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| Reservoir Dogs 8 of 10 |
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| Directed by Quentin Tarantino Cinematography by Andrzej Sekula Harvey Keitel Tim Roth Michael Madsen Steve Buscemi Chris Penn Lawrence Tierney Randy Brooks Kirk Baltz |
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| For years now, I have heard Quentin Tarantino�s name spoken by my friends and fellow students, often in a hushed, reverential whisper. And now that I have seen this film � his first, and my first viewing of a Tarantino film � I can understand why. The story is a brilliant idea; an examination of something almost universally overlooked in heist movies for generations: the after-effects of the crime itself, if or when it goes wrong. To start off, the script is wonderful. Tarantino moves easily between the past and the present, slowly providing more details; slowly revealing more about the characters involved. The dialogue is snappy, if somewhat cartoonishly profane, and strikes an excellent balance between �plot-driven� conversations and �real-life� ones. And the action sequences are brilliantly brutal, almost Coen-like in their portrayal of swift and sudden violence. I was also able to observe another QT trademark on display: his imaginative and interesting use of pop music. I probably appreciate this less than most, given my own particular musical tastes, but I could see his ability here none the less. The acting is really top-notch, with Buschemi and Madsen standing out as the best in a truly wonderful collection of talent. QT was easily the worst, which is especially peculiar given his superb direction. You would think he would have known better. (I�m picking at nits now.) All in all, a wonderful and unusual idea that Tarantino brought to life powerfully, with particular nods to the script and performances. However, I wonder a bit. Tarantino has a great style. But he could get stuck on the style � the snappy, but largely unrelated dialogue, the constant movement forwards and backwards in time, the cartoonish brutality. I would hate for his next films to focus on that, because he so obviously has a tremendous amount to offer.
�I'm gonna torture you anyway, regardless. Not to get information. It's amusing, to me, to torture a cop. You can say anything you want cause I've heard it all before. All you can do is pray for a quick death, which you ain't gonna get.� |
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