Reservoir Dogs [Special Edition: Mr. Orange Cover]

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What would you consider heaven? For me, heaven was receiving copies of "Reservoir Dogs: 10th Anniversary Edition," "Pulp Fiction: Collector´s Edition," and "Jackie Brown: Collector´s Edition" within two days of each other. "Pulp Fiction" is easily one of my favorite films, and I hold "Reservoir Dogs" in high regard as well. Both films saw abysmal first efforts on DVD, but now, they are receiving the royal treatment from those that own their licenses. Artisan is not holding back and is releasing a fine two-disc set. One interesting curiosity with this Anniversary Edition is the availability of five slipcases. Mr. Brown, Mr. White, Mr. Pink, Mr. Orange, and Mr. Blonde each are featured on different DVD slipcases. Each different edition features picture and information on the featured character. Inside the slipcase is a standard two-disc keep case with artwork showing all five characters. The edition that I received was Mr. Orange. I may have to finagle a Mr. Brown edition.

"Reservoir Dogs" was the talk of the 1992 Sundance Film Festival. It was expected to clean house with the awards and was easily the star attraction of the festival. However, Sundance would snub Quentin, and he would not take home a single honor. Afterwards, the film did exceptionally well around the globe and with critics, but the failure to secure an award at Sundance and the inability for LIVE Entertainment to release a large number of domestic prints saw the film gross around $3 million. Its worldwide take was nearly $20 million, but it wouldn´t be until the film hit video shelves that it would become the success that it is today. If not for its success on the video market, I would not be here reviewing the 10th Anniversary Edition on DVD.

This was Quentin Tarantino´s first foray into feature filmmaking. It is surprising that Tarantino was able to secure the talent he did for this low-budget picture and have Michael Madsen and Harvey Keitel along for the ride. What is most surprising is how mature and well-crafted the film is. "Reservoir Dogs" does not play like the first time effort of an up and coming filmmaker. It is not a freshman outing, nor does it feel like a sophomore film. "Reservoir Dogs" is a picture that feels as if its director has been in stride for some time. Tarantino´s ability to conjure up stellar acting and feature some of the absolute best dialogue found in cinema is all prevalent here, and I am always amazed that he was able to create the story, capture the performances, and deliver in the manner he did. Given the difficult subject matter, it is even more surprising.

The premise of "Reservoir Dogs" is that this is a heist film, and the heist goes miserably wrong. Six low-life characters are brought together to help perform the perfect heist. Everything is practiced, and it all seems perfect. But, everything goes miserably wrong. Members of the group are killed, it becomes apparent that one of the group was indeed a police officer, and the entire thing was a set up to bring down the mastermind behind the entire plot. This story sounds normal and basic enough, but Tarantino chooses to never show the heist. You never see what happens and what went wrong, but the aftermath and reasons behind the failure are offered in flashback and dialogue as only Tarantino is capable of.

From early on, you know that Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) is the police officer that has infiltrated the gang, and he is the man who must bring Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) to justice. He befriends Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), and during the escape from the failed heist, Orange is shot and White protects him and does his best to keep him alive. The cop and the robber form a friendship that will be tested before the credits roll. Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) is the person responsible for causing the havoc that led to the problems with the plan. Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) is the realist who sees what is happening but looses his cool and comes to wits against White. Mr. Blue (Edward Bunker) and Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino) have minor roles in the film. Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn) is Joe Cabot´s son and very much involved in the robbery attempt.

The fates and roles of many of these men are very well known from early on. Tarantino allows a lot to be known of these men, but the manner in which he has crafted his film keeps this film entertaining. Granted, we know that Orange is the cop. What we don´t know is what is going to come of his friendship with White and whether or not he will survive the gunshot that has him lying in a pool of his own blood for much of the film. We know that the heist goes bad from early on, but the flashbacks that show the planning stages are still full of information and important to the film. Everything is held together by Tarantino´s masterful use of dialogue and his ability to tell a story without going right from point A to point B. Then again, he doesn´t start at point A, but we always know where A and B are.

This is a bloody film, and in typical Tarantino fashion, it is filled with clever pop references and lots of profanity. The opening scene where the men are discussing the true meaning of Madonna´s "Like A Virgin" is perhaps more famous than the film itself. The credit sequence where the men walk as "Little Green Bag" plays had been parodied and copied more times than "Louie Louie" has been covered. Recently, "Greg The Bunny" carbon-copied that scene down to the music. As with "Pulp Fiction," "Reservoir Dogs" has been a very influential film. It is certainly not a film for the deeply religious. It is a gripping tale that features acting at its best and some of the best dialogue your ears will ever witness.

Video:
"Reservoir Dogs: 10th Anniversary Edition" is the second release of the title onto DVD. The previous DVD featured a non-anamorphic transfer on one side and a full-screen transfer on the reverse side. This time around, Artisan has again released both versions, with each appearing on a separate dual-layered disc. The 2.35:1 transfer is anamorphic and a definite improvement over the previous version. Tarantino created a visually impressive film, and the framing of his scenes do not facilitate a Pan & Scan transfer. There are two reasons to watch the P&S version. The first is to make a point as to why you should never watch a Pan & Scan transfer by showing how badly cropped some scenes are. The second reason would be if you are one of those people who have yet to discover the true value of the black bars. Though I detest these films being cropped, I do understand that there is an audience who would rather have their whole TV picture filled, so credit must be given to Artisan for appeasing everybody.

This DVD transfer looks very good. It is not perfect, but it is good. The film was not shot with the best film stock or equipment, so colors are not as brilliant as they could be. Detail is very good, and film grain is noticeably better than the previous incarnation of the title on DVD. One or two scenes came across as being slightly soft, but they were never distracting. Black levels could have been deeper and are slightly gray during a few scenes. Thankfully, digital artifacts are completely absent, and there is little to no edge enhancement halos to be found. Overall, this new DVD transfer excels over the previous iteration, and not just because it is 16x9 enhanced.

Audio:
Before getting into the quality of the sound, I feel as if I must give Quentin Tarantino some credit for his musical selections in his films. All three of his pictures feature absolutely incredible soundtracks. Tarantino has a knack for discovering older music and applying them to his films. "Pulp Fiction" had a great combination of classic rock, funk, and surfer music. "Jackie Brown" mixed classic rock with Seventies soul. "Reservoir Dogs" throws in everything from Stealer´s Wheel´s "Stuck In The Middle" to "Little Green Bag" to a country selection or two. This is a great example of the music from the Seventies, and the music of "Reservoir Dogs" was certainly a taste of things to come from Tarantino in regards to soundtrack selections.

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