Crime/Thriller
1 hour and 40 minutes
Rated: R
Written by: Quentin Tarantino
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Produced by: Lawrence Bender and Harvey Keitel
Cast:
Harvey Keitel
Tim Roth
Chris Penn
Steve Buscemi
Lawrence Tierney
Michael Madsen
Four perfect killers. One perfect crime. Now all they have to fear is each other.
The next generation of filmmakers is bound to have been influenced by Quentin Tarantino in some way or another. The man left his fingerprints all over 1990s-culture by writing and directing some of the most quotable films of all time. Love him or hate him, Tarantino remains a filmmaker who continues to make movies for other filmmakers.
Tarantino's debut motion-picture, Reservoir Dogs, is undeniably among his best. With sharp dialogue, amazing performances, and simplistic but effective cinematography, the film showcases Tarantino's immense talents behind the camera.
The film is filled to the brim with other cinematic references - especially 1970s pop culture - including to Brian De Palma and Sergio Corbucci (the cutting of the ear is an homage to Corbucci's spaghetti western: Django). While these elements are arguably borrowed, they do not detract from the creativity behind the story, and further evidence Tarantino being a filmmaker for other filmmakers.
The performances in Reservoir Dogs remain staples within the actors' careers. What further evidences Tarantino's talent is his eye for talent. Many of the performers in Reservoir Dogs were considerably unknown at the time of production, and after the success of this film have gone on to have lengthy and profitable careers (especially Steve Buscemi). The only then-big-name star within the film is Harvey Keitel, whose work with Martin Scorsese unquestionably is what made Tarantino want him for the role of Mr. White. Lawrence Tierney had been steadily working in movies prior to Reservoir Dogs, and was no doubt a veteran to the craft, but he never showcased much in the way of a standout performance. It'd be tough to single out one performance within Reservoir Dogs as being the standout performance because, honestly, all of the performances in the film are standout performances. The film, which is hefty and bloated with dialogue, never once is boring due to the believability and delivery of its cast. Some standout scenes would included the dialogue between Harvey Keitel and Steve Buscemi concerning the robbery-gone-wrong.
The performances in Reservoir Dogs can only take it so far, though. The effective cinematography - photographed by Andrzej Sekula - showcases the brilliant performances. Tarantino uses mainly long shots with a wide-angle lens in order to give the actors enough room to deliver their lengthy speeches. This, along with the very few settings within the film, sets up the atmosphere of a theatrical performance. Close-ups are used, but really only where needed. If the audience needs to see the reaction of a character to a situation or a piece of dialogue, they see it. Dolly shots are interchanged with handheld tracking shots, but this switching is almost unnoticeable. The switching of shots and techniques, and using the appropriate one for the right setting again showcases Tarantino's immense talent as a filmmaker.
What is perhaps the only scene that arguably doesn't work is the flashback involving Mr. Blonde, Michael Madsen's character. It gives us some back story to the character - which everybody knows how much Tarantino loves his characters - but when given some thought, is it really necessary to know the backstory of Mr. Blonde? He is labeled as being a psychopath for his actions at the unseen bank robbery, and is confirmed as a psychopath by his torturing of the kidnapped cop. He may be more effective as a psychotic character if the audience didn't know anything about him. The scene ultimately serves as just being a chance for Lawrence Tierney to grab some more screen time.
The story is magnificent. Leave it to Tarantino to come up with an idea for a heist film where the actual heist is never seen. To be a fly on the wall when Tarantino was pitching that to studio executives would've been an absolute treat. Understandably, Tarantino realized as a writer that what is new and interesting in the way of thinking about a heist-thriller is not necessarily what goes down during the heist. As is the case with most of his characters, he makes them interesting and everyday in the things they enjoy (such as 1970s music), but everyone knows there's something badass lying just below the surface.
With a sharply-written screenplay that includes some of Tarantino's most effective and hilarious dialogue, brilliant performances by actors who have since risen to fame, and an interesting story framed with excellent cinematography, Reservoir Dogs is a near-perfect entry in the filmography of Quentin Tarantino.
9.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment