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Reservoir Dogs - 1992 Written & Directed By Quentin Tarantino |
Official Site for the DVD
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Harvey Keitel .... Mr. White/Larry Former video store clerk Quentin Tarantino’s directorial debut, RESERVOIR DOGS, is a brutally funny, supercharged introduction to his supremely distinct cinematic vision, which was later to become one of the most mimicked styles of the 1990s. Mastermind Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) assembles a crew of top-notch criminals to pull off a jewelry store heist. As the film opens it becomes immediately clear that the plan backfired, forcing the survivors, who have gathered at an abandoned warehouse, to figure out if one of them is, in fact, a police informer. The crew--Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), an aged veteran; Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), a wounded newcomer; Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), a psychopathic parolee; Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), a bickering weasel; and Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn), Joe’s son--begin to unravel as the pressure becomes too much for them to handle. When Joe arrives, the truth becomes clear in a vicious Mexican standoff. Tarantino takes liberally from Hong Kong action flicks, most notably Ringo Lam’s CITY ON FIRE, but his ultra-hip ‘70s soundtrack and hysterical pop culture dialogue make the film seem wholly original and new. Taking a cue from the French New Wave--most notably Jean-Luc Godard--RESERVOIR DOGS remains one of the decade’s most influential motion pictures.
10th Anniversary DVD ReviewI was lucky enough to get an advance copy of the 10th Anniversary Reservoir Dogs Special Edition DVD, and while I agree it is worth the $20 (you can get it for that price at a number of discount outlets), I was a tad disappointed at the lack of Buscemi-related special features in that there are no interviews with Steve and he did not lend his voice to the commentary track. [The person who shot and edited the cast interviews ought to be lashed with a wet noodle. So annoying! Watch it and you'll know what I mean.]However, the money shot is the 20 minute (approx.) video-taped actors workshop from an earlier Sundance Film-Makers Lab. Steve is in all of that footage and gets to try on the roles of both Mr. White and Mr. Pink (the latter acting against Tarantino himself in the Harvey Keitel role). It's priceless material. Steve also appears in one deleted scene with Chris Penn and Keitel. An additional bonus is the interview with Alex Rockwell, a Sundance Class of '92 alum, who discusses his experience bringing his celebrated indie, In The Soup, another Buscemi classic, to the famed festival. The packaging of each character-specific set is different, but the discs are the same. There are 2 DVDs in each box -- a wide screen version and a full screen version -- and the special features are different on each, so make sure you check 'em all out! Review by Shari V
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