This post is part of our series highlighting most-loved indie films—ours and yours. Don’t forget to share your submission to The 50 Most Loved Indie Films and help us foster the indie spirit. Learn more about the list here or learn more about Skyline Indie Film Fest.
Reservoir Dogs
The story of Reservoir Dogs—a film about a diamond heist gone horribly wrong—is really the story of a man who would be king: then aspiring writer-director Quentin Tarantino. Quoted as saying, “When people ask me if I went to film school, I tell them, ‘No, I went to films.'”, Tarantino transformed a passion for film and entertaining through the medium into an empire of deep storytelling and magnetic characters.
In fact, Tarantino has enjoyed so much success, it was surprising to us to think that any of his work was ever considered indie film, but this was certainly true of his earlier work, and the indie spirit is alive and well in everything he touches. Today his films enjoy broader industry backing, but his commitment to telling unconventional stories and lengthy character development clearly represents a filmmaker whose indie streak runs deep.
IMDB’s synopsis of Reservoir Dogs:
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 one of them is 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.
Great reviews about Reservoir Dogs:
From Roger Ebert:
This film, the first from an obviously talented writer-director, is like an exercise in style. He sets up his characters during a funny scene in a coffee shop, and then puts them through a stickup that goes disastrously wrong. Most of the movie deals with its bloody aftermath, as they assemble in a warehouse and bleed and drool on one another.
From Rotten Tomatoes:
Tarantino’s palpable enthusiasm, his unapologetic passion for what he’s created, reinvigorates this venerable plot and, mayhem aside, makes it involving for longer than you might suspect.
What do you think of Reservoir Dogs? What’s your favorite Tarantino film? Post your comments below!
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