Stars:
Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Eddie
Bunker, Michael Madsen, Kirk Baltz, and Quentin Tarantino
Writer:
Quentin Tarantino
Director:
Quentin Tarantino
Feature
length: 100 minutes
Extras:
Deleted Scenes, All New Interviews With Quentin Tarantino, Lawrence Bender, Tim
Roth, Chris Penn, Michael Madsen, Eddie Bunker, and Kirk Baltz, A Tribute To
Lawrence Tierney, Reservoir Dogs Director’s Tribute, The Class Of 92, Small
Dogs: Action Figure Development Documentary, Film Noir Web, Select Scene Audio
Commentary, K-BILLY Interactive Radio, Reservoir Dogs Style Guide, Securing The
Shot Featurette, Original Theatrical Trailer, Poster Gallery.
Languages:
English DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Sound, and Dolby Surround Sound 2.0
Subtitles:
English Closed Captions and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
2-Disc Amaray Keep Case Within A Cardboard Slipcase
Widescreen
Version Chapter Stops: 22
Full
Screen Version Chapter Stops: 8
Sound:
DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, and
Dolby Surround Sound 2.0
Year
of Theatrical Release: 1992/DVD Release: 2002
Theatrical
Distributor: Miramax Films
Home
Video Distributor: Artisan Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: R
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
It
is almost surprising to me that ten years have passed so quickly since Quentin
Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” first appeared in movie theaters. I remember
being a student in film school at the time and a friend and I were going to go
see it, but the tickets were sold out so we ended up seeing another great film
from that year entitled “Glengarry Glenn Ross.”
Students in my classes could be heard talking about “Reservoir Dogs”
for what seemed like a year after the film first premiered. Some would be
dissecting the various filmmaking techniques and inspirations while others would
just speculate on what were then rumors of the various Tarantino screenplays
being produced by other filmmakers as well as rumors about Tarantino’s next
film. I ended up seeing “Reservoir Dogs” on VHS when it first came out on
home video and I have to admit that I hated it the first time I saw it. However
it grew upon me in hindsight and now finally Artisan Home Entertainment is
releasing the definitive home video version of what is arguably Tarantino’s
best film.
As
DVD consumers already know, Artisan is releasing “Reservoir Dogs: Ten Years:
Special Edition DVD 2-Disc Set” with a choice of five different slipcase
covers, “Mr. Orange – Tim Roth,” “Mr. White – Harvey Keitel,” “Mr.
Blond – Michael Madsen,” “Mr. Pink – Steve Buscemi, “ and in a very
limited release “Mr. Brown – Quentin Tarantino.” The contents within these
collectable packages are exactly the same so casual buyers can pick up their
favorite character, if it is one of these five or diehard fans can purchase all
five. Retailers like Amazon.Com are selling “Mr. Brown” separately and the
others in a four pack, but again please keep in mind that aside from what is
within the color coded cardboard slipcase, the contents beyond that is exactly
the same. I was very happy to receive the “Mr. Pink” package because had I
had to buy one for myself privately then that was the one I would have gotten
because I am a fan of Steve Buscemi and really enjoyed his work in the film.
One
can get an idea of what to expect when they buy any of these character covers by
a brief description of what was in the “Mr. Pink” cardboard slipcase. The
front flap opens up to reveal a booklet with pictures of the character from the
film as well as character quotes from the film. There are some more character
pictures on the cardboard inside flap, which are smaller versions of the same
ones within the booklet insert and there are more character quotes in the sleeve
that holds the booklet. On the opposite side there is a brief biographical
description of the character as it relates to the film and a profile that
reveals the much-debated fate of the character. That is it so from here on
everything else included in this DVD set should be exactly the same as with the
other character releases.
The
two-disc set comes within a two-disc Amaray keep case with an insert indicating
the scene selections for the widescreen version and another insert with
advertisements for “Reservoir Dogs” figures, posters, and whatnot. Disc one
contains the anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) presentation of the film. The film
transfer is a bit grainy and yet it reveals more detail than I had ever noticed
on previous home video releases of the film. One can see subtitle textures of
the clothes from what appears to be ever so slight pinstripes on Mr. White’s
jacket to the fact that Mr. Orange was wearing black jeans and not slacks as I
had previously assumed. Again I have to state that these facets might have been
always clearly visible on previous home video releases and since I am not a
diehard fan I just never noticed or paid enough attention, but because the
details were much more visible to me with this release than with any other I
have seen, I am inclined to lean toward the positive side regarding the
widescreen version’s picture quality despite the visible grain. The English
DTS Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is excellent and really gives off a true
three-dimensional quality right down to the subtle sounds that occur outside the
settings and frame setups. When I first started screening the film, I got
alarmed just after the credits by the sound because I thought something happened
around me. In fact someone interrupted my screening the disc the first time
thinking I was in trouble. That is how clear and vivid the new DTS Soundtrack
is. The DTS soundtrack is only available on the widescreen version of the film.
An English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is included on both versions of
the DVD and is also well mixed, but not quite as stunning as the DTS Soundtrack.
The full screen version also features a nice English Dolby Surround Soundtrack
and both presentations feature English Closed Captions for the hearing impaired
and Spanish Language Subtitles as options. It is well worth screening the full
screen presentation that is located on disc two if only to compare how much
visual information is lost after seeing the widescreen version. “Reservoir
Dogs” appears to be a film that never compromised on the arrangement of the
visual compositions with home video in mind, which is rarity these days and even
then. The picture quality on the full screen version is somewhat uneven with
certain scenes looking less grainy than others. Collectively this is a great
tool to educate someone on the benefits of widescreen film presentations in the
home.
Disc
one features a commentary track made up of elements from the various interviews
recorded for this DVD edition so while you will hear Quentin Tarantino talk
while watching the film, keep in mind that he was not sitting in a studio
talking about the film. The commentary features Quentin Tarantino, Producer
Lawrence Bender, Director Of Photography Andrzej Sekula, Editor Sally Menke, and
Actors Chris Penn, Kirk Baltz, Tim Roth, and Michael Madsen. The collective
editing of the various interviews yields a feature length audio commentary. The
full screen version on disc two has a scene specific commentary by Critics and
Authors Amy Taubin, Peter Travers, and Emmanuel Levy. The way this works is one
can choose to listen to one of these commentaries at a time or hear them one
after the other as one reel. Using the branching capabilities of the DVD, the
scenes discussed in the film appear out of sequence and only the scenes
pertinent to the discussion are actually shown. Collectively if one plays all
one after the other the critical commentary on disc two has a running time of
about 87-minutes. “Film Comment” Critic Amy Taubin discusses the character
relationships between each other on screen and the audience as well as the use
of the music in the film to highlight certain elements as well as the parts
where we hear no music. She refers to Quentin Tarantino’s visual and audio
storytelling ability as being like a “white rapper.” “Rolling Stone’s”
Peter Travers covers much of the same ground though he is much more attentive to
the detail of the sound and camera placement and how the impact effects the
audience. Author Emmanuel Levy discusses the film’s structure as it relates to
literature, how Tarantino manipulates the audiences’ empathy for certain
characters, and the nature of sadomasochistic relationships between the films
characters and between the film and the viewers. Collectively all three
commentaries are like attending a film school lecture on “Reservoir Dogs”
and do offer interesting points for consideration.
Extra
features on disc one also include videotaped interviews which can be viewed
individually or as one 55-minute reel with Chris Penn, Kirk Baltz, Michael
Madsen, Lawrence Bender, Tim Roth, and Quentin Tarantino. At times the gimmicks
put into some of these interviews are rather annoying. I would have preferred
something more straightforward and less cutesy. The elements from the recorded
interviews on both discs are what were used for the audio commentary on the
widescreen version. There are four deleted scenes presented in a (1.85:1) aspect
ratio with English Stereo Sound. They appear to be taken from a videotaped
source and feature two alternate angles on the infamous ear-severing scene.
Wisely they were never used since the gross factor might have inhibited the
visceral effect as it appears in the final feature film presentation and one can
easily tell that the ear being sliced off is a prosthetic. The (1.85:1)
theatrical trailer wraps up the extra features on disc one.
The
balance of the extra features is on disc two with the full screen presentation
and critical commentaries I have detailed above. There is an interactive K-BILLY
Radio feature where one can hear the recorded comments from a professional and
incarcerated thief who reveals what aspects of the film appear realistic and the
realities of diamond heists. There is a recording sessions with Tarantino’s
voice directing from the background and tunes from the film. There is a picture
in picture dramatization of the torture scene with Mr. Blond using the
“Reservoir Dogs” action figures, which I thought was rather silly. A
featurette about the creation of the action figure set is also included. The
“Class Of 92” retrospective featurette is a series of interviews with Alex
Rockwell, Katt Shae, Tom Kalin, and Quentin Tarantino discussing how the
independent film scene changed at that time and culminates in some videotaped
footage of the 1991 Sundance Filmmaker’s Workshop with Quentin Tarantino and
Steve Buscemi as well as an earlier workshop scene that is notably different
from what appears in the film.
The
“Tributes and Dedications” feature more interview segments discussing
Lawrence Tierney and the various troubles that occurred between the late Tierney
and Michael Madsen as well as Tierney and Tarantino. The videotaped interview
with Eddie Bunker is a panic as we hear him discuss the various “situations”
he was involved in back in the day, and there are various interviews with Monte
Hellman, Jack Hill, Pam Grier, and Roger Corman discussing their feelings and
thoughts with regard to “Reservoir Dogs” and how they served as an
inspiration to Tarantino. “The
Film Noir Web” consists with a series of detailed viewing and reading
recommendations for those interested in the genre as well as videotaped
interviews with Mike Hodges, Robert Polito, John Boorman, Donald Westlake, and
Stephen Fears.
A
featurette on the locations as well as a short poster gallery and a rather
ridiculous “Reservoir Dogs Style Guide” conclude the extra features on disc
two. The interactive menus are quite interesting and well rendered.
“Reservoir
Dogs: Ten Years: Special Edition DVD 2-Disc Set” is overall a fantastic value
and a must for Tarantino and genre film fans alike. “Reservoir Dogs: Ten
Years: Special Edition DVD 2-Disc Set” will debut on DVD-Video on Tuesday,
August 27, 2002 from Artisan Home Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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