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Extras:
Trailer, Original Interviews, Film Noir Files, Deleted Scenes, Class of '92,
Securing the Shot: Location Scouting with Billy Fox, Tributes and Dedications,
Audio Commentary.
Mr. White: Harvey Keitel
Mr. Orange: Tim Roth
Nice Guy Eddie: Chris Penn
Mr. Pink: Steve Buscemi
Joe: Lawrence Tierney
Mr. Blonde: Michael Madsen
Mr. Brown: Quentin Tarantino
Mr. Blue: Eddie Bunker
"Like A Virgin" is all about a girl who digs a guy with a big dick.
Those are the first words you hear, but isn't this supposed to be an
ultra-violent heist movie? Why are they chatting about what's in the charts
from years gone by? That's because Tarantino's script for this - and his
subsequent films, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, show that
even men with guns can talk about the less meaningful things in life. They
all have discussions about nothing just like us - it's just that previous
films have rarely, if ever, gone at great lengths to make their characters
seem more human and it's all the better for that.
Note though that this isn't a film for those who take offence to characters
using a constant stream of strong or racist language.
The film is a part rip-off, er.. I mean "homage", to John Woo's
City on Fire
which starred Chow Yun Fat, including the final four-way confrontation,
but here it takes place over a weekend on which the local radio station is
having a "K-Billy's Super Sounds of the 70s weekend" - and all those
tracks make the soundtrack, including Stealer's Wheel's "Stuck in
the Middle with You" during the infamous torture scene, which was aped
in an episode of The Simpsons' "Itchy and Scratchy" cartoon "with guest
director Quentin Tarantino".
In another homage to another heist film, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three,
all the characters have the names of colours to protect their own identity.
Nice Guy Eddie: "Well, no-one told ME it was a black-tie do!"
Told in flashback, six men are recruited to pull off a heist at a jeweller's
shop with a brilliant cast: the thoughtful Mr. White (Harvey Keitel),
the shit-scared Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), the fast-talking Mr. Pink
(Steve Buscemi) most-knowned for the fact that "I don't tip.",
the psychopath Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), Madonna fan Mr. Brown
(Quentin Tarantino) and the man for whom we know little Mr. Blue
(Eddie Bunker).
Managing the job is Mr. White's friend Joe (Lawrence Tierney) and
there's back up from his son "Nice Guy" Eddie (Chris Penn).
What makes this different from other films is not only the flashback sequences
telling you what went on, since the post-opening-credits-sequence opens
with Mr. Orange bleeding over the back seat of a car and Mr. White panicking
like hell, but the links between this and others with which Quentin Tarantino
has been involved.
Mr. White also used to go out with Alabama, the girl played by Patricia
Arquette in
True Romance,
which was also written by Tarantino, as was Pulp Fiction and that
film's Vincent Vega (John Travolta) is the brother of this film's
Mr. Blonde, aka Vic Vega. Tarantino also wrote Natural Born Killers,
but its director Oliver Stone rewrote it and Tarantino had his name
taken off it.
Also, although not a Tarantino link, it's interesting to know that the woman
who put the bullet in Tim Roth's stomach was his dialogue coach. He gets to
fire back, but he wanted to have some way of getting back at the person who
forced him to perfect his American accent.
The film is presented in its original cinematic ratio of 2.35:1 and is
anamorphic. Tarantino uses the full width of the frame very well indeed
and it looks gorgeous throughout with no artifacts. It's set during the day
so there are no night-time scenes bar occasional flashbacks. It looks
excellent.
Last time round we had a Pro Logic soundtrack only, but here we're blessed
with Dolby Digital 5.1 and it fills the room with rich sound during the many
songs featured, occasional gunfire and plenty of background ambience.
Mr Blonde figured Marvin the cop was behind the catering.
Four years after the original DVD release, we finally get a Special Edition disc
with the contents taking up two discs. All of the following are on disc 2, bar the
commentary and trailer:
Trailer (1½ mins):
In letterbox 16:9.
Original Interviews (55 mins):
with Chris Penn, Kirk Baltz, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, producer Lawrence Bender and Quentin Tarantino,
each of which is introduced with a unique style (Chris Penn in the back of a truck, Tim Roth amongst
synchronised swimmers!) before the "Dog" in question gets on with giving their opinions and telling
anecdotes about their involvement in the movie.
Not sure where they get the word "Original" from because these were filmed in 2002.
For the technically-minded, they're in 16:9 anamorphic.
Film Noir Files (19 mins):
Author Woody Haut introduces the concept and then comes more interview footage with authors Robert
Polito, Donald Westlake, writer/director Mike Hodges and directors John Boorman and Stephen Frears.
Deleted Scenes (12½ mins):
Five here, all in open-matte 16:9 anamorphic, so you can imagine the 2.35:1 bars being applied on top.
Firstly, Mr Orange does a background check on Mr White - worth a watch but goes on too
long to be included in the film; Then another one about planning how far away the cops will be when
the operation begins. Thirdly, there's a post-heist in-car scene with Mr White, Mr Pink and Nice
Guy Eddie, but since they all end up at the warehouse at different times, this would seem rather
out of place.
Plus, there's two scenes where the ear gets cut off, one of them in close-up, but nothing still works as
good as that found in the film where you don't actually see it happening!
Class of '92 (40 mins):
Tarantino and other big-name directors from the time talk about the competition for this movie at
the Sundance Festival. First up is a mixture of comments, and then each of them stick their oar in
separately.
Secondly, Sundance Institute Filmmaker's Lab: Scenes from Reservoir Dogs contains rough versions
and extended scenes, recording in 1991, in either 4:3 or letterbox 16:9, starting with the re-enacting
of Mr White's meeting with Joe Cabot, with Steve Buscemi as White and another actor as Joe; then Buscemi
as Pink running through his arrival at the warehouse with Tarantino as White.
I remember the interviews that took place around this film's release and when some of these clips were
shown, and how everyone was impressed by Tarantino's intriguing style of direction, often leaving the
camera in one position while the actors do everything in one take. Seeing this again today, it's still
a welcome antidote to all the fucking about student directors do today on the BBC and ITV, thinking
they're showing emotion by zooming in on someone's mouth while they're eating, or going for the
'clasped hands' shot. Idiots.
Securing the Shot: Location Scouting with Billy Fox (4 mins):
How to turn a mortuary into a warehouse, where to find an apartment for Mr Orange, the fast food
restaurant, the club and the outside area where Orange practices his routine.
Tributes and Dedications (52 mins):
Tarantino lists his influences, then there's more back-slapping to come from - and about - some
of them too.
Audio Commentary:
featuring writer/director Quentin Tarantino, producer Lawrence Bender, editor Sally Menke, exective producer
Monte Hellman, director of photography Andrzej Sekula and actors Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Michael Madsen and
Kirk Baltz.
It's announced here that this is the commentary for the 10th Anniversary DVD release (Region 1), so
basically it's taken nearly two years for the UK DVD to come out.
So, plenty for big fans of Tarantino to get stuck into. You may not watch it all in one go,
but you'll definitely come back for more, and occasionally, repeat viewings.
The only subtitles come in English (no Dutch like the original release, but that's no
great loss) and the main menu features
a mock-up of the warehouse with one character in extreme distress - and who
was so since the start, a cop who looks a bit unwell, White and Pink pointing
their guns at each other and Mr Blonde looking on at the whole scene, all slightly
moving from side to side.
One oddity - the
original DVD release
had 20 chapters. This one has just 18. How does that work?!
This a film I could watch a million times, but for the rest of you who are
new to it, after you've seen it for the first time and know who the rat in
the house is you can watch it again and see how the others reacted to the
rat at any particular point in the film.
For those who want to waste their money, editions have been released covering
one each of most of the men in the heist, but the covers just single out the
'dog' in question from the usual line-up. At least these are better than the
grotesque multi-coloured Region 1 DVDs from 2002.
And why is it called Reservoir Dogs? According to Tarantino, "Because
they're DOGS man.. and they're like, from the RESERVOIR, man!". Hmm...
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Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
