Quentin Tarantino’s Ultra-Violent Debut Starring Steve Buschemi is Finally Free to Stream
Even Quentin Tarantino had to start somewhere, and that somewhere just so happened to be the ensemble heist film Reservoir Dogs. Boasting a host of stars that would come to be mainstays in Tarantino’s filmography, this ultra-violent crime thriller put the director on the map when it came to non-linear storytelling, quick dialogue, and plenty of blood.
In case you need a refresher, here’s a brief plot summary for Reservoir Dogs:
After a seemingly perfectly planned robbery goes awry, a group of criminals begin to suspect there is a traitor in the ranks, and back at their headquarters try to suss out the culprit.
Reservoir Dogs was initially conceived by Tarantino as a film with a $30,000 budget to be shot in black and white on a 16mm camera. However, after his producer Lawrence Bender gave the script to his acting teacher, his teacher’s wife then gave the script to Harvey Keitel. That happy coincidence led to Keitel signing up as a co-producer, as well as starring in the film. This led to Tarantino raising upwards of $1.5 million for the project. It also helped get more talent attached, such as Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, and Michael Madsen. Even George Clooney and Viggo Mortensen read for roles.
The film is chock-full of homage to Tarantino’s favorite films, from The Taking Of Pelham 123 and City On Fire. Specifically, though, Reservoir Dogs is his take on Stanley Kubrick’s 1956 film The Killing. In 1992, he told The Seattle Times, “I didn’t go out of my way to do a rip-off of The Killing, but I did think of it as my Killing, my take on that kind of heist movie.”
But how does Reservoir Dogs hold up in 2024? According to Twitter, at least, it’s still one of the director’s most beloved works.
See what people are saying:
Reservoir Dogs is streaming now on FreeVee and Plex.
Are you going to use this opportunity to revisit the Tarantino classic? Let us know on Twitter and Instagram @DreadCentral.
Categorized:News
