Whilst Reservoir Dogs didn't even reach the top ten highest-grossing films in 1992, it certainly cemented itself as a breath of fresh air in cinema and a new style of story-telling from the now-renowned director, Quentin Tarantino. From its cast of old and new talent, low indie film budget, and blending of a love for classic radio, there are many factors that make Reservoir Dogs a memorable title 30 years on.Reservoir Dogs captured many elements of cinema that weren't often used together, but Tarantino's love for the arts certainly provided a well-focused approach for all things thought-provoking, entertaining and gritty. For a film that centered around a diamond heist going sour and featuring unknown characters working under aliases, Tarantino's writing and the cast's performances made for a varied group of intriguing characters, even though very little was known about who they were.Starring a cast of established actors such as Harvey Keitel, Lawrence Tierney, Chris Penn, and Tim Roth along with up-and-coming actors Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, and Tarantino himself, the movie as a whole featured a variety of attitudes from these dangerous men where the overall uneasy feeling presented the concept that anything could go wrong at any minute. The great amount of that subject matter that the film achieved came from the claustrophobic use of primarily filming in one setting. The setting of an old mortuary warehouse is the perfect setting for presenting death as a concept, but add in the stylish and fun flare of Tarantino and it's easily forgotten because fans are hooked on the content unfolding. Whilst it may not the be first crime film to be bloody and by no means Tarantino's bloodiest movie, the method to which it incorporated violence, torture and the overspilling of blood gives Reservoir Dogs a playful feeling, unlike most crime films.
It is important to hold Reservoir Dogs in such high regard not whether it is a fan's favorite Tarantino movie, but it kickstarted many great movie aspects now associated with a Tarantino movie and the soundtrack is a huge part of that. Even with Tarantino's last outing, music has always played a crucial part in setting the scene and creating an environment in his movies, and almost feels fictional with the additional radio station created. Whether it's the smooth group walk to "Little Green Bag", or Michael Madsen's sadistic dance/torture scene with "Stuck In The Middle With You" playing in the background, these songs are now cemented as being part of Reservoir Dogs. What stands out even more with the latter track is the moment that Madsen or Mr. Blonde leaves the venue and the music fades as if it's actually playing through the radio and the outside world is perceived as a normal sunny day, not that of bloodshed and violence.
There's a lot to nitpick from a film like Reservoir Dogs, its use of symbolism for example which is incorporated a lot more purposely in later films, stands out greatly once the film has been viewed. The warehouse itself features a lot of symbolism. The standing coffins feel like they represent the bodies in the warehouse at the conclusion of the movie, and the cockiness of Masden who fully knows Marvin the cop has no information on the rat, he just likes to torture people. There's the use of the radio station that is heard by all of the characters at one point in the movie which connects them all in one way or another. Even early on in the film when Mr. Pink and Mr. White have a confrontation in a separate room, the use of color-specific bottles of pink and white and then orange highlight the established alliances thus far in the movie.
What would later be seen in one of Tarantino's most recognized movies and considered one of the greatest movies of all time, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs was the first of Tarantino's movies to incorporate a storyline that jumps back and forth in its history. The use of the timeline helps the audience learn of certain characters' pasts and their connections, along with the overall development of Mr. Orange from cop to Brando-style script rehearsals and convincing criminal backstories that showcased Roth's talent as an actor. The back and forth development also reveals touching connections between certain characters such as the closeness of White and Orange concluding with an honest confession, as well as Blonde's friendship with Joe and Eddie and how because of this, Eddie will not believe Orange's story of killing Blonde in the slightest. It's a situation where personal information and feelings aren't supposed to get in the way, but in the end, they always do.
When thinking about the violence and overall disaster of events that Reservoir Dogs is, the trusting relationship that White has for Orange who he describes as a "good kid" is as beautiful as it is tragic. Everyone has a theory about whether there is or isn't a rat in the grand scheme of things but from the get-go of Orange being shot, White is almost like a father figure to him. What is no doubt a fantastic acting performance from Harvey Keitel, demonstrates how far someone will go for what they believe in, even if it means taking a bullet. That furthermore shows how much it hurts White when Orange reveals his true self and White can't pull the trigger, he still has care for the man that is basically the cause of his death.
Stepping away from the content of Reservoir Dogs, the overall circumstances of a small-budget indie film becoming a breakthrough moment in cinema and stepping into one of the biggest films of all time is another reason why Tarantino deserves the accolades he receives as a filmmaker. It didn't hide away from its influences nor its reveal who the rat was and featured a tightly worked script that could translate into any medium of entertainment. It was birthed from an individual who loved cinema and thankfully encouraged a whole generation that if someone who was self-educated on the subject matter and had the goal to produce a fantastic and well-directed story, then they could too.
There are no doubt fans will still be talking about Reservoir Dogs in another 30 years and it will still be renowned for its content as it is now. There are plenty of gangster and crime films out there, but there is only one Reservoir Dogs. Even though the majority of this cast has featured in later Tarantino movies, there never was a cast that worked so well or so tightly as they did here, especially when it came to composure and randomly opening doors. It is a movie that could be broken down and nitpicked piece by piece, rearranged and it would still hold the same gripping tale that its original feature does. It's the kind of film that needs to be rewatched, re-analyzed, and re-purposed for all times of media in the future.