Reservoir Dogs

Before Quentin Tarantino's arrival, either generous, academically precise gangster films were being made, such as The Godfather series or Once Upon a Time in the West, or cheap and terrible B-movies that couldn't be taken seriously. Tarantino brought new energy, vulgarity, and interesting characters to the crime genre - his characters are a collection of various psychopaths and scoundrels of the worst kind - and above all, he brought back the entertainment value and attractiveness to crime films for film fans. Elements typical of his style are present in his debut - the alternating timelines, dialogue-driven scenes, violence portrayed as entertainment, and a provocatively pop-cultural mix of music motifs. In his beginnings, Tarantino worked to create a significant revival and I truly like his early films, unlike his recent works. If I can criticize anything about Reservoir Dogs, it would be its rather short runtime, as it could easily have been half an hour longer, and the audience could have gotten to know the fates of the remaining members of the gang. An inexpensive film that scored points with its excellent casting and provocative content. Overall impression: 90%. (10/22/2008)

Paradoxically, Reservoir Dogs was my "last Tarantino movie". I got exactly what I expected, and given that those expectations were high, I found absolutely no fault with it. A typical Quentin mosaic, great music, dialogue (it's just cool) and a foreshadowing of future Pulp Fiction or Jackie Brown style of flicks to come. (05/22/2009)

Quentin Tarantino is one of my favourite directors, I adore Pulp Fiction, so it was only a matter of time before I finally watched his debut, Reservoir Dogs. It’s true that Quentin’s genius is not manifested as strongly as in his later works, but this one is still a brilliant, harsh and entertaining film. Reservoir Dogs is very verbose, but Tarantino’s dialogues are something I can listen to again and again, even though I may be missing more than half of the references. 80% (09/14/2008)

Back in the day, I rated this movie highly, and after revisiting it today, I wouldn't change a thing about it. Many genres come to mind, but at its core, it's essentially a chamber movie. With almost all the characters (except one cop in uniform) falling on the negative spectrum, I didn't really have anyone to root for. Yet, it gave me the freedom to mentally pick what kind of ending I wanted for each bastard. Mr. Blonde, being a murderous psychopath, would have gotten the worst from me because I've got zero sympathy for that type. It seems Tarantino's films don't lose their appeal for me over time, and a big part of that is thanks to the stellar cast. In this movie, it really clicked, and I thoroughly enjoyed all the dialogue and the performances of the star-studded cast. / Lesson learned: If you enter a slippery slope, don't act surprised when you start slipping. (11/11/2022)

A truly unique and unrepeatable film. Firstly, with its gore, stylish directness and brutal amount of catchphrases in the space of one single room, secondly, with the brilliant opening dialogue in the restaurant, which still ranks among the top of Tarantino's work, and finally, because it’s the feature debut of the most iconic director of our time. Reservoir Dogs is not as thought-provoking and broad as Pulp Fiction, and there are two or three places where Quentin squeaks and creaks a bit, but that doesn't change the fact that only he can make a thriller this entertaining and sophisticated. The team of elite actors complement each other perfectly with emotions flowing during their quarrels, the setting of an abandoned warehouse perfectly intensifies the tense atmosphere and the very simple plot is sketched in an original and unpredictable way, so that the viewer can't get their eyes off the screen for a second. A special tribute to Keitel and Buscemi, who steal the show mainly for themselves, and I add a fifth star for the excellent final scene, which not even Pulp Fiction can boast. (02/13/2013)