Reservoir Dogs (1992)
                                      
                                reviewed by
                              Michael Har-even
                        ____________________________
   
                                RESERVOIR DOGS
                        A film review by Michael Har-even
                         Copyright 1993 Michael Har-even

   Even though RESERVOIR DOGS is the first film of director-writer
   Tarantino, I would like to evaluate his work. The most striking thing
   in the film is the mixture of events from the present and the past.
   The pre-crime and crime sequences are not flashbacks, their main
   purpose is not to explain but rather to increase the dramatic tension.
   Those events are assembled by the author of this film as another mean
   of expression. We might even say that this process is super-editing or
   even super-montage of a whole film.
   
   Another quality of this film is the lack of psychology. All the
   characters are flat and the only important matter is the action and
   not the reason. This is one of the reasons why the last scene is
   already a myth. In fact, we know almost nothing about each character.
   The only exception is the police agent and I am not sure that it is
   justified. The difficult violence is mingled with humor. This mixture
   is not only original but it is also being used to increase the total
   realistic effect.
   
   Tarantino is an excellent writer and a talented director. The main
   problem is his inability to control the medium totally. Most of the
   scenes on the film are theatrical yet the decor is monotone. The
   lighting could be improved and there is no order (or purposeful
   disorder) in the cinematography. For example, the dazzling movements
   of the camera on the dialogue scenes remind an experiment of a cinema
   student. Naturally, Tarantino has no experience so we have to forgive
   him.
   
   His next film will be the true test of an artist. If he continues to
   be obsessed with violence at the expense of form, in the best case he
   will be just another good American director like Scorsese or Coppola.
   In the worst case, he will be merely an imitator. By forgetting all
   his idols and by challenging the limits of cinema, his true self might
   be exposed. After all, I hope he wants to become more than just a
   fucking professional!
.
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