Reservoir Dogs: Movie Review

By the time the opening scene of "Reservoir Dogs" finished, it had us hook, line and sinker. "Reservoir Dogs" is a Tarantino film through and through with all his quirkiness in its rawest form. While it is definitely rough around the edges - this is Tarantino's feature length film debut - the ultra-violent and guessing game aspect made it a thrilling experience in more ways than one.

After a botched diamond heist organized by Joe Cabot, the eight-man team is reduced to a handful of men. As the survivors try to figure out what went wrong, it becomes clear as day that one of them was actually a rat. So can they figure out who's the police informant among themselves?

As a heist film, you would think that it needs to have an actual heist in it to be successful. But "Reservoir Dogs" doesn't have one. In fact, the film switches from before and after timelines to make you, the audience, fill in the gaps. And you know what? That's what gives "Reservoir Dogs" its unique charm. We loved it as it had us completely involved trying to guess who the informant was and at the same time craving to know what happened in between. It also helps that the film had good actors in it. Stand outs would be Michael Madsen as the crazy Mr. Blonde, Steve Buscemi as the whiny yet practical Mr. Pink and Harvey Keitel as the sociopathic Mr. White. You're going to love that scene where Mr. Blonde was left alone with the cop - trust us on this one. Speaking of which, Tarantino's cinematography was top-notch. It kept the action and tension intense and upfront and considering the limited set locations the film had (we counted at most a handful), Tarantino made a swell job in keeping things fresh with a well-balanced approach on dialogue versus action. "Reservoir Dogs" may not float with everyone, it had some loopholes here and there and the final scene ended with a thud, but no one can deny that it's a pretty damn engaging film even with all of its shortcomings.

Rating: 4 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- even with his first try, Tarantino delivers one heck of an experience
- the non-linear story makes this a very engaging

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the ending was just okay