Review of Reservoir Dogs (1992) by Frank F — 15 May 2013

The first thing that occurred to me after having finished watching 'Reservoir Dogs' was that it had some qualities that reminded of '12 Angry Men,' with whodunnit scenario and especially the economical approach to the movie. When you have strong performances outweigh superficial methods to entertain the audience, you know you have something special going on with this film, especially with Tarantino's unique method of storytelling.

This may be a heist film, but instead it shows what happens before and after. Basically it deconstructs the whole scenario and seeing what goes on is pretty interesting to watch. The witty dialogue is the entertaining part of this movie and to me, that is more entertaining to watch than a bunch of explosions, as I feel this would not even fit in with the story here.

If you are a person who is dissensitized to movie violence (or in fiction, in general), you have to know that there is some graphic violence here, but it is not unnecessary violence that was plugged in for the sake of value. It perfectly depicts the brutality of the situation these characters have thrust themselves into.

But to sum up my review of the flick, 'Reservoir Dogs' perfectly shows Quentin Tarantino's trademark style of directing, with pop culture references, violence, black humor, and every vice thrown in. Tarantino really showed a huge transition with the follow-up, 'Pulp Fiction,' but don't get me wrong, whereas 'Pulp Fiction' felt more heavily layered, 'Reservoir Dogs' has its own unique sense of charm with its more minimalist approach and simpler story. This is a must-see for all movie lovers or anyone who appreciates a good story.