RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
95 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:43

Fresh:41

Rotten:2

Average Rating:8.9/10

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Former video store clerk Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut, RESERVOIR DOGS, is a brutally funny, supercharged introduction to his supremely distinct cinematic vision, which was later to become... Former video store clerk Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut, RESERVOIR DOGS, is a brutally funny, supercharged introduction to his supremely distinct cinematic vision, which was later to become one of the most mimicked styles of the 1990s. Mastermind Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) assembles a crew of top-notch criminals to pull off a jewelry store heist. As the film opens it becomes immediately clear that the plan backfired, forcing the survivors, who have gathered at an abandoned warehouse, to figure out if one of them is, in fact, a police informer. The crew--Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), an aged veteran; Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), a wounded newcomer; Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), a psychopathic parolee; Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), a bickering weasel; and Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn), Joe's son--begin to unravel as the pressure becomes too much for them to handle. When Joe arrives, the truth becomes clear in a vicious Mexican standoff. Tarantino takes liberally from Hong Kong action flicks, most notably Ringo Lam's CITY ON FIRE, but his ultra-hip ‘70s soundtrack and hysterical pop culture dialogue make the film seem wholly original and new. Taking a cue from the French New Wave--most notably Jean-Luc Godard--RESERVOIR DOGS remains one of the decade's most influential motion pictures. [More]

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, Quentin Tarantino, Eddie Bunker, Kirk Baltz, Stephen Wright

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Screenwriter: Quentin Tarantino
Producer: Lawrence Bender
Composer: Karyn Rachtman

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Reservoir Dogs

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

[A] remarkable macho crime caper that is at once violent, sickeningly funny and utterly compelling.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeff Dawson
Jeff Dawson
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Tarantino exploits audience savvy, preferring to build anticipation, mesmerise, and then cut away at the climax.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/17/01
Almar Haflidason
Almar Haflidason
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A tour de force.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Quentin Tarantino came out of nowhere with perhaps the most astonishing, explosive American debut film since John Cassavetes' Shadows.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
02/04/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

The writing is crisp and clean, providing line after line of snappy dialogue designed to leave the viewer alternately pondering and laughing aloud.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

You may not like the terms Tarantino sets, but you have to admit he succeeds on them.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
02/27/07
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Entertainment Weekly

Those who survive it emerge in a shell-shocked euphoria -- so good and so blunt is the writing.

comment Comment
10/15/02
Duane Byrge
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A small, modestly budgeted crime movie of sometimes dazzling cinematic pyrotechnics and over-the- top dramatic energy.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Tarantino's camera has instinct.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
08/14/02
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

The movie feels like it's going to be terrific, but Tarantino's script doesn't have much curiosity about these guys.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 21 Comments
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Like many young directors, Quentin Tarantino is overly infatuated with Scorsese, but he shows talent -- in his work with the actors, and in his staging of some of the action scenes.

Full Review Source: Movieline | comment Comment
01/09/02
Stephen Farber
Stephen Farber
Movieline

memorable

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
08/02/09
Blake French
Blake French
Filmcritic.com

It's dynamite on a short fuse.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/13/07
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail

It's extremely well-acted, written with flair and directed by a 29-year-old first-timer, Quentin Tarantino, who always knows where to put the camera, when to cut to a flashback and how to draw the best work from his brilliant cast.

comment Comment
01/01/00
John Hartl
John Hartl
Film.com

Tarentino has the craft down but lacks the depth and moral wisdom to avoid merely gleeful bloodletting.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment 4 Comments
01/01/00
Chris Hicks
Chris Hicks
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

It's brutal, it's funny and you won't forget it.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Hal Hinson
Hal Hinson
Washington Post

The one QT film that always manages to rope a knot in my stomach and keep a firm grip, pulling, twisting, tightening and re-tying it.

Full Review Source: Cinemania | comment Comment
03/09/04
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Cinemania

After watching this film for the zillionth time, there’s no doubt in my mind that this 'little doggy' belongs at the top echelon of any list having to do with great crime pictures.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
09/09/02
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

A ballet of macho posturing, gun-pointing, and the creative uses of every four-letter word imaginable.

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
02/27/01
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

Riveting from start to finish.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for Reservoir Dogs

August 11, 2009: Quentin Tarantino talks Inglourious Basterds - RT Interview
With his sixth film, Quentin Tarantino has fashioned the ultimate in pulp fiction, a Second World War epic set in Nazi-occupied France that sees two parallel assassination plots... More...

September 21, 2007: Quentin Tarantino Stimulated to Write Swedish Soft-Core Film
Quentin Tarantino has a penchant for reviving under-recognized genres. Next on his revivalist roster: Swedish Soft-Core. More...

September 18, 2007: QT Talks Death Proof: What's Different In the DVD Release?
At a press conference at Cannes, the Death Proof gang talked about the differences between the stand-alone version and the Grindhouse cut, as well as Tarantino's influences, his... More...

June 27, 2007: Is Tarantino Preparing Two "Kill Bill" Sequels?
Well, according to one source he sure seems to be ... maybe. More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
10
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
14
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
21
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
40
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
156
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
56
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
  • Tron Legacy Duo Heading into The Black Hole Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
100
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
96
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
92
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
54
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
38
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
34
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
28
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
20
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
9
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
5
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Reservoir Dogs at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Reservoir Dogs at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.