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Movies / Upcoming / Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs

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Reservoir Dogs (1992)

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Reviews Counted:43

Fresh:41

Rotten:2

Average Rating:8.9/10

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $0

Synopsis: Former video store clerk Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut, RESERVOIR DOGS, is a brutally funny, supercharged introduction to his supremely distinct cinematic vision, which was later to become... Former video store clerk Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut, RESERVOIR DOGS, is a brutally funny, supercharged introduction to his supremely distinct cinematic vision, which was later to become one of the most mimicked styles of the 1990s. Mastermind Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) assembles a crew of top-notch criminals to pull off a jewelry store heist. As the film opens it becomes immediately clear that the plan backfired, forcing the survivors, who have gathered at an abandoned warehouse, to figure out if one of them is, in fact, a police informer. The crew--Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), an aged veteran; Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), a wounded newcomer; Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), a psychopathic parolee; Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), a bickering weasel; and Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn), Joe's son--begin to unravel as the pressure becomes too much for them to handle. When Joe arrives, the truth becomes clear in a vicious Mexican standoff. Tarantino takes liberally from Hong Kong action flicks, most notably Ringo Lam's CITY ON FIRE, but his ultra-hip ‘70s soundtrack and hysterical pop culture dialogue make the film seem wholly original and new. Taking a cue from the French New Wave--most notably Jean-Luc Godard--RESERVOIR DOGS remains one of the decade's most influential motion pictures. [More]

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, Quentin Tarantino, Eddie Bunker, Kirk Baltz, Stephen Wright

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Screenwriter: Quentin Tarantino
Producer: Lawrence Bender
Composer: Karyn Rachtman

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Reservoir Dogs

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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Quentin Tarantino came out of nowhere with perhaps the most astonishing, explosive American debut film since John Cassavetes' Shadows.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
02/04/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

The writing is crisp and clean, providing line after line of snappy dialogue designed to leave the viewer alternately pondering and laughing aloud.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

You may not like the terms Tarantino sets, but you have to admit he succeeds on them.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
02/27/07
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Entertainment Weekly

Those who survive it emerge in a shell-shocked euphoria -- so good and so blunt is the writing.

comment Comment
10/15/02
Duane Byrge
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter

A small, modestly budgeted crime movie of sometimes dazzling cinematic pyrotechnics and over-the- top dramatic energy.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Tarantino's camera has instinct.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
08/14/02
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

[A] remarkable macho crime caper that is at once violent, sickeningly funny and utterly compelling.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeff Dawson
Jeff Dawson
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie feels like it's going to be terrific, but Tarantino's script doesn't have much curiosity about these guys.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 21 Comments
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Like many young directors, Quentin Tarantino is overly infatuated with Scorsese, but he shows talent -- in his work with the actors, and in his staging of some of the action scenes.

Full Review Source: Movieline | comment Comment
01/09/02
Stephen Farber
Stephen Farber
Movieline

memorable

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
08/02/09
Blake French
Blake French
Filmcritic.com

It's dynamite on a short fuse.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/13/07
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail

Tarantino exploits audience savvy, preferring to build anticipation, mesmerise, and then cut away at the climax.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/17/01
Almar Haflidason
Almar Haflidason
BBC

A tour de force.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Time Out

It's extremely well-acted, written with flair and directed by a 29-year-old first-timer, Quentin Tarantino, who always knows where to put the camera, when to cut to a flashback and how to draw the best work from his brilliant cast.

comment Comment
01/01/00
John Hartl
John Hartl
Film.com

Tarentino has the craft down but lacks the depth and moral wisdom to avoid merely gleeful bloodletting.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment 4 Comments
01/01/00
Chris Hicks
Chris Hicks
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

It's brutal, it's funny and you won't forget it.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Hal Hinson
Hal Hinson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The one QT film that always manages to rope a knot in my stomach and keep a firm grip, pulling, twisting, tightening and re-tying it.

Full Review Source: Cinemania | comment Comment
03/09/04
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Cinemania

After watching this film for the zillionth time, there’s no doubt in my mind that this 'little doggy' belongs at the top echelon of any list having to do with great crime pictures.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
09/09/02
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

A ballet of macho posturing, gun-pointing, and the creative uses of every four-letter word imaginable.

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
02/27/01
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

Riveting from start to finish.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for Reservoir Dogs

August 11, 2009: Quentin Tarantino talks Inglourious Basterds - RT Interview
With his sixth film, Quentin Tarantino has fashioned the ultimate in pulp fiction, a Second World War epic set in Nazi-occupied France that sees two parallel assassination plots... More...

September 21, 2007: Quentin Tarantino Stimulated to Write Swedish Soft-Core Film
Quentin Tarantino has a penchant for reviving under-recognized genres. Next on his revivalist roster: Swedish Soft-Core. More...

September 18, 2007: QT Talks Death Proof: What's Different In the DVD Release?
At a press conference at Cannes, the Death Proof gang talked about the differences between the stand-alone version and the Grindhouse cut, as well as Tarantino's influences, his... More...

June 27, 2007: Is Tarantino Preparing Two "Kill Bill" Sequels?
Well, according to one source he sure seems to be ... maybe. More...

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