A “masterpiece” gangster film hailed as the greatest crime film ever made has just been added to Netflix. Reservoir Dogs (1992) tells the story of a crew of criminals in the aftermath of a high-stakes diamond heist gone wrong. In the wake of the botched operation the group lays low in abandoned building, and begin suspect each other of being a police informant responsible for the plan collapsing, and their uneasy alliance starts to break down.
The independent film was Quentin Tarantino’s debut feature-length movie, announcing his arrival as filmmaker to watch. He also wrote its frequently-quoted screenplay and stars as one of the gang. The crime drama features a host of big names, including Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, and Edward Bunker. One fan named Reservoir Dogs in response to a question on the r/Letterboxd subreddit about what fans feel is the “best crime film ever”, ahead of the likes of The Godfather and Goodfellas.
It’s regularly hailed as the greatest debut film of any director, and fans have flocked to review aggregator sites like Rotten Tomatoes to laud the drama. One wrote: “Masterpiece! Fantastic acting, script and directing. Tarentino changing the gangster film genre.”
Another added: “Now that’s how you write a tragedy. Well written, well directed, acting on point, nothing felt out of place.”
A third said it’s the “best debut of all time, hands down”. “Iconic piece, with a very good Michael Madsen (I think this is the role of his life) and a monumental Harvey Keitel, also Steve Buscemi did a very good job as “Mr Pink”.
They said the film is one of the greatest movies “ever made,” adding it’s a “Top 20 for sure”.
A fourth said with Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino “cements his signature non-linear, comedic yet brilliant style of storytelling with an impressive directorial debut”.
They added that it “delivers clever dialogue like any other Tarantino project” and “balances violence and humor with plenty of thought-provoking elements”.
A fifth said: “Reservoir Dogs was Quentin Tarantino’s first movie and what a way to start. There are amazing performances from all of the cast.
“The dialogue is incredible and the innovative storytelling is awesome. Film’s of this caliber simply don’t get made anymore. You need to watch this movie.”
The movie has a superb 94% score on the site’s Popcornmeter (reflecting the percentage of hundreds of thousands of Audience Reviewers who rated it 3.5 stars or higher).
It has an 18 certificate and contains strong bloody violence – so viewer discretion is advised.
Reservoir Dogs was added to Netflix in the UK on Friday, August 14. It’s also available to stream for free (with ads on ITVX), on Amazon Prime Video with a Lionsgate add on, or buy or rent on other platforms.
