From it's simple screenplay beginnings, to it's explosion onto the film festival circuit and subsequent independent and mainstream film industry, Reservoir Dogs will always be remembered for it's sharp witty dialogue, exceptional cast delivering incredible performances, an amazing soundtrack and a first time director showing maturity beyond his years delivering a movie that would inspire a generation of future film makers.
Twenty five years on from it's initial release, it's worth revisiting those humble origins and the fantastic journey that this iconic film has taken in the years to follow.
When Quentin Tarantino who had then been working at Video Archives, (a video store in Manhattan Beach, California) wrote the screenplay for Reservoir Dogs he had originally planned to shoot the film with on a budget of $30,000 with producer and friend Lawrence Bender playing a police officer chasing Mr. Pink.
Bender then gave the script to his acting teacher, whose wife knew Harvey Keitel and gave the script to him. Keitel liked it enough to sign as a co-producer so Tarantino and Bender would have an easier job finding funding and with his assistance, they raised $1.5 million. Keitel also paid for Tarantino and Bender to host casting sessions in New York, where the duo found Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, and Tim Roth.
Premiering at The 1992 Sundance Festival, the movie became the festival's most talked about film and was picked up by Miramax for production. After a rather successful stint on the film festival circuit Reservoir Dogs took modest earnings in the US Box Office with the UK Box Office being a more prominent stomping ground after a period of banishment due to it's violence saw it enjoy a late home release and cinema re-release after 1994.
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| Terry Gilliam who served as a Creative Advisor during the 1991 Sundance Institute Directors Lab and was a great source of encouragement for Quentin Tarantino in launching Reservoir Dogs to a greater audience |
Cited as a film that inspired such auteurs as Ben Wheatley it catapulted independent cinema to a wider audience and whilst it may not have the same polished appearance as Tarantino's masterpiece Pulp Fiction a lot of the raw materials were there to indicate what a special film maker the world was now dealing with. (In fact, Reservoir Dogs gained a lot of first time viewers due to the commercial success of it's predecessor Pulp Fiction)
Like all classics, it is the writing and cast that have kept this film feeling fresh and original all these years later.
From the first scene in the diner and the debate on the origins of the Madonna's True Blue and the merits of tipping the waitress, the audience knows they are onto something special as the dialogue has simply some of the most quotable lines ever put to paper.
Just take a look at five lines from the film below and remember how many times you have heard them since:
Top 5 Reservoir Dogs Lines:
- Mr. Pink: Do you know what this is? It's the world's smallest violin playing just for the waitresses.
- Mr. Blonde: Are you gonna bark all day little doggy, or are you gonna bite?
- Mr. White: You shoot me in a dream you better wake up and apologize.
- Mr. Blonde: Eddie, you keep talking like a bitch, I'm gonna slap you like a bitch.
- Joe: Let's go to work.
Tarantino's marriage of the super sounds of the 70's soundtrack along with the dulcet tones of Steven Wright just add to the atmosphere and his refusal to actually show the heist are all contributing factors to this extremely unique and innovative piece of work that such are the strong performances of the cast and the razor sharp dialogue whizzes through it's 95 minute running time.
Just as some people remember hearing Nirvana's Nevermind for the first time, the introduction of Reservoir Dogs into mainstream 90's culture was a pivotal moment in film making in the 90's and one that deserves to be viewed and lavished with well deserved praise time and time again!
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