in both sexual and non-sexual contexts, throughout.
"Reservoir Dogs" knows it is a simple movie and stays focused on what is important.
Most of the film is set in a warehouse, where several members of a robbery gang are hiding out. One of them, Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), has a bullet wound in his belly. He is suffering a slow, painful death and needs medical attention as soon as possible. However, some of the other gang members do not know what to do. They are afraid that if they take Orange to a hospital, he will give them away when the police ask questions.
They have just returned from a robbery that did not go well at all. As they were stealing diamonds, someone sounded an alarm, one of the members -- Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) -- shot a few people, and the cops came. The gangsters are suspicious that someone in the group is a mole because the police came to the scene much more quickly than normal.
This film is the simplest of the Tarantino films, but it is definitely one of the best. The premise is not overly complicated, and it never attempts to be more than it needs. The only twist is the revelation of who the mole is. Not straying into complexity allows the movie to focus on the characters. In this aspect, Quentin Tarantino is at the top of his game in this film. There are four major characters, and each is memorable for different things.
Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) is established from the beginning as a jerk. Before the opening credits, there is a scene with all the gang members in a restaurant. Though this event has nothing to do with the rest of the film, it gives insight into who Mr. Pink is. When everyone is tipping the waitress, he refuses to do so because he thinks it is ridiculous that society expects him to pay more to someone who is just doing a service. In his opinion, it is unnecessary unless the person went above and beyond. He does not care that some people live off of tips. This scene indicates he is self-absorbed. He rarely does anything for other people, and he constantly justifies himself for being that way. This trait is consistent throughout the film.
Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) is the opposite. He is a calm, older man who wants to see the best in people. When Mr. Pink suspects that someone is a mole, White is infuriated. He does not think anyone in their company would snitch on them. None of the gang members go by their real names so they cannot testify against each other, and White is so trusting that he reveals his first name to another character at one point.
Mr. Blonde is a psychopath. This is both said by other characters and shown in a memorable, yet disturbing scene. While he commits atrocious acts, he has the radio set to up-beat dance music. He proceeds to make some comical motions, which shows how crazy he is.
Every single scene is entertaining. This is due to interesting characters, a focused plot and details that are not revealed all at once. Right after the opening credits, the first thing that is shown is Mr. Orange in the back seat of a car with blood everywhere. How or why this happened is not explained at first, but it is eventually. In the end, all of the questions that have been risen are answered.
Like my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/criticalchristopher
Follow me on Twitter: @ChrisCampbell02
Quentin Tarantino Month
Introduction
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Pulp Fiction
Django Unchained
Inglorious Basterds
Jackie Brown
No comments:
Post a Comment