Reservoir Dogs

Reservoir Dogs is Quentin Tarantino's 1992 debut as a feature film director. It introduced many of the themes and aesthetics that have become Tarantino's hallmarks -- violent crime; pop culture references; memorable dialogue; and complex, nonlinear stories.

Influences

Tarantino is well-known for his encyclopedic knowledge of cinema, and Reservoir Dogs is liberally influenced by numerous films, particularly Hong Kong action cinema, French New Wave and Samuel Fuller. These influences can be seen in everything from the suits the characters wear (inspired by the finale of John Woo's A Better Tomorrow II, itself possibly inspired by the Blues Brothers), to the colour code names from The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, to Tierney's line about John Dillinger (he played the famous Indiana bank robber in the 1945 film Dillinger).

Related Topics:
Hong Kong action cinema - French New Wave - Samuel Fuller - John Woo - A Better Tomorrow II - Blues Brothers - The Taking of Pelham One Two Three - John Dillinger - 1945 - Dillinger

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The screenplay, written by Tarantino, was partly inspired by Hong Kong director Ringo Lam's 1987 Long hu feng yun (City on Fire), starring Chow Yun-Fat and Danny Lee. Reportedly one of Tarantino's favourite films, he borrowed several key plot points and scenes, though the styles, dialogue and stories are quite different. In particular, the "Mexican standoff" at the end of the film is similar to one that takes place in City on Fire, and both stories are told from the point of view of an undercover cop with conflicting loyalties.

Related Topics:
Screenplay - Ringo Lam - City on Fire - Chow Yun-Fat - Danny Lee

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Tarantino himself has been forward and unapologetic about his influences. In a 1994 interview with Empire magazine, he said, "I steal from every single movie ever made. If people don't like that, then tough tills, don't go and see it, all right? I steal from everything. Great artists steal, they don't do homages."

Related Topics:
1994 - Empire

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Reservoir Dogs itself spawned many imitators in the 1990s, often low-budget independent films panned by critics and dismissed by audiences. Movies often cited as examples include Destiny Turns on the Radio, The Suicide Kings, Two Days in the Valley, Killing Zoe, SFW and Mad Dog Time.

Related Topics:
1990s - Independent film - Destiny Turns on the Radio - The Suicide Kings - Two Days in the Valley - Killing Zoe - SFW - Mad Dog Time

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