Tarantino's Promising Debut

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Another noteworthy feature of this film is its lack of traditional characterization and character development. Unlike other films with linear, chronological plots, viewers of Reservoir Dogs get a seven-minute scene of immaterial banter then immediately get thrown into the events that occur after the heist goes wrong. Although the conversation in the opening scene is engaging, humorous and entertaining, it provides very limited insight into the personalities of each character. The camera tracks around the conversation at the table for most of the scene, providing an eye-level shot of the characters’ interactions. This stylistic choice by Tarantino serves to make the audience feel included in the conversation itself. There are times when the camera does stop moving to give the audience a close up or reaction shot of one character or another, but due to the rarity of these occurrences, it is notable nearly every time it happens. For example, when Joe Cabbot (Lawrence Tierney) returns to the table in order to collect everyone’s share of the tip, there is a stationary low angle shot of him as he stands over the table and berates Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) for not paying his part of the tip. This angle gives the audience the sense that Joe is the authoritative voice of the group. There is no way of knowing this merely from what has been revealed by the opening dialogue, but by using this camera technique, Tarantino accentuates Joe’s authority over the rest of the group. Due to this film’s non-linear progression through time, the stylistic characterization Tarantino provides during this scene is the only real character development the audience gets until later in the film. This is a common point of criticism for Tarantino’s debut; many critics claim that he limits the star-studded cast he had at his disposal with a wordy, uninteresting script that does little in the way of character development (Ebert, 1992). However, most critics also included praise for Tarantino’s cinematographic skill despite their negative criticism of his writing ability. Roger Ebert even called it “…quite an achievement for a first-timer.”

Quentin Tarantino’s debut film, Reservoir Dogs, never quite gained the same type of cult-like following that his later films did after its initial release. It was, however, a promising starting point for his illustrious career. He begins to display his cinematic skill by masterfully using multiple angles and extended shots to create the spatially contingent world inside which these suave, witty, quick-thinking robbers exist. The film does accentuate some of Tarantino’s shortcomings as a novice director, but these are generally unrelated to his ability as a director. As a whole, this film is an unrefined exhibition of directorial ability by a wildly talented young director.

References

Ebert, R. (1992, October 26). Reservoir Dogs Movie Review & Film Summary (1992) | Roger Ebert. Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/reservoir-dogs-1992

Heaton, D. (2011, July 27). Reservoir Dogs: A Gut Shot to the Heist Genre | Public Transportation Snob. Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://www.ptsnob.com/2011/07/gut-shot-to-heist-genre-tarantinos.html

Lyttelton, O. (2012, October 27). 5 Things You Might Not Know About 'Reservoir Dogs' Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/5-things-you-might-not-know-about-reservoir-dogs-on-its-20th-anniversary-20121023

Ward, Z. (2014, February 13). Great Directors with Terrible First Movies - The Beat: A Blog by PremiumBeat. Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/great-directors-with-terrible-first-movies/

Zimmerman, D. (2012, December 24). "Making the Movie on the Page": Rare 1992 Interview With Quentin Tarantino for 'Reservoir Dogs' (Exclusive Book Excerpt). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://www.indiewire.com/article/qt-me-rare-1992-interview-with-quentin-tarantino-django-unchained-reservoir-dogs-book-excerpt