43.
Reservoir Dogs (1992) -
Quentin TarantinoFive total strangers teamed up for the perfect crime. But something went wrong. Something got f---ed up. One of the men is the rat, an infiltrator working for the cops. What makes Tarantino so great, is that he takes all of the elements from the movies that he enjoys and puts his own spin on things. And this guy has seen a lot of fucking movies. He creates art-house movies with a touch of European flare and mixes it with his sharp American dialogue. Reservoir Dogs at the time of it's release was criticised for it's heavy violence and shocking scenes. Well if I was Tarantino I would take that as a compliment because there is nothing overly violent about this film. It's the suggestion of violence and his use of musical score and camera work that makes you feel uneasy. It's not just in the ear cutting scene but the whole film, you can never relax because you feel like some shit is about to happen. It's the same in Pulp Fiction and something that Scorsese did so well in The Departed. The plot here is very thin, but it's Tarantino's awesome ear for dialogue and his great direction that moves this almost "Greek tragedy" on stage in full motion.
Harvey Keitel, who by financing the movie helped make Reservoir Dogs a reality, puts much energy and emotion into his character, the sort of performance you can only dream of when casting a film. Steve Buscemi puts in the best performance of his career as Mr. Pink, no more so than in the scene where he voices his disappointment at being Mr. Pink or his disgust over the art of tipping. (Which Tarantino ironically plays with in Pulp Fiction, by making Buscemi a waiter at the Jack Rabbit Slim's scene!!!). Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde delivers Tarantino dialogue like no other (maybe with the exception of Samuel L. Jackson) and Tim Roth does a subtle but convincing job as Mr. Orange. Reservoir Dogs is a extraordinary achievement from a first time director, not least from someone who's only education was in a video rental store. The film probably has more memorable shots (the mexican standoff at the end, Mr. White and Mr. Blonde standoff, the ear cutting scene, the opening credits) than any Tarantino movie to date and the incredible thing is.... it's only the tip of the iceberg on what was to come.