1. ‘Reservoir Dogs’

2. ‘Reservoir Dogs’(1992) dir.Quentin Tarantino
‘Reservoir Dogs’ is the debut film from writer/director Tarantino.
The film is an unusual example of a heist film particularly in terms of the narrative.
Upon its release, the film caused controversy due its ‘extreme ultra violence’ and was then banned from being released on video.
‘Reservoir Dogs’ is seen by many as a key film in the last 25 years as it encouraged more independent filmmaking in the US.

3. named "Greatest Independent Film of all Time" by Empire magazine

4. Inspired by Kubrick’s The Killing
Tarantino said: "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."

5. Not everyone’s a fan…
During a screening at Sitges Film Festival, fifteen people walked out, including horror film director Wes Craven and special makeup effects artist Rick Baker.[28] Baker later told Tarantino to take the walkout as a "compliment" and explained that he found the violence unnerving because of its heightened sense of realism.

6. "It happens at every single screening
"It happens at every single screening. For some people the violence, or the rudeness of the language, is a mountain they can't climb. That's OK. It's not their cup of tea. But I am affecting them. I wanted that scene to be disturbing.“

7. Psychological analysis
Psychologist Robert D. Hare reports that Keitel's character Mr. White and Madsen's Mr. Blonde illustrate the differences between the mental health diagnoses of sociopathy and psychopathy.

8. Mr. White is a sociopath, a professional criminal who nonetheless has some loyalty and standards of conduct; he takes no pleasure in violence but regards the use of force as an occasional necessity in his vocation.
In contrast, Mr. Blonde enjoys torturing the captured police officer; Mr. White explicitly describes Mr. Blonde as a "psychopath" and condemns his reckless shooting of civilians.

9. 1 Write an adjective to describe three of the characters on the whiteboard.

10. Narrative What can we say about the narrative in ‘Reservoir Dogs’?
Non-linear - Told through flashbacks. Why did Tarantino decide to construct the narrative like this?
There is also an ‘anecdote/dream sequence’ with Mr Orange which is vey unusual. Why was that included?
Told from different character perspectives- Mr White, Mr Orange and Mr Blonde. Why just them?
What can we say about the narrative time frame?

11. Ideological Themes What themes are present in the film?
Friendship and loyalty.
Trust.
Any others?
What is the moral message of the film? .

12. Historical- Social context
What does historical-social context mean?
Reservoir Dogs was made in 1991.
Therefore we need to look at the film in the context of the time it was made.
The film reflects the early 1990s zeitgeist. What does that mean?
Zeitgeist: the spirit or mood of the time.
So what was the zeitgeist was the film capturing?
The early 90s was the time of ‘lad culture’ when men begin to reassert dominant patriarchal attitudes.

13. Characterisation
What does characterisation mean?
The construction of a fictional dramatic character.
From your own knowledge do you know any terms associated with dramatic characterisation?
Protagonist: the main character that the narrative revolves around.
Antagonist: character that causes problems for the protagonist in the narrative.
Archetypes?

14. Analyzing Character One or two adjectives to describe them.
Would you consider them to be a protagonist or antagonist?
What can you about their representation of masculinity?
What is their role in the narrative/heist?

15. Issues of masculinity
What does the film say about the characters and their masculinity?
Why are there no women in the film? How are women referred to?

16. Technical Aspects
Cinematography
Sound
Editing
Mise en scene

17. Iconography or mise en scene
What can be said about the iconography?
Costume
Props
Sets
What is the iconography of the heist genre?
Is there a set of iconographic tools these films
have?
Remember, this is also a take on film noir.