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When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.

Director:

Quentin Tarantino

Writers:

Quentin Tarantino, Quentin Tarantino (background radio dialogue written by) | 1 more credit »
Popularity
493 ( 1)
Top Rated Movies #89 | 12 wins & 23 nominations. See more awards »

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Photos

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harvey Keitel ... Mr. White / Larry
Tim Roth ... Mr. Orange / Freddy
Michael Madsen ... Mr. Blonde / Vic Vega
Chris Penn ... Nice Guy Eddie
Steve Buscemi ... Mr. Pink
Lawrence Tierney ... Joe Cabot
Randy Brooks ... Holdaway
Kirk Baltz ... Marvin Nash
Edward Bunker ... Mr. Blue (as Eddie Bunker)
Quentin Tarantino ... Mr. Brown
Rich Turner Rich Turner ... Sheriff #1
David Steen ... Sheriff #2
Tony Cosmo Tony Cosmo ... Sheriff #3
Stevo Polyi Stevo Polyi ... Sheriff #4 (as Stevo Poliy)
Michael Sottile Michael Sottile ... Teddy
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Storyline

Six criminals, 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. Written by Soumitra

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Seven Total Strangers Team Up For The Perfect Crime. They Don't Know Each Other's Name. But They've Got Each Other's Color See more »

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Terry Gilliam is thanked in the credits in gratitude for advice he gave to Quentin Tarantino during a Sundance workshop. See more »

Goofs

(at around 1h 11 mins) When the camera circles around Mr. Orange in the bathroom, the shadow of the camera falls on the wall. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Mr. Brown: Let me tell you what 'Like a Virgin' is about. It's all about a girl who digs a guy with a big dick. The entire song. It's a metaphor for big dicks.
Mr. Blonde: No, no. It's about a girl who is very vulnerable. She's been fucked over a few times. Then she meets some guy who's really sensitive...
Mr. Brown: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... Time out Greenbay. Tell that fucking bullshit to the tourists.
Joe: Toby... Who the fuck is Toby? Toby...
Mr. Brown: 'Like a Virgin' is not about this sensitive girl who meets a nice fella....
[...]
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Crazy Credits

The opening credits leave out Writing and Directing credits. They are then shown first during the end credits. See more »

Alternate Versions

The ear slicing scene was cut in the Finnish VHS release See more »


Soundtracks

Fool for Love
Written and Performed by Sandy Rogers
Published by Rattlesnake Writers
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User Reviews

Ten years on - still brilliant!
5 June 2002 | by InfofreakSee all my reviews

It's hard to get your head around the fact that 'Reservoir Dogs' has been around for ten years. It's almost difficult to remember a time before Tarantino made such an enormous impact (good and bad) on movies, but I saw this movie first time round before the hype. All I knew was that, like another "dog" movie from the same era that I saw, 'Man Bites Dog', that it was supposed to be violent, funny and disturbing, and that it starred a long time favourite of mine Harvey Keitel, and Tim Roth, who I mainly knew from Greenaway's 'The Cook The Thief His Wife & Her Lover'. Okay, I hope it's good I thought as I waited in the cinema listening to some half remembered 70s A.M. pop and a strange conversation about Madonna's sex life (the cinema was playing the soundtrack album before the main feature, but what did we know). Then the movie itself, electrifying and fascinating from the word go. It's impossible to describe the impact of seeing this for the first time without knowing what to expect! Still one of my greatest movie memories. Ten years later I've seen it countless times so the surprise has obviously worn off, but it is still a brilliant movie because beneath the violence and wise-cracks of Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi - 'In The Soup'), Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen - 'Thelma & Louise'), and Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn - 'At Close Range'), there is a lot of depth, that being the very human relationship between Mr. White (Keitel) and Mr.Orange (Roth). To me that is one of the things that elevates this above the many lame and unoriginal "Tarantinoesque" movies we've had to endure since 'Pulp Fiction'. His imitators just simply don't have a clue!

Simply brilliant cinema, and a modern classic. This is absolutely essential viewing!


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 September 1992 (France) See more »

Also Known As:

Reservoir Dogs See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$147,839, 25 October 1992

Gross USA:

$2,832,029

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,892,430
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »

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