A breathtaking viewing experience (Reservoir Dogs (DVD))

Member Name: baecpol

Product:	Reservoir Dogs (DVD)
Date:	10/04/03 (316 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tarantino's masterful debut, Gripping storyline, Fantastic conclusion

Disadvantages: Can get extremely violent at times, Frequent swearing

After purchasing Reservoir dogs a mere week ago on DVD, and subsequently watching it twice, I feel compelled to write an opinion on a film which has left me both enthralled and stunned.

The storyline is set around a bungled jewlery store robbery, and the events both leading up to it, and following on from it. Each gangster is assigned a colour, and instructed not to discuss each others personal background so as to minimise the chances of them being traced if someone were to be caught. Without wanting to go into too much detail regarding the film's storyline, so as not to spoil it for you if you havent already seen it, the storyline culminates in a shootout after a 'rat' is identified in the team.

Reservoir dogs is both powerful and contraversial, and is a thrilling and worthy debut from Tarantino. Tarantino himself makes a brief yet memorable appearance in the film as one of the gangsters, but is killed during the robbery after a tip-off to the police leads to a frantic shootout.

Steve Buscemi makes a fantastic performance as Mr Pink, and Tim Roth makes an accomplished appearance as the undercover cop (Mr Orange) who is badly injured by a bullet after a car-jacking. Lawrence Tierney plays the ruthless gang leader, which is in hindsight a role that he was born for. Harvey Keitel and Michael Madsen make memorable performances as Mr White and Mr Blonde respectively, and Chris Penn plays the role of Tierney's son.

The film begins by capturing the events following the bungled robbery as they unfold, but is regularly disrupted by flashbacks which capture the events leading up to, and during the robbery. It is during these flashbacks that we really begin to understand the true personalities of each reespective gang member. Madsen is the sadistic yet methodical Mr Blonde who tortures a captured policeman taken as hostige during the robbery to secure the gang's escape. We also begin to learn more about the undercover
policeman, Mr Orange (Tim Roth), and his preperations for the 'big job'.

Reservoir Dogs is a full-frontal attack on the senses, and the running time of 95 minutes is long enough to leave you satisfied, safe in the knowledge that the storyline has been pursued to its full potential, however is not too long to bore you, and there is no chance of losing interest in the plot. Reservoir dogs is a frank depiction of the life of crime, but does nothing to glorify or exaggerate it. Everything about the storyline is so believable that you could be fooled into thinking that the film was based on real-life events.

Reservoir dogs certainly hasn't aged since its release in 1991, and is still regarded as an accomplished cinematic experience by many. I was lucky enough to pick up the DVD for as little as £7.99 during a recent sale in Woolworths, however with the benefit of hindsight, I would be prepared to pay much, much more.

Although personally I think that the film is in good taste, and does nothing to glorify crime or robbery, there are particularly 'graphic' moments which some viewers may find offensive. Not only are several people shot and injured, the film also depicts car-jacking, and swearing is frequent and crude at times. Please don't let this put you off tho, as although you may not wan't your children to see it, it is a fantastic film, and one which I shall look forward to watching again, and again.

As the DVD was released back in 2000, unfortunately the special features consist only of the original trailer, and an introduction by Quentin Tarantino, although this does not bother me at all as personally I believe that special features are now used to sell films, rather then by letting films sell themselves. I beg you to watch this film if you havent already - It's certainly a viewing experience you'll remember for many years to come!

Summary: