I Think Reservoir Dogs Is A Perfect Debut For 5 Reasons
I love Quentin Tarantino. I mean, who DOESN’T?
I’ve already written about how Pulp Fiction will likely always be Tarantino’s best movie (it’s hard to beat one of the top movies of the ‘90s), and I’ve also written about my second favorite movie of his, The Hateful Eight. But now, I want to talk about my third favorite Tarantino film, which is his debut picture, Reservoir Dogs.
Because I honestly think it’s the perfect first film. So, here are a few reasons why this filmmaker, like a few other prominent directors, made a career-defining movie on his very first try.
Tarantino’s Style Is Evident Right Out Of The Gate
I’ll never forget the first time I watched Reservoir Dogs. Like many Tarantino fans, I started off with Pulp Fiction and was utterly blown away. This was around the time that Jackie Brown was just coming out, so he still wasn’t the Kill Bill/Inglourious Basterds guy.
Instead, he was “just” the Pulp Fiction/Reservoir Dogs guy, which, even back then, was nothing to sneeze at, as the explosion that the former film created back in 1994 cannot be understated.
So, I went forward, and then backward, making sure to watch Jackie second (which rules, by the way. I will have no slander for that movie here), and RD third.
And, let me tell you. Tarantino’s trademark style – the harsh, but witty banter, the violence, the coolness – were all present, right there in Tarantino’s first film.
This is something I would become more and more impressed by over the years. Because while yes, the stories were different, the characters were different, and the actors were different in movies like Kill Bill, Django Unchained, and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, that trademark style of his was right there in RD. To be fully formed even from the very beginning? Now that’s saying something.
It’s Infinitely Cool, And Has Been Mimicked Multiple Times
Plain and simple, the movie is just cool. Which is interesting, since one of the movies Tarantino was inspired by is one of my favorite Stanley Kubrick flicks, The Killing. It’s excellent, sure, but I wouldn’t exactly call it “cool.”
Honestly, I think the music in the film does some of the legwork. For example, can you ever possibly listen to “Little Green Bag” by George Baker Selection without thinking of the slow-motion walk in the introduction of Reservoir Dogs?
Or, what about “Stuck in the Middle With You” by Stealers Wheel? I’m pretty sure anybody who’s seen the film will immediately have that scene where Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) is dancing around before he slices the cop’s ear off ingrained in their mind whenever this song hits the radio.
And, of course, the movie has been imitated on multiple occasions. In fact, the first time I ever even heard of Quentin Tarantino was on The Simpsons. They were parodying both Reservoir and Pulp Fiction, and I just had to check out who this fellow was after he was referenced on Itchy and Scratchy.
Bob’s Burgers has also referenced the Michael Madsen dancing scene in question, and Family Guy has referenced quite a bit of Tarantino’s work, with RD often being a focus. So, it’s just nifty that generations of kids who have no idea about this movie might become interested in it because, even as a parody, it just looks so damn cool. Not bad for a filmmaker’s very first feature length film.
Actors Like Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, And Michael Madsen Gave Career-Defining Performances
Another reason why I think Reservoir Dogs is the absolute perfect debut picture is because of the big names that are attached to it. I knew who Tim Roth was because I had just seen Pulp Fiction, but I had no idea who Michael Madsen was. But, do you know what? I sure did after I watched this movie, and I’ve been a huge fan ever since.
I also knew of Steve Buscemi, but that’s only because I had watched Fargo around that time, and it was interesting to see Buscemi a bit younger (Plus, the “I don’t tip” scene is almost as iconic as his “Why am I Mr. Pink?” quote, which I often recite regularly out of the blue).
Chris Penn is another big name with a prominent role in the film. At the time, I only knew him as Sean Penn’s brother, but after, I realized that he was actually in a number of films I had already seen, such as one of Francis Ford Coppola’s best movies, Rumble Fish, Pale Rider, and of course, Footloose. So, having him as the explosive “Nice Guy Eddie” was a big get for the director.
That said, I think arguably the biggest name in this film has got to be Harvey Keitel, who has one of the best performances of his career in Reservoir Dogs. He plays the surly (but also caring) Mr. White, and his commitment to Mr. Orange (who is actually an undercover cop) creates a lot of the tension in the film since others believe that Orange is a plant.
So, really, to get such great performances in your very first movie honestly couldn’t be more perfect. But, I guess Tarantino was just that great of a director, even back then.
It’s Mostly Set In Only A Few Locations, Which Must Have Been Very Cost Effective
Do you know what I also love? Great bottle movies, and Reservoir Dogs is one of the best ones.
For those who don’t know, a bottle movie is one in which the setting for the entire film takes place in mostly one area, and though there are a few other locations in the movie (the diner in the beginning is one of the most memorable) a large percentage of the runtime takes place in a warehouse hideout.
This is the perfect location for a debut picture, since it was highly cost effective. The film itself was reportedly budgeted at $1.2 million dollars, and I’m sure that low cost had something to do with the location mostly being in one environment.
I understand that this really wouldn’t have worked if the film didn’t have the Tarantino flare attached to it. In fact, without the dialogue, characters, and violence that he is known for, this movie likely would have been pretty boring.
But, he is a master screenwriter, and also a master filmmaker. So, if he had only made two movies in his entire career, this and Pulp Fiction, I still think we’d be talking about him today. That’s the impact that these two movies alone made on the industry.
Lastly, Tarantino Even Gets To Act In The Film
Let’s just say that Tarantino got to make one movie, and one movie only, and it was this. Well, if that had been the case – and thank Heavens it wasn’t – at the very least, he could say, “I had a role in my own movie!”
This is something that I’m actually surprised that more directors don’t do. Kevin Smith, who also had success with his debut picture, Clerks, actually featured himself even more prominently than Tarantino did, making him an established character who many people say stole the show (I mean, Jay and Silent Bob even have their OWN movies).
Tarantino showed a bit more restraint in that regard, but he did feature himself in his first film as Mr. Brown. He doesn’t have many lines, but it’s interesting that he is one of the characters.
I love that about the film. Yes, it’s hard to see Tarantino as anybody besides himself here (he’s way more convincing as a character in Pulp), but the fact that he’s in the movie at all is just another reason why I think this is the perfect debut picture. He got to have his cake and eat it, too. What more could you possibly want as a director?
What do you think? Do you also find Reservoir Dogs to be the perfect debut movie? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
