Superb transfer from Lionsgate on this Tarantino classic, with an amazing starting price point - a must own for any Tarantino fan!
“Frenzied, soaked in blood, and featuring gangsters both ruthless and engaging (who debate the deeper meanings of “Like a Virgin”), Reservoir Dogs – Quentin Tarantino’s debut film about a heist gone horribly wrong – attained iconic cult status upon its release in 1992, and launched the career of a director whose singular vision has influenced a generation of filmmakers. To celebrate the movie’s 30th anniversary, the cocked-and-loaded world of Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), and their ‘90s-cool cohorts makes its swaggering return in razor-sharp 4k.”
It’s hard to believe it’s been thirty years since the release of Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino’s first film. Although it may not have been as commercially successful as his next film, Pulp Fiction, it was an introduction to his iconic style: sharp and witty dialogue, with non-linear storytelling. It’s not an exaggeration he’s influenced a generation of storytellers, and his visions of his films and storytelling in general have eternal places in the history of cinema.
One of the brilliant aspects about the film is how it’s considered by most a heist film, but in no way do you see any kind of heist actually happen, it’s all implied off-screen. We are only introduced to the characters beforehand, and in the process of learning what happens in the turbulent aftermath, given vital story information in how each person has come to be involved in the situation. Taratino’s unique storytelling vision works best here, as we make it halfway through the film not knowing who the informant is, then learning it at the most opportune time by a combination of flashbacks and real-time events.
With this being the 30th anniversary, there have also been 30 years of discussions and essays about Tarantino and his body of work that can better analyze Reservoir Dogs for all its subtext and meaning than I can here. While I won’t even attempt to analyze the aspects, what I can do is appreciate the film and what its success has given us: more Tarantino. If he sticks to his claim about making ten films then retiring, we unfortunately have only one film to go, and living in a world where people can’t guess what his next project will be about seems a bit morose. Until that day comes, and well after, we can continue to appreciate his work and their releases into a new physical medium that make them look better than ever.
Video
Reservoir Dogs is presented in 2160p Ultra High Definition Widescreen 2.35:1 featuring Dolby Vision. The transfer on this release is simply stunning. Being a more low-budget film from what I remembered, I had my reservations about how it would look, but it looks nothing short of spectacular with the dynamic meta-data that ensures the best brightness level of every scene with the Dolby Vision. Colors absolutely pop, brilliant and bright, and the contrast against the black and white suits versus the deep reds of blood make it all the more life-like. Grain is kept at a manageable level, keeping the film-like look alive. If this is any indication of what we’re in store for in the upcoming release of Pulp Fiction, I cannot wait to see how that one looks after years of not seeing it.
Audio
The audio is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1. This is the only portion I felt a bit disappointed in. It’s been years since I’ve seen the film, but granted, the majority of it takes place in a large open warehouse. Given that, with the lower budget, the dialogue has a distinct echo that can sometimes be hard to understand or make out clearly. While this is in no way the fault of the track, it was disappointing to me how much improved the video was, but no way to improve those warehouse dialogue scenes. Just a personal preference from me, as purists may enjoy the more life-like sound of men screaming at each other in an open warehouse, because sounds exactly as it should.
Special Features
Reservoir Dogs certainly has had its fair share of releases over the years, with interesting packaging like the Gas Can edition and the different colored slipcases for each, white, orange, yellow, pink and brown. For whatever reason I felt the need to collect all the colored cases, which thankfully I restrained myself on, but do remember settling for the Tarantino Mr. Brown case, as Mr. Pink was the most readily available in my area anyway.
The standard 4k set isn’t anything as intriguing as all that, but does have a nice slipcover with the slow-motion walking scene against a red background. Really eye-popping. Comes with a digital code as well.
The extras are located on the Blu-ray disc and include:
- Deleted Scenes
- Playing It Fast and Loose
- Profiling the Reservoir Dogs
Lionsgate has done a fantastic job on this release, with a great initial price point, just in time for the holiday sales to get it even cheaper. Great 4k transfer, a must-have for Tarantino fans.
