Reservoir Dogs

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For the video game based on the film, see Reservoir Dogs (video game).
Reservoir Dogs

Reservoir Dogs DVD Cover
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Produced by Lawrence Bender
Written by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Harvey Keitel
Tim Roth
Steve Buscemi
Chris Penn
Michael Madsen
Lawrence Tierney
Cinematography Andrzej Sekula
Editing by Sally Menke
Distributed by Miramax Films
Release date(s) Flag of United States October 23, 1992
Running time 99 min.
Country USA USA
Language English
Budget US$1.2 million
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Reservoir Dogs is the 1992 debut feature film of director Quentin Tarantino. It incorporates many of the themes and aesthetics that have become Tarantino's hallmarks — violent crime, pop culture references, memorable dialogue and nonlinear stories. It features Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi and Lawrence Tierney. Tarantino has a minor role, as does criminal-turned-author Eddie Bunker.

Tarantino (who had been working as a video store clerk in Los Angeles) was originally going to shoot it with his friends on a budget of $30,000 on 16 mm with producer Lawrence Bender playing Nice Guy Eddie. However, actor Harvey Keitel became involved via the wife of Bender's acting class teacher, who had managed to get a copy of the script to him. He agreed not only to act in the film, but to co-produce. With Keitel's assistance, the filmmakers were able to raise $1.2 million to make the film, fairly large for an independently-financed film, but a small fraction of the typical Hollywood production.

The movie has since come to be seen as an important and highly-influential milestone of independent filmmaking. Film critic Jami Bernard of New York Daily News said of the film's premier at Sundance: "I don't think people were ready. They didn't know what to make of it. It's like the first silent movie when audiences saw the train coming toward the camera and scattered".[1]

A video game based on the film was released in 2006 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. However, the game does not feature the likeness of any of the actors with the exception of Michael Madsen.

Contents

[edit] Plot synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Beginning

Mr. Brown (Tarantino) offers insight into Madonna's song "Like a Virgin".
Mr. Brown (Tarantino) offers insight into Madonna's song "Like a Virgin".

The film portrays the events preceding and immediately following a badly botched Los Angeles jewel heist (but not the actual heist itself) orchestrated by Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) and his son "Nice Guy" Eddie Cabot (Chris Penn). Six men are recruited by the Cabots to carry out the heist and, for reasons of security, are given "color" aliases — Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), Mr. Blue (Eddie Bunker), and Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino) — to protect their identities and are further instructed to never tell one another anything of their personal backgrounds.

Reservoir Dogs begins with Joe, Eddie, Pink, Orange, Brown, Blue, Blonde, and White eating breakfast at a large diner before the heist. Mr. Brown at length discusses his interpretation of Madonna's popular song "Like a Virgin", after which Mr. Pink expresses his anti-tipping policy.

[edit] Title Sequence

To the accompaniment of "Little Green Bag" the gang including "Nice Guy" Eddie Cabot are shown in slow motion walking towards the heist vehicles. The sequence has become iconic and much imitated and provided the basis for the film's poster.

[edit] The warehouse

The scene jumps to a car with Mr. White and Mr. Orange immediately following the failed robbery. Mr. Orange has been seriously injured by a gunshot to the lower abdomen, and Mr. White is attempting to comfort the hysterical Mr. Orange while at the same time trying to navigate the car back to the pre-arranged rendezvous, a warehouse.

At the warehouse, Mr. White and Mr. Orange discover that they are the first to arrive. White sets Orange down on a ramp for elevation and lies with him comfortingly. Mr. Pink comes in shortly thereafter, and discusses with Mr. White what went wrong while Mr. Orange lies on the warehouse floor bleeding profusely. Mr. Pink suggests a setup since a large contingent of police officers with guns drawn arrived almost immediately after the alarm had been set off. Mr. White says that Mr. Brown has been killed by the cops. Mr. Pink reveals that he was able to take the diamonds and hide them.

Mr. Pink makes his escape.
Mr. Pink makes his escape.

Flashback: Mr. Pink sprinting down the sidewalk, a valise filled with millions of dollars worth of diamonds in hand and police hot on his tail. He is hit by a car at an intersection, but manages to get up and wrench a kicking and screaming driver out through the window, shoots one of the pursuing officers, and drive off amidst a hail of gunfire.

Back in the washroom at the warehouse, Mr. Pink and Mr. White both express their anger at and confusion over the fact Mr. Blonde shot and killed several of the hostages after the alarm was set off. They discuss briefly their views on unnecessary violence, and Mr. Pink suggests that the Cabots will likely turn them in to the police in an effort to deflect some of the blame for the slaughter from themselves.

Mr. White and Mr. Pink return to the badly injured Mr. Orange on the main floor of the warehouse. Mr. White and Mr. Pink argue over whether or not to leave the warehouse in fear of being apprehended by the police, and whether or not to take Mr. Orange to a hospital. When Mr. White reveals to Mr. Pink that he'd told Mr. Orange his place of birth during the course of "natural conversation", as well as his first name in the car to comfort him (he is Larry from Milwaukee) -- in violation of Joe Cabot's instructions � Mr. Pink begins to fear for his own safety and argues with Mr. White, briefly accusing Mr. White of being a police informer.

Mr. Blonde, Mr. White, and Mr. Pink look into the trunk with the tied-up officer inside.
Mr. Blonde, Mr. White, and Mr. Pink look into the trunk with the tied-up officer inside.

The argument turns violent, and climaxes with both men pointing loaded pistols at each other. Unnoticed, Mr. Blonde steps in sipping a soda and speaks up; he had been watching for some time now. Their arguing continues, although not as dramatically (Mr. Blonde speaks in a cool, smooth manner), until Mr. Blonde takes them outside to his car. Mr. Blonde opens the trunk to reveal a captured police officer.

Flashback: Joe Cabot's office and the revelation of Mr. Blonde's true name � Vic Vega. Vic has just been released from prison after serving four years for taking the blame for a crime Joe had committed. Eddie and Vic wrestle around on the floor for a bit in a friendly way, while a testy Joe looks on in dismay. Joe and Eddie offer Vic a steady job with good pay (longshoreman) to reassure Vic's suspicious parole officer and allow Vic to move out of the state-run halfway house. Vic expresses a desire to perform "real work" (i.e., criminal activity); after some deliberation, Eddie asks to include Vic on the team for an upcoming diamond heist as a "good luck charm". Joe and Vic agree.

[edit] Eddie's arrival

The film returns to the present. Eddie is driving hastily towards the warehouse, talking on a cellular phone, discussing the "major problem" with one of Joseph's assistants ("Dove"). He mentions a telephone conversation had with Vic (Mr. Blonde) beforehand regarding the botched heist and Vic's "fucking driving around with a cop in his trunk". The scene is spliced together with shots from the warehouse of Pink, Blonde and White chaining the officer up and beating him excessively. Eddie arrives at the warehouse and storms in to see them pounding on the police officer (Kirk Baltz), already an unrecognizable bloody mess. The three summarize the events of the afternoon to Eddie, who refuses to believe there is any setup. Eddie orders Mr. Pink and Mr. White to come with him to move the cars they arrived in and to retrieve the stolen diamonds from Mr. Pink's hiding spot, while ordering Mr. Blonde to stay with the dying Mr. Orange and the tied up police officer.

Mr. White refuses to leave Mr. Blonde alone with Mr. Orange and the officer, calling him a psychopath, while Mr. Blonde calmly defends himself. Eddie dismisses the claims and takes Mr. White and Mr. Pink outside with him to move the cars and gather the diamonds, leaving Blonde alone with Mr. Orange and the officer.

[edit] The ear-cutting scene

At this point, the infamous ear-cutting scene begins. Mr. Blonde and the officer exchange some words. The officer denies knowing anything about the setup, and begs to be released. Mr. Blonde, in a disturbingly calm way, states that he does not care what the officer does or does not know, but that he is going to torture him in any case because he finds it amusing. After taping the officer's mouth shut, Mr. Blonde then draws a straight razor from out of his boot and tunes a radio to K-Billy's "Super Sounds of the '70s" marathon, which is playing "Stuck in the Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel. Moving slowly and sadistically in rhythm with the music towards the officer, he begins waving the blade about in front of his face. He slashes the officer's left cheek and takes a few steps backward. He then moves back up to the officer and violently grabs his head. The camera pans away as Mr. Blonde cuts off the officer's right ear with a protracted sawing motion, then pans back as he dangles it in front of the officer, who screams behind the tape in agony. Mr. Blonde, in a teasing manner, speaks inside the ear by saying, "Hey, what's going on? Can you hear that?"

Mr. Blonde then casually walks out of the warehouse while the officer continues to scream in agony. He takes a metal one gallon can of gasoline from the trunk of his car and brings it back inside. He opens the container and splashes gasoline over the officer and leaves a small trail of it on the ground as he steps back a few feet.

Mr. Orange shoots Mr. Blonde.
Mr. Orange shoots Mr. Blonde.

Mr. Blonde rips the tape from the officer's face, and the officer tearfully begs for mercy. Mr. Blonde dismisses his requests and prepares to ignite the gasoline with his cigarette lighter. Suddenly, a series of gunshots ring out and hit Mr. Blonde several times in the chest, causing him to stagger backwards and fall into the wall. It is revealed that the shooter is the now-conscious Mr. Orange.

Mr. Orange, clearly dying from his wound, tells the officer that he is actually an undercover police detective named Freddy Newandyke. The tied-up officer, who gives his name as Marvin Nash, reveals that he knew this all along, having met Mr. Orange five months previously (Mr. Orange did not remember this). Mr. Orange reassures the officer that a large police force is waiting a few blocks down the road for his signal to advance. The officer begs him to call in the force in light of both men's serious injuries, but Mr. Orange refuses to call anyone in until Joe arrives.

[edit] Revelations about Freddy/Mr. Orange

Flashback: Mr. Orange, who is also referred to as Freddy throughout this scene, and a police detective named Holdaway (Randy Brooks) meet at a restaurant. Freddy tells Holdaway that he has secured a spot in a heist with Joe Cabot. Freddy talks about his first meeting with the other members of the gang, and, judging from Mr. White's discussion about the Brewers, Holdaway guesses he is from Milwaukee.

Flashback: the first meeting, where Mr. Orange tells a story - which Mr. Orange memorized from a script Holdaway provided - about how he was almost caught by sheriff's deputies and their German Shepherd while carrying a travel bag full of marijuana while in the men's room at a Los Angeles train station. He tells the fully detailed story to White, Pink and Joe in a nightclub.

Flashback: A police station, Freddy and Holdaway search for info on Mr. White, who they discover is named Larry Dimmick. (This was omitted from the released version of the film but can be viewed as one of the extras on the "Anniversary Edition" DVD.)

Flashback: Mr. Orange's apartment a few days before the robbery, where he is called down to Eddie's car by cellular telephone. Mr. Orange arms himself with two handguns, places a wedding band on his finger (it's left ambiguous to whether it's a prop, a good luck charm, or that Mr. Orange is or was married), looks at himself in the mirror and tries to calm himself down. Mr. Orange then proceeds to the warehouse where the robbers will receive their aliases.

Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) talks to the group at a club.
Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) talks to the group at a club.

Flashback: The rendezvous warehouse, before the robbery, where some of the group is talking and joking. When everyone finally arrives, Joe begins to explain the master plan and gives everyone — except for himself and Eddie — their aliases. Mr. Pink protests his name as being too effeminate (sounds more like "Mr. Pussy") and Mr. Brown says his name sounds too much like "Mr. Shit." The group argues until Joe quickly and bluntly lays down the law and regains control of the meeting. The scene ends as Joe begins describing the holdup plan.

Holdaway asks Freddy what Joe is like. Freddy at first can't really describe as being other than a cool guy. But then comes up with the best description of Joe as The Thing from The Fantastic Four.

Flashback: Freddy and Holdaway discussing the robbery plan. Freddy expresses his discomfort with the entire undercover operation but Holdaway calms him down and assures him that protection will be there for him. (Another scene which was deleted from the released version.)

Flashback: Mr. White and Mr. Orange sitting in a car in front of the diamond exchange several days before the robbery discussing the plan in detail. Mr. White quizzes Mr. Orange on the plan's details and offers advice on how to deal with any problems that may arise. There seems to be good chemistry between the two and Mr. White appears to have taken a liking to Mr. Orange.

Flashback: Mr. Brown, Mr. White and Mr. Orange fleeing from the police immediately following the robbery. Mr. Brown, driving, is bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head and crashes into the back of a parked car. Mr. White jumps out of the car and runs to the end of the alley to find a police car coming around the corner. As the police car stops, Mr. White rapidly fires his two pistols into the car's windshield, killing both officers. Mr. White comes back to the car to find Mr. Brown dead. Mr. White and Mr. Orange proceed to the end of the alley and force a car to stop and order the driver out. The driver (Suzanne Celeste) however, is armed with a revolver and shoots Mr. Orange in the stomach just after he opens the door, explaining the wound seen throughout the movie. Mr. Orange shoots the driver in the chest, killing her instantly. Mr. White pulls Mr. Orange, shocked by what he just did, into the car and they begin to drive to the rendezvous warehouse, the same scene with which the film proper began.

[edit] Climax and conclusion

Mr. White, Mr. Pink, and Eddie return to the warehouse to find Mr. Blonde dead and the officer bloodied and covered in gasoline.

Mr. Orange tells them that Mr. Blonde went insane and was going to burn the officer alive, and then kill Mr. Orange and the rest of the gang when they return, to take the diamonds for himself. Mr. White believes him, Eddie thinks he is lying, and Mr. Pink is neutral — trying to calm everyone down. Eddie, furious at Mr. Orange, pulls out his gun and shoots the tied-up officer several times in the chest, killing him. To Mr. Orange, he then reveals Mr. Blonde's history of loyalty to the Cabots, how he did four years without ever revealing anything to to police, and how after he gets out, and the Cabots make good on their obligations towards him, how it would be absurd for Mr. Blonde to just "Decide, out of the fucking blue, to rip us off!". Joe walks in and claims that anything else Mr. Orange says would just be "more bullshit". He also tells the group that Mr. Blue, whose fate had been unknown to this point, was killed (presumably by the police).

Joe then accuses Mr. Orange of being an undercover cop because he wasn't "100% sure" that he could be trusted. Mr. White dismisses Joe's claim and adamantly defends Mr. Orange, stating that he "knows" him and he "wouldn't do that". Joe pulls his gun out and points it at Mr. Orange; Mr. White pulls his gun out and points it at Joe; and Eddie pulls his gun out and points it at Mr. White. Mr. Pink screams for everyone to calm down as the three yell at each other and threaten to shoot. Eddie breaks the soft voices by yelling, "Larry, stop pointing that fucking gun at my dad!" Suddenly, everyone except for Mr. Pink and Mr. Orange open fire all at once.

In the script the standoff is not described. If one watches the film closely one can see that, in sequence:

  1. Joe shoots Mr. Orange,
  2. Mr. White then shoots and kills Joe for shooting Mr. Orange,
  3. Eddie shoots Mr. White for shooting his father, and finally
  4. Mr. White shoots and kills Eddie while falling after being shot.

The bullet hitting Eddie is not seen, although Mr. White's gun points in his direction and fires a round; the mistake was acknowledged by director Tarantino as an error involving blood squibs that did not go off.

Joe and Eddie are dead, while Mr. White is wounded and collapses on the floor. Mr. Pink, unharmed, stares in shock at the carnage for a while - including the corpses of Mr. Blonde and the police officer, as well as the fatally-wounded Mr. Orange � then grabs the valise full of diamonds and runs out of the warehouse.

As police cars roar outside the warehouse, Mr. White pulls Mr. Orange close to him and Mr. Orange tells Mr. White that he is a cop, and that he is sorry. Mr. White, clearly feeling horrified and betrayed by this statement, puts the gun to Mr. Orange's cheek as he tries to control his tears. During this, police sirens can be heard and police yelling with Mr. Pink. Shots are fired and (according to Tarantino) Mr. Pink surrenders to police and is arrested. The police then storm inside and demand Mr. White put the gun down. At this point the camera pushes into a close-up on Mr. White's face. One shot is heard, followed by several more, implying that Mr White shot Mr Orange and was in turn shot by the police. After this scene, the film immediately cuts to the credits, accompanied by Coconut by Harry Nilsson.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Influences

Reservoir Dogs is influenced by numerous films, particularly Hong Kong action cinema, French New Wave, the heist film and Samuel Fuller. It also draws influence from Stanley Kubrick's crime film, The Killing. These influences can be seen in the suits the characters wear (inspired by the finale of John Woo's A Better Tomorrow II, itself possibly inspired by the Blues Brothers), to the color code names from The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, to Tierney's line about John Dillinger (he played the famous Indiana bank robber in the 1945 film Dillinger). The use of popular music as a backdrop to an extremely violent atmosphere is likely due to the influence of Stanley Kubrick's film Full Metal Jacket, which was made five years earlier and uses the same motif to make a similar statement about violence and culture.

The screenplay, written by Tarantino, was partly inspired by Hong Kong director Ringo Lam's 1987 Long hu feng yun (City on Fire), starring Chow Yun-Fat and Danny Lee. Reportedly one of Tarantino's favorite films, he borrowed several key plot points and scenes, though the styles, dialogue and stories are quite different. In particular, the "Mexican standoff" at the end of the film is similar to one that takes place in City on Fire, and both stories are told from the point of view of an undercover cop with conflicting loyalties.

Though it is hardly mentioned, Tarantino also makes use of comic books as another one of his pop culture references. When describing Joe Cabot, Mr. Orange likens him to "The Thing" from Marvel Comics Fantastic Four. Also, one can clearly see a Silver Surfer poster in the background of Freddy Newandyke's apartment when he is talking to himself before he leaves.

Tarantino himself has been candid about his influences. In a 1994 interview with Empire magazine, he said, "I steal from every single movie ever made. If people don't like that, then tough tills, don't go and see it, all right? I steal from everything. Great artists steal, they don't do homages."[citation needed]

Reservoir Dogs itself inspired many similar films in the 1990s, often low-budget independent films. Movies often cited as examples include Destiny Turns on the Radio (which featured Tarantino), Suicide Kings, Thursday, Two Days in the Valley, Killing Zoe (Tarantino was the executive producer), S.F.W., and Mad Dog Time.

Tarantino's scripts have also influenced the Indian cinema. For example, the Indian movie Kaante (2002) had an extremely similar plot to Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs while also getting some of its ideas from Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects (1995).


[edit] Reception

Reservoir Dogs opened in 19 theaters with a first week total of $147,839 domestically.[2] The film was never released to more then 61 theaters and totaled $2,832,029 at the box office domestically.[2] The film was well received by critics, receiving a 95% Fresh rating at rottentomatoes.com[3]

[edit] DVD Release Comparison

10th Anniv. Special Edition 15th Anniv. Special Edition
Normal DVD case (Character covers briefly available) "Matchbook" DVD case inside special "gas can" tin
Widescreen (2.35:1)/Full Screen (1.33:1) Widescreen (2.35:1) Only
Sound: DTS Digital/5.1 Dolby/Original 2.0 Dolby 6.1 DTS-ES/5.1 Dolby EX Sound
Spanish Subtitles/English Closed Captions English & Spanish Subtitles, "Pulp Factoids" Trivia Subs
5 Deleted Scenes 5 Deleted Scenes
Original theatrical trailer Original theatrical trailer & other film trailers
6 Original Interviews "Profiling the Reservoir Dogs" character study
22 Scene Chapters 28 Scene Chapters
"K-BILLY Radio" menu interactive "K-BILLY Radio" menu interactive
"Class of '92" Sundance documentaries "Class of '92" Sundance documentaries
7 "Tributes & Dedications" 7 "Tributes & Dedications"
"Film Noir Web" genre documentary "Tipping Guide" menu interactive
"Small Dogs" action figure documentary "Reservoir Dolls" action figure documentary
"Securing the Shot" location documentary "Securing the Shot" location documentary
Reservoir Dogs "Style Guide" Reservoir Dogs "Style Guide"
Poster Gallery "Reservoir Dogs: The Game" exclusive interview

Both DVDs contain 4 audio commentary tracks as well: one with Quentin Tarantino, Lawrence Bender, and selected cast and crew, and 3 by critics Amy Taubin (Film Comment), Peter Travers (Rolling Stone), and Emanuel Levy (author). The only difference is that the 10th anniversary edition has the cast & crew commentary on the widescreen disc, and the critics' commentaries are relegated to the full screen disc.

The 10th Anniversary edition is missing a line of dialogue as Mr. White checks on Mr. Orange. When Mr. Pink asks about him, Mr. White says "I think he just passed out". This line is present in the original non-anamorphic release and restored in the 15th Anniversary edition, marking the first time that the film has been released on DVD with both an intact soundtrack and an anamorphic transfer. The 15th Anniversary transfer also includes more vivid colors as opposed to the more washed-out look of the 10th Anniversary transfer.

[edit] Trivia

This article contains a trivia section.
Content in this section should be integrated into other appropriate areas of the article or removed, and the trivia section removed.
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
  • The film's score consists entirely of pre-existing popular music tracks. This is common in Tarantino's films.
  • During the scene where Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) tortures Officer Nash, actor Kirk Baltz ad-libbed a line about being the father of a young child. Madsen, who had recently become a father himself, was so upset by this line that he had difficulty finishing the scene. On the DVD, as Baltz completes the line, a voice can be heard off-screen saying "Oh, no, no...". The line compounded Madsen's already mixed feelings about filming the scene due to his real-life aversion to violence.
  • During the chase scene after the robbery, Mr. Pink and the cops pursuing him run past the same row of shops several times; in one case, the cops run past one of the buildings before Mr. Pink does.
  • All the characters wear Ray Ban sunglasses.
  • The film's European distributor used one-sheet posters featuring each of the main characters to promote the film. This has since become a common Hollywood marketing strategy.[citation needed]
  • The film's budget was so low that many of the actors simply used their own clothing as wardrobe; most notably Chris Penn's track jacket. The signature black suits were provided for free by the designer [[agn�s b.]], based on her love for the American crime film genre. Steve Buscemi wore his own black jeans instead of suit pants.
  • The woman Mr. Orange shoots had a child. The infant's cries can be heard after Mr. Orange is shot, and there is a car seat visible near Orange's feet in the following scene. Later in the warehouse, he can be heard crying "She had a baby!".
  • According to Tarantino, Mr. Pink survives, but is arrested by the police � in the background, policemen can be heard ordering Pink to put his hands on the ground, then Pink says "I give up" after a brief firefight in which he is wounded but not killed.
  • Despite the statements of almost every other character, saying that Mr. Blonde "killed everybody in the place, he went crazy!", Mr. Blonde is never actually seen killing anyone with a firearm.
  • In the 10th anniversary DVD issue, several deleted scenes are featured; one involves an undercover policewoman, played by Nina Siemaszko, and alternate versions of the notorious ear-slashing carried out by Mr. Blonde. If retained, the policewoman would have seemingly been the only female having dialogue in the film; the other two female roles, bits involving two separate car-jacking incidents (one in which Mr. Orange is shot and gravely wounded), are the only credited female parts in the film, and they themselves are barely noticeable.
  • Sequences were filmed featuring an ear actually being sliced off policeman Marvin Nash, with the help of prosthetics and fake blood, but in the released version Tarantino decided not to show this on screen; the camera pans away at this said moment instead.
  • When the camera pans away while Mr. Blonde is slicing off Marvin's ear, the words "Watch Your Head" are visible, written over the door at the top of the ramp.
  • While memorizing his cover story, Mr. Orange mentions trying to watch The Lost Boys at home. Curiously, he also mentions said cover taking place in 1986, the year before The Lost Boys was released into theaters.
  • A wilhelm scream is audible as Mr. Pink is escaping on foot from the heist. Presumably because he is pushing pedestrians out of the way and carrying a gun.
  • A side from the opening credits, the film never refers to any of the characters as a "Reservoir Dog".
  • The warehouse in which the movie takes place has several coffins and a hearse in it.

[edit] Casting

  • The role of Mr. Orange was written for James Woods, but his agent threw the script in the trash without showing it to him. When Woods later learned of this, he fired the agent.[citation needed]
  • The woman who shoots Mr. Orange in the stomach is played by Tim Roth's dialect coach.
  • Samuel L. Jackson auditioned for the role of Holdaway, but Quentin Tarantino felt Randy Brooks gave a better audition. Tarantino would later write Pulp Fiction with the part of Jules written specifically for Jackson.

[edit] References in other Tarantino films

  • In the opening scene, Mr. Pink reveals that unless they deserve it, he does not tip waitresses. In Pulp Fiction, Steve Buscemi makes a credited cameo as a waiter, whom John Travolta considers to be not "much of a waiter".
  • The less-than-one-second snatch of Mariachi music that can be heard on the radio as Mr. Blonde turns it on and tunes in K-Billy Super Sounds is the exact snatch of music heard when the Sheriff drives up to the church in Kill Bill.
  • The original ending of Tarantino's True Romance script (before it was changed by director Tony Scott) had Clarence dying in the gun battle, leaving Alabama a widow. Tarantino said that he intended Alabama to turn to crime and join with Mr. White, a character from Reservoir Dogs. In a flashback scene in Reservoir Dogs, Mr. White is asked about "Alabama".
  • During a flashback, Joe and Nice Guy Eddie are talking with a recently paroled Mr. Blonde. He reveals his parole officer is Seymour Scagnetti. The detective who is chasing down Mickey and Mallory Knox in Natural Born Killers is named Jack Scagnetti. Tarantino wrote the screenplay for Killers but has since disowned it due to the changes director Oliver Stone made.
  • Mr. White's real name is Lawrence Dimmick. Quentin Tarantino makes a cameo as suburbanite Jimmy Dimmick in Pulp Fiction. At one point, Mr. White mentions that he knows a nurse who could help Mr. Orange, possibly referencing Jimmy's wife, Bonnie.
  • In Kill Bill 2, when the bride is buried alive she removes a straight edge razor from her boot in similar fasion to Mr. Blonde before the infamous ear cutting scene, and both pairs of boots are of similar design.
  • The woman that Mr. Pink pulls out of the car that he hijacks is the same woman that Marsellus Wallace shoots in Pulp Fiction.
  • In the original concept for Pulp Fiction, the diamonds from this heist were to be the contents of Marsellus Wallace's briefcase.
  • This movie's Vic Vega and Pulp Fiction's Vincent Vega are brothers. Both Vic Vega (Mr. Blonde) and Vincent Vega, brothers, make references to having a heart attack. Also both of them say that they don't like to receive orders[4].
  • Steve Buscemi is infamous for his large number of on-screen deaths. Ironically, in this movie, his character, Mr. Pink, is the only one to survive.
  • A commercial for "Jack Rabbit Slim's" is heard on the radio in the warehouse just after the ear-cutting scene. In Pulp Fiction, Jack Rabbit Slim's is the restaurant that Vincent Vega takes Mia Wallace to.

[edit] References in popular culture

Reservoir Dogs has frequently been referenced in other works due to its iconic nature.

  • In DC Comics' first issue of the Hitman regular series, by Garth Ennis, there are four killers at a table playing poker, while they discuss the meaning of Reservoir Dogs, very much in the same way the film debates the interpretation on Madonna's "Like a Virgin".
  • The comic Squee (by Jhonen Vasquez, author of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac) has a reference to the ear-cutting scene. One of the twenty tortures that the so-called "Tickle Me Hellmo" (itself an obvious spoof off the Tickle Me Elmo) is that it "re-enacts that scene from Reservoir Dogs." The Hellmo is depicted dancing and circling its victim, wearing a suit and holding a butcher knife with a boombox on the side and a child gagged and tied to a chair.
  • The cover of punk-rock band AFI's album Answer That and Stay Fashionable is a parody of one of the Reservoir Dogs movie posters. A song from the same album, Don't Make Me Ill, contains a sample of dialog from the breakfast scene.
  • Koushun Takami has supposedly admitted that the lighthouse portion of his novel, Battle Royale, was inspired by Reservoir Dogs. Coincidentally, Tarantino cites the correlating scene in the movie as one of his favorite movie scenes.
  • An episode of Clone High features a movie poster of "Reserved Dogs" hanging in Principal Scudworth's living room, an obvious parody.
  • In the game Total Overdose: A Gunslinger's Tale in Mexico, when you rescue Tommy and DEA Commander Trust from overdosing on some drug (which was a slight tribute to Pulp Fiction), Tommy wakes up and calls Ramiro "Mr. Pink" then he comes to his senses and calls him by his correct name.
  • In the 1996 film Swingers, there is a reference to Reservoir Dogs while the actors are playing poker. They refer to the scene in the beginning when they walk in slow motion as "a great scene". As the characters in Swingers leave the poker game to go to a party, they are shown walking in slow motion in a similar fashion to the scene in Reservoir Dogs.
  • The film is referenced in an episode of the children's television series The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius when Jimmy and an assortment of clones enter in slow motion from the right of the screen, set to music similar to the movie's opening theme.
  • A sample of Harvey Keitel's voice saying, "Say the goddamn fucking words!" during the drive to the hideout is used in The Hunger's track Terminal Infection, from their Devil Thumbs A Ride album. As a sidenote, Lawrence Tierney (who played mob boss Joe Cabot in Reservoir Dogs) was in a 1947 film called The Devil Thumbs a Ride.
  • Reservoir Dogs is used frequently by rapper Redman in his rhymes on several solo albums and collaborations with Method Man.
  • In the movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, another Miramax film, when Jay and Silent Bob are walking around a set in Hollywood, four men in black suits can be seen walking in the background, an obvious reference to the Reservoir Dogs walk. There is also a Jackie Brown poster in one of the dressing rooms (this second reference was, interestingly, not intentional. Director Kevin Smith states on the commentary track for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back that the Jackie Brown poster was chosen because it portrays no people, and thus cost less to use in the film. The poster shows the bag with the money from Jackie Brown. The other poster used is one for one of the Air Bud series, which portrays a dog).
  • In another Simpsons episode titled Lady Bouvier's Lover, Bart and Mr. Burns stand off with guns in a similar fashion to a scene from the film involving Mr. Pink and Mr. White.
  • In an episode of the Nickelodeon series, Doug, a poster for "Reservoir Dougs" can be seen on the wall of a movie theater.
  • In the popular webcomic series VG Cats number 175, Aeris calls herself "Ms. Pink" and lops off the ear of a tied-up person with the tune of Stuck In The Middle With You in the background. The strip ends with Aeris pouring gasoline on her victim.
  • In the webcomic Digital Purgatory number 59, Nix continues his job as a collection agent. To retrieve money from a man who owes $90, Nix sets the stage for a torture scene that mimics its Reservoir Dogs' counterpart. The same type of knife that is used by Mr. Blonde is present, and so is Stuck In The Middle With You, playing in the background.
  • The three-part episode of Red Dwarf, Back in the Red, features a scene where Lister, Kochanski, Kryten and Cat disguise themselves as Duane Dibbley, a nerdy recurring character. As they exit the room they changed in, they walk out in slow-motion to the music that plays during the famous scene at the start of Reservoir Dogs.
  • Season 1, Episode 3 (Sex, Death and Nudity) of the BBC sitcom, Coupling, includes a reference to the slow-motion walk from the opening credits of Reservoir Dogs. The three men are dressed in black suits as they are going to a funeral, until being told to "Stop playing Reservoir Dogs!".
  • Season 4, Episode 17 of The Pretender (TV series), is an episode-long homage to Reservoir Dogs where Jarod infiltrates a gang that only knows each other by pseudonyms. The episode ends with all gang members turning on each other and the police storming the place.
  • In Kingdom of Loathing, the dungeon known as "Fernswarthy's Basement" contains a creature made entirely out of ears. The description ends with "What would Mr. Blonde do?".
  • In Kingdom of Loathing, one of the random messages that appears when using a crossbow on an enemy is "You hit (monster) in the gut dealing X damage. Harvey Keitel walks by and says 'Along with the kneecap, the gut is the most painful place a guy can get shot.' Your opponent agrees."
  • In Swedish comedy-series Nilecity 105,6 by comedygroup [[Killingg�nget]], one of the most memorable scenes is a spoof of the ear-cutting scene, in which the cross-dressing homosexual fire-chief Greger kidnaps a sexshop-visitor, ties him up, and then tortures him with a big Cod, while "Stuck in the Middle With You" plays on a boombox. Videoclip
  • In the 2006 movie Employee of the Month, a "Reservoir Dogs" poster can be seen behind Zack's bed. Also, near the end of the movie several characters enter the store in slow motion, with a vision impaired Andy Dick veering off in the wrong direction.
  • In another The Simpsons episode it shows Lisa walking home from a pet shop with some pets in tow with the song "Little Green Bag" playing in the background. This scene is a reference to the movie.
  • An episode of Home Movies features a poster in the background for a film called "Reservoir Cats".
  • In episode 2.3 of the TV series Angel, "First Impressions", Cordelia tells an angry Gunn in reference to their runaway informant Jameel, "When you do find him, you may wanna be a little more Guy Pearce in L.A. Confidential and a little less Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs". Gunn replies that he has not seen the film, due to the fact that "I haven't bothered to see a movie since Denzel was robbed at the Oscars for Malcolm X."
  • In the movie Sugar and Spice, one of the cheerleaders mentions seeing Reservoir Dogs and says they should use codenames when robbing the bank. Another cheerleader pleads that she wants to be Mrs. Pink, because she loves pink.
  • Parts of the movie were sampled by Mushroomhead on their self titled release only 3 years after the movie came out.
  • An episode of Cracker shows a University student with a poster of Mr. Blonde on his door.
  • In Conker's Bad Fur Day for the Nintendo 64, The Hiest multiplayer mode involves 4 weasels, all given the names Mr. Green, Yellow, Red, and Blue, much like the way done in the movie.

[edit] Cast

The opening sequence
The opening sequence
  • Harvey Keitel � Mr. White / Lawrence "Larry" Dimmick
  • Tim Roth � Mr. Orange / Freddy Newandyke
  • Michael Madsen � Mr. Blonde / Victor "Vic" Vega
  • Chris Penn � "Nice Guy" Eddie Cabot
  • Steve Buscemi � Mr. Pink
  • Lawrence Tierney � Joe Cabot
  • Quentin Tarantino � Mr. Brown
  • Kirk Baltz � Officer Marvin Nash
  • Randy Brooks � Detective Holdaway
  • Robert Ruth � Shot cop
  • Rich Turner � 1st Sheriff's deputy
  • Maria Strova � Background radio play (Voice)
  • Michael Sottile � Teddy
  • Burr Steers � Background radio play (Voice)
  • David Steen � 2nd Sheriff's deputy
  • Steven Wright � K-Billy DJ (Voice)
  • Edward Bunker � Mr. Blue
  • Suzanne Celeste � Shot woman driver
  • Lawrence Bender � Young cop / Background radio play (Voice)
  • Stevo Poliy � 4th Sheriff's deputy
  • Laurie Latham � Background radio play (Voice)
  • Tony Cosmo � 3rd Sheriff's deputy
  • Linda Kaye � Shocked woman
  • Craig Hamann � Background radio play (Voice)
  • Zack Sullivan � White Gangster
  • Nina Siemaszko � McKlusky (Scene Deleted)
  • Zach Smart � Smiz

[edit] Crew

[edit] References

  1. ^ "The 'Reservoir' watershed", St Petersburg Times, August 27, 2002.
  2. ^ a b http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=reservoirdogs.htm
  3. ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/reservoir_dogs/
  4. ^ http://www.everythingtarantino.com/data/vega_brothers.shtml

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:


The films of Quentin Tarantino
Directed: My Best Friend's Birthday • Reservoir Dogs • Pulp Fiction • Four Rooms • Jackie Brown • Kill Bill • Grindhouse • Inglorious Bastards • The Vega Brothers
Written: True Romance • Natural Born Killers • From Dusk Till Dawn

[[de:Reservoir Dogs � Wilde Hunde]][[no:De hensynsl�se]][[sv:De h�nsynsl�sa]]

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