Film #4: Reservoir Dogs

What's going down? Six criminals, known to each other only by code name, are hired to pull off a diamond heist. The operation falls apart when it becomes clear that someone has informed the police, and the survivors begin to fight between each other as one of them begins to succumb to a bullet wound and another emerges as a far more dangerous individual than he first appeared. Who's in it? Harvey Keitel is Mr. White, who tries to stay level-headed and human in the face of betrayal, violence, and the impending death of Mr. Orange, whom he feels responsible for. Mr. Orange is played by Tim Roth, who manages to convincingly play a man in pain and on the verge of death. Steve Buscemi is Mr. Pink, in conflict with White as the latter's professionalism falls apart as his guilt over Orange builds. Michael Madsen is Mr. Blonde, playing the part with a shockingly detached attitude toward his own depraved acts of violence (Madsen was reportedly sickened with himself on set). Lawrence Tierney is Joe Cabot, the mastermind who plans the heist and gets the crew together. Chris Penn (Sean's brother) is Nice Guy Eddie, Joe's son, who trusts Mr. Blonde and becomes suspicious of the others after Blonde's apparent turn to insanity. How's the production? In true Tarantino fashion, violence and a killer script are in order. Even though we never see the moment where the heist goes wrong, the characters words to each other give us a good enough picture that it isn't even necessary. The most inventively shot sequence is that in which Mr. Orange, rehearsing a story for his future employers, is presented to the audience in the story he's telling, continuing to narrate as his own anecdote unfolds around him. Tarantino also shows that less can be more, with a small cast and one central location providing all the necessary drama. And as for the torture sequence... you won't be forgetting it anytime soon. You may never hear "Stuck In The Middle" the same way again. The Greatest Scene: With the rest of the crew gone, Mr. Blonde begins to torture the cop he has taken captive. Blonde looks the cop in the face and tells him that, although Blonde knows he had nothing to do with their setup, he's going to torture and kill him anyway, just for the fun of it. Blonde's offhand, detached attitude toward his victim's suffering is shocking and impossible to forget. With just a few scenes, Mr. Blonde carves himself a niche among the greatest film villains. Personal impressions: I'm definitely becoming a fan of Tarantino. With this, his directorial debut, we see all the hallmarks of his style come into play for the first time. The ensemble cast comes together perfectly, with Keitel, Buscemi, Roth and Madsen fueling and feeding off each other as tensions build and loyalties are questioned. The flashbacks are perfectly integrated into the present action, with Mr. Orange's providing the best plot exposition. This just goes to show what can be accomplished with a small budget and the perfect cast and crew.