RESERVOIR DOGS

It is a film filled with head-scratching ambiguities and nameless characters, and the majority of the 100 minute runtime takes place in the same room, yet "Reservoir Dogs" manages to be one of the most gritty and engaging films to come out of the last three decades. Of course, it spurred an extremely successful career from one of Hollywood's most acclaimed directors, and this film continues to hold up as one of Quentin Tarantino's best works to date.

Violent crime films were a pervasive trend in the 1990's. Notable examples include "Goodfellas", "The Usual Suspects", "Casino", and "L.A. Confidential", all of which have their own charm and appeal. However, as he always has, Tarantino did things a bit differently. Especially in his earlier years as a writer and director, he played devil's advocate to the traditional style of linear storytelling. Many of his films jump from one part of the story, to a completely different one, within minutes. As he has stated in the past, he subscribes to the notion that it's okay to be a little confused, as long as everything is pulled together in the end. In one of its earliest scenes, "Reservoir Dogs" shows Tim Roth's character, Mr. Orange, curled up and covered in blood in the back seat of a car. Its not until close to the end of the film that we are actually shown how this happened. In fact, the entire plot of the film revolves around a diamond heist that is never actually brought to screen. In many cases, a film with this many unanswered questions would be bothersome. But with Tarantino, viewers get the sense that they're in good hands.

The aforementioned Roth plays a seemingly timid crook, later revealed as the undercover cop who arranged for the diamond scheme to be busted. The rest of the cast is equally colorful. Steve Buscemi is excellent as the paranoid, yet "professional", Mr. Pink. Harvey Keitel, a recurring figure in Tarantino movies, plays Mr. White. The psycho of the crowd, Mr. Blonde, played by Michael Madsen, makes the actions of the other characters look tame. Lawrence Tierney plays Joe Cabot, who has assembled the group and acts as the mastermind behind the operation. The dialogue helps to develop a distinct personality for each of the leading characters, and all of the actors execute their roles perfectly.

Aside the abundant violence and stylized story structures, one of Tarantino's most effective strategies for making his films supremely entertaining is the level of detail he applies to his writing. Take, for example, the opening scene of "Reservoir Dogs". We see the characters sitting around a diner table, enjoying a nice breakfast before a day of stealing precious gems. The content of this scene is ultimately unrelated to the rest of the film, yet Mr. Pink's "I don't tip" rant is arguably the most quoted group of lines from this film. Tarantino takes the time to create intriguing side and filler conversations, even if they have no effect on the plot. This captures audiences and allows for a full understanding of each character. With this style of screenwriting, everything is said with purpose, and not one line of dialogue is wasted.

It's made very clear that all goes to hell upon the attempt to come away with the diamonds. Most of the film shows the aftermath of the caper, which is bloody and chaotic, as the group attempts to identify which of their associates sold them out to the authorities. There is tension to spare as Mr. Orange lies on the floor bleeding out, Mr. Pink stresses over the potential police presence, and Mr. Blonde dances around with a razor blade before gruesomely peeling off the ear of a captive officer. As the plot unfolds, nobody, not even viewers, know who to trust. We see flashbacks to the crime itself and Mr. Orange's plan to blend in with this group of experienced tough guys. Members of the group turn against each other, for right and wrong reasons, leading to one of the most iconic, and widely debated, endings in film history. During the final standoff, it seems that three shots are fired, but four men get hit. Since this film came out, "Who shot nice guy Eddie?" has been a popular debate. However, according to most accounts, it happened due to a special effects error, but was left in the film nonetheless. Only Tarantino could get away with that.

This film may leave you asking yourself a lot of questions (one of them being, "what the hell is a reservoir dog?"), but its not a film that you mind giving a little thought to after its finished. Whether it's through off-color conversation or unharnessed violence, one thing is for sure; Quentin Tarantino knows how to entertain. And when it comes to the entertainment test, "Reservoir Dogs" passes with flying colors (pink, white, orange, blonde, blue, and brown, to be exact).

RATING: 8.5/10