Reservoir Dogs (1992)
95%RT Audience Score: 94%
Awards & Nominations: 12 wins & 23 nominations
Thrumming with intelligence and energy, Reservoir Dogs opens Quentin Tarantino’s filmmaking career with hard-hitting style.
Reservoir Dogs is a cinematic masterpiece that will leave you on the edge of your seat. With a cast of unforgettable characters and a plot that keeps you guessing until the very end, this movie is a must-see for any fan of crime dramas. Tarantino’s clever use of non-linear storytelling and witty dialogue make for a truly unique and entertaining experience. And let’s not forget Michael Madsen’s iconic dance scene – it’s worth the price of admission alone. So grab some popcorn and get ready for a wild ride with Reservoir Dogs.
Production Company(ies)
Live Entertainment, Dog Eat Dog Productions, Inc.,
Distributor
Miramax Films, Artisan Entertainment
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
5860 North Figueroa Street, Highland Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong violence and language
Year of Release
1992
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 45m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 23, 1992 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 18, 2003
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, directed by Quentin Tarantino, written by Roger Avary, Quentin Tarantino, crime, drama, box office, budget, reviewed by Jay Carr, Derek Malcolm, Chuck Bowen, Kathleen Carroll, Anne Billson, Terrence Rafferty, Quentin Crisp, Tom Meek, Sergio Benítez, PJ Nabarro, Patrick Nabarro, R rating, diamond heist, police informer, tension, betrayal, urban wasteland, redemption, nonlinear, flashbacks, dialogue, cast, audience score, Tomatometer
Worldwide gross: $2,913,644
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $6,236,729
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,105
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 680,123
US/Canada gross: $2,832,029
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $6,062,030
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,754
US/Canada opening weekend: $147,839
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $316,453
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,521
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $1,200,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $2,568,631
Production budget ranking: 2,002
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,383,208
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $2,284,891
ROI to date (est.): 58%
ROI ranking: 1,111
Tim Roth – Mr. Orange, Freddy
Michael Madsen – Mr. Blonde, Vic
Chris Penn – Nice Guy Eddie
Steve Buscemi – Mr. Pink
Lawrence Tierney – Joe Cabot
Director(s)
Quentin Tarantino
Writer(s)
Roger Avary, Quentin Tarantino
Producer(s)
Lawrence Bender
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
12 wins & 23 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (71) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (64) | Rotten (7)
And while Tarantino never quite succeeds in putting around each character the sense of isolation that marks the best noirs, he carries off this exercise in lively fashion. It’s more purple than noir, but it’s got juice.
April 27, 2018
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
No one should go to Reservoir Dogs without prior thought. But what they will see is a riveting treatise on the theme of betrayal set in an urban wasteland that murders hope and makes redemption virtually impossible.
March 20, 2018
Derek Malcolm
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
As QT’s first film as both writer and director, Reservoir Dogs indicates a remarkably fully formed cinematic sensibility.
May 18, 2017
Chuck Bowen
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The exaggerated raw violence of “Reservoir Dogs” leaves one feeling cheated in the end. For this movie isn’t really about anything. It’s just a flashy, stylistically daring exercise in cinematic mayhem.
January 21, 2016 | Rating: 2.5/4
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
Perhaps it’s a bit too knowing in places, and perhaps it packs in one pop cultural reference too many, but this is an in-your-face, look-at-me kind of debut, designed to function as the calling-card of a major new talent.
December 29, 2014
Anne Billson
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The film, for all its mayhem and fury, is too distant to be truly disturbing; it treats everything with an impatient, born-too-late shrug.
June 26, 2013
Terrence Rafferty
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
It is the most dreadful movie ever made or, at least, ever given a general release. By this I do not mean that it is dreadfully bad or, even dreadfully sad. I wish to signify that it is evil.
April 4, 2022
Quentin Crisp
Christopher Street
The wafer-thin plot gets stretched far with smart, nonlinear weaves and a masterful cast crowned by Michael Madsen’s trigger-happy psychopath and Lawrence Tierney’s amiably gruff head honcho.
April 6, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day
An amazing narrative prodigy that is the story of a spoiled robbery which, right now, I would point out as Tarantino’s masterpiece. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 30, 2019
Sergio Benítez
Espinof
Tarantino’s jumbling of his chronology and the clever changes of context from the claustrophobic warehouse section to various character origin flashbacks are sly and electric
November 10, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
PJ Nabarro
Patrick Nabarro
There are good performances all around as Reservoir Dogs veers to its ironic, almost absurdist climax. In addition to his clever plotting, Tarantino has given his cast sharp, acrid, sometimes witty dialogue.
June 6, 2018
Malcolm Johnson
Hartford Courant
…one of the most impressive debut features in cinematic history.
January 15, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews…
Plot
Six thugs, who are strangers to each other, are hired by a crime boss, Joe Cabot, to carry out a diamond robbery. Right at the outset, they are given false names with the intention that they won’t get too close and will concentrate on the job instead. They are completely sure that the robbery is going to be a success. But, when the police show up right at the time and the site of the robbery, panic spreads amongst the group members, and two of them are killed in the subsequent shootout, along with a few policemen and civilians. When the remaining people assemble at the premeditated rendezvous point (a warehouse), they begin to suspect that one of them is an undercover cop.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of Reservoir Dogs includes notable actors such as Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, and Steve Buscemi.
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