Reservoir Dogs – 4K Review

Director: Quintin Tarantino

Writer: Quintin Tarantino

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madson, and Quentin Tarantino

Rating: ★★★★

It’s been thirty years since Quinten Tarantino made his debut with Reservoir Dogs, the low-budget classic crime film. Now the film has received a 4K restoration release in a brilliantly stunning steelbook. It’s a great opportunity to discover or re-visit the iconic film that launched Tarantino’s career. The story revolves around a failed heist and the criminals regrouping and trying to figure out what’s going on. It’s filled with paranoia, pop culture references, and more blood than you’d find in some slasher films.

As Tarantino’s first film, it really shows how great of a filmmaker he is, especially when working with a lower budget. All of his signature techniques are there straight from the beginning, the excellent soundtrack, the non-linear timeline, as well as the offbeat dialogue. Even the extreme and horrific violence, which is more suggested than shown on screen. If you’ve seen his later films, and not yet seen where it all started, then you won’t be disappointed.

There are a few special features on this release, but nothing major. There’s a few deleted scenes, including some alternative and more graphic versions of the ‘ear’ scene, which are interesting to watch, especially the ones that show the cops planning to stop the heist. The other extras are two featurettes, one that contextualises the film to explain why it’s so iconic and influential. The other featurette profiles the characters in the film, which gives a little more insight into the story, but not essential.

Reservoir Dogs is an all time classic and while the new release is a little light on extras, the brilliant steelbook more than makes up for that. The film still stands up today and is just as great and fresh as ever. It’s essential watching for any film fan.