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Reservoir Dogs - DVD
Writer: Quentin TarantinoDirector: Quentin Tarantino Producer: Lawrence Bender Studio: Artisan Characters: Mr. White - Harvey Keitel Mr. Orange - Tim Roth Mr. Blonde - Michael Madsen Mr. Pink - Steve Buscemi Guy Eddie - Chris Peen Joe Cabot - Lawrence Tiemey Review DVD provided by Video-Now! Features: Interactive Menus, Scene Access, Production Notes, Cast & Crew Bios, Theatrical Trailer & Teaser, Widescreen 2.35:1, ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] Review: In 1991, an unknown writer/director started to take a small independant film he had made on the festival circuit. That film was Reservoir Dogs, and the unknown writer/director was Quentin Tarantino. Now, say what you will about Tarantino as a person. He has a reputation for being pugilistic, obnoxious and overbearing, not to mention egotistical, but none of that matters when you see the films he's managed to put on the screen. Very few directors influence film in the way that Tarantino has. In fact, after only two films (Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction), a whole sub-genre of crime thrillers started being referred to as "Tarantino-esque". You don't hear people calling science fiction films "Lucas-esque" or even mobster films "Scorsese-ish". Only QT has managed to make this much of a mark, and it's remarkable that he's done it in such a short time. Of course, we're all aware that Jackie Brown wasn't exactly the masterpiece we all wanted it to be, either artistically or commercially, and I think Tarantino made a mistake in following up Pulp Fiction with another crime thriller. He probably should've gone on a wild tangent, and shot a romantic comedy or an action adventure. He decided instead to stick to the genre which not only made him rich and famous, but for which he is known, and for his next film (based on another Elmore Leonard novel, Forty Lashes) he'll stick to the same. I'd personally like to see him stretch, especially since he's capable of so much, but it's up to him to decide when he's ready for that. This brings us back to the film which started it all. Reservoir Dogs. Now, the timeline for Reservoir Dogs is odd, in that Tarantino was beginning to show some spark at this particular moment in history. The option for the script to Natural Born Killers had just been picked up, and was slowly winding its way toward Oliver Stone. Tarantino was prepared to shoot Reservoir Dogs on a micro budget in black and white, but through fate and coincidence, a copy of the script ended up in the hands of Harvey Keitel. Keitel was so impressed that he immediately rounded up a crew of fantastic actors, and the funding to support the project properly. Watching Reservoir Dogs, it is never apparent at any time that this was Quentin Tarantino's first film. The dialogue riffs smoothly and realistically, the shots are interesting and well-framed, the music choices couldn't fit the film more appropriately, even subtle symbolism is used to great effect (i.e. the warehouse where the majority of the film takes place is used to store coffins, and even has a hearse in it). The movie is not just a good film, or even a good first film, it's an excellent film in every way a film can be judged. Technical errors are incredibly minor, mainly consisting of a few distracting reflections during the coffee house scene and some minor continuity errors (i.e. running past the same stores twice in a chase sequence). Performance wise, the actors do an incredible job with their respective roles, with only a few minor gaffs where they stumble over their dialogue. My only complaint would be Tarantino's insistence that he cast himself in all of his movies. He's not a very good actor, and seems to be constantly mugging for the camera. He should stay behind the camera, where he does his best work. After originally seeing this film, I was hard pressed to see how Tarantino was going to top himself. Of course, this was long before Pulp Fiction came about. That's a topic for another (coming soon) review, though. The DVD itself is from the now-defunct Live Entertainment (they've since become Artisan), and is far from a special edition. The film is presented in both an anamorphically enhanced widescreen format and pan and scan. The sound is presented in Dolby Digital Surround 5.1. The picture quality is good, but the print seems to have some dust and scratches. Audio quality is very good, but this isn't The Fifth Element, so don't expect your rear speakers to get much of a workout. Extras consist of cast and crew bios and the theatrical trailer, and that's about it. Unless you consider menus to be an extra. This is one of the best films of its genre to date. Eight years after its initial release, it still holds up as well as the day it was released. Super-tight writing and direction coupled with great performances leads to a film which can't help but entertain. The film does contain more than its fair share of blood and bad words, but given the film genre we're talking about here, this shouldn't come as a surprise. An absolutely amazing film that everyone should own, or at the very least see. Ken Pierce Dvdken@home.com Contributing Editor, www.dvdfuture.com |
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