Reservoir Dogs is a movie directed by Quentin Tarantino that premiered in theaters in October 1992. It was only the third film Tarantino had worked on and the first of his own films to be screened in its entirety, but it won audiences over instantly for its gritty, up-close look at an anonymous gang of criminals who are betrayed by one of their own in the middle of a heist. Reservoir Dogs won several awards and is generally considered to be one of Tarantino’s best–and most brutal–films.
The movie stars Harvey Keitel as the man known only as Mr. White, who is recruited along with five others (each with their own color-based alias) to be a part of a daylight jewelry theft. Each member of the newly formed gang has no idea who the others are, but each agrees to be part of the crime. However, as the thieves attempt to make their escape, they are surrounded by police and barely escape. Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) believes that the police were tipped off by an informant within the group, and suspicion begins to fester. The thieves attempt to find out who is the rat–but is there one after all?
Reservoir Dogs found great success in Britain after its release, and was subsequently shown at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. It would go on to win 11 awards and be nominated for 8 more at festivals around the world. The movie rocketed Quentin Tarantino to fame and galvanized the independent film community, inspiring films that bent traditional narratives and didn’t shy away from intense violence, like Christopher Nolan’s Memento. Reservoir Dogs also established Tarantino’s relationship with several actors that would continue to play roles in his movies for years to come, including Keitel and Michael Madsen.
Cast
Harvey Keitel
Tim Roth
Steve Buscemi
Chris Penn
Lawrence Tierney
Michael Madsen
Pictures
Videos
Featured image via paulsmovieblog.com