So, I Was On Netflix: Reservoir Dogs Review

This is quite a monumental review for me, for you see, this is the very first Quentin Tarantino movie I've ever seen. And when one is going to start watching one of the most iconic directors of all-times work, why not start at the very beginning? In this case, that is indeed a very good place to start, as this movie not only shows why the director is so beloved, but is also just a damn fine piece of cinema on its own merits. Gripping, terrifying, unflinching, shocking, astounding; those are the words that come to mind when considering this movie like no other.



One thing that is so commendable about this movie is that it covers such dark material, but the film never wavers in depicting it. We're supposed to loath (to put it lightly!) these criminals, and they make sure we have plenty of reason to through pretty much every action they commit, whether its through their racist comments or the extremely overly violent way they deal with adversaries. The way Tarantino films the pivotal sequences of depravity is particularly impressive as the camera never cuts away or shakes. Instead, we linger on conversations and extremely violent moments that help set the mood of casual contempt that flows through this dangerous gang.

On a filmmaking level, the best example of this is after the famous "Stuck In The Middle" scene. Mr. Blonde (played with unnerving calm by Michael Madsen) leaves his captive police officer in withering pain as he walks out to his car to grab some gasoline. We never cut to another angle or shot, it's just this single take of us following him to his car and then following him back to the house. What makes this a particularly captivating example is that the level of depraved violence we as the audience just witnessed really sets in as we watch a much, much, much calmer and simplistic scene that also shows how unaffected Mr. Blonde is by what he's just done. And if his casualness towards what he's just done doesn't get the hairs on your arm standing up, well, nothing will.

I've always been impressed with the people Tarantino assembles together for his recent films, with the likes of Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill being a part of his cinematic escapades. How fitting then to see such a great ensemble cast here in his first feature, with everyone from Tim Roth to Harvey Keitel (who I've never seen so young in a movie before. Wow, what a shocker!!) putting in commendable work that gels well with the riveting dialogue Tarantino crafted to make extended scenes of simply characters talking feel as gripping as anything else in the film. Oh, by the way, major props to Steve Buscemi, who I always adore seeing in movies, and the way he expertly plays his slippery yet focus character here shows just why.

One other thing I'd like to note is the presence of the music here. The radio station these thugs listen to is a 70's station that plays numerous classic tunes I remember my parents playing all the time when I was a kid. Hearing stuff like Magic Carpet Ride and even just mentioning Love Grows Where My Rosemary Grows was a treat. Those kind of popular songs just add yet another spectacular aspect to Reservoir Dogs, a movie thriving on debauchery and top-notch filmmaking.