Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino’s debut film, turns 30. The film managed to become a cult and revolutionize cinema forever. This is behind its creation.
Reservoir Dogsthe first of nine films by Quentin Tarantino, continues to mark the history of cinema. The film was not only the well-planned debut of a Hollywood directorial icon, but it also revolutionized the action genre for good. A myth that is already 30 years old. Although it premiered in January 1992 through the Sundance festival, it did not see the public light in theaters until October. In the United States it was exhibited on the 8th, in other countries on the 9th and there were places that only appreciated it until the 23rd of that month. This is why the whole month is the exact moment to offer a tribute to those 99 minutes of pure legacy.
The Spanish inspiration was present
Although the film changed the concept of crime and violence on screen forever, being a milestone, it had muses. That’s right, Tarantino used other pieces to reproduce his vision. According to him, he was looking for a result similar to that of Blood Singlea 1984 film directed by the coens brothers.The two schemes differ greatly in plot, but the inspiration that the filmmaker took from there is related to shots and cuts. Another revolution of the Coens. However, it was not the only production on which he based his debut in the seventh art. Fifth Districtdirected by Julius Coll and part of the Spanish cult, it is perhaps the clearest basis in Reservoir Dogs. This one does have a similar argument, since five men have just committed a robbery and each flee on their own. Thus, they seek to meet in an apartment to distribute the money, as soon as the last one arrives, Juan, who is the one who carries the spoils, and whom they wait for. In turn, the North American shows six criminals for hire who seek to escape and take their share of a riot for which they were hired. In both, the claustrophobic atmosphere in which the thieves unfold after their work stands out. Coll’s work was premiered in 1957 and has been compared hundreds of times by critics for their similarities.
Thieves
Obviously, being a story of a robbery, the protagonists They’re thieves. Obviously, one of the most iconic in history. In order not to risk the anonymity of the operation, they put their code names and each one represents a color. That strategy was one of the details that most transcended the production. However, it is not something 100% original, but it had already been used before in Hollywood. Pelham 1, 2, 3 had the same modus operandi. For this occasion there were 6 criminals (white, orange, pink, blond, blue and brown). One by one White(Harvey Keitel) is a middle-aged and experienced thief. His real name is Lawrence “Larry” Dimick. He and Joe Cabot have been friends for many years. He is used to killing, but he does not do it without reason. He seems the archetype of the honest criminal, with honor and principles. For him feelings are worth more than reason. He has befriended Mr. Orange and therefore defends and comforts him. Orange(Tim Roth), his real name is Freddy Newandyke, is a young policeman who has infiltrated the group of thieves. His main goal is to catch Joe Cabot in crime. After being shot during the escape, he tries to survive and increases his bond with Mr. White. Pink(Steve Buscemi) is the most reasonable of the bunch. He is selfish and cowardly, but he is very smart and principled like Mr. White. He says that he is a “professional” and asks the others to be too. Blond(Michael Madsen) is a psychopath who enjoys violence. He was the first to shoot during the robbery due to the noise of the alarm. He then points out that he doesn’t like them, downplaying what happened. It is revealed that his name is Vic Vega and he is a close friend of Eddie Cabot. He had recently been released, and his experience in prison made him a bit cruel, especially with police officers. Blue(Edward Bunker) is a seasoned thief who only appears for a few minutes at the beginning and end of the film; he utters a few words at the beginning of it. Brown(Quentin Tarantino) is a young and talkative thief. His job was to be the driver of the robbers. He is, along with Mr. Blue, a minor character who appears for a few minutes in the film.** Information taken from Wikipedia.org
An indelible legacy
As stated above, this was the first film directed by Tarantino, who has since only done the same with eight others. pulp fictionJackie Brown, Kill Bill, Death Proof, Inglourious Basterds, Django, The Hateful Eight and once upon a time in hollywood. But there is a peculiarity with his debut film and that is that he also appeared as an actor, being one of the secondary robbers. Reservoir Dogs taught the robbery cinema so much that it has inspired other films afterwards. In fact, in 2021 a series was made in his honor. Hulu Y fx produced Reservation Dogsan adaptation to the 21st century and whose protagonists are now problematic teenagers. The show was created by Taika Waititi and sought to honor indigenous roots in the United States and Canada. For that, the comic filmmaker enlisted the help of Sterling Harjo, both of native descent.
The alpha… and omega?
However, Quentin Tarantino himself was also greatly impacted by its creation. He himself confessed that he thought of making his next tape a remake of the 92 classic. “I will not do it online, but I did consider it,” he commented after questions from Internet users after the release of Once upon a time in Hollywood. Rumors appeared after the creative confessed that he will only do ten titles in his career, which means he only needs one. I affirm that he believes that the correct thing is “to work for 30 years making as many films as I have done – not as many as other people-. This is a long run. It is a very long race. And I’ve given him everything I have. Until the last thing I have.”
