On this day, in 1992, Quentin Tarantino made his directorial debut with the crime drama RESERVOIR DOGS. The film starred Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn, Lawrence Tierney and Tim Roth. The film cost just over one million and made close 3 million, but the buzz made Tarantino red hot and gave him the credibility to draw in Bruce Willis and John Travolta for PULP FICTION. The film ended up revitalized the career of Travolta. Tarantino is an admitted film junkie and borrowed from other films, while crafting his own style with smart, snappy dialogue. Most of the cast would go on to work with Quentin again over the years.
Several career criminals are brought together for a jewelry heist that goes bad. The surviving members of the crew suspect one of them is an informant.
QT had an immediate impact on Hollywood and inspired many copycats. The mid to late 90s saw numerous films that had more than a little QT flavor to them. Off the top of my head, I would include the films of Guy Ritchie, BOONDOCK SAINTS, 8 HEADS IN A DUFFLE BAG, SUICIDE KINGS, 2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY, GO and THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU ARE DEAD as borrowing heavily from Tarantino.
One of the more memorable scenes is one in which Steve Buscemi goes off on mandatory tipping.
QT’s next film was PULP FICTION, which made him a superstar and won him Oscar, BAFTA, EDGAR, and Golden Globe Awards.
