FilmSkool — a free film school
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Reservoir Dogs is a 1992 American heist film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino in his feature-length directorial debut. It stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, Tarantino, and Edward Bunker as diamond thieves whose heist of a jewelry store goes terribly wrong. Kirk Baltz, Randy Brooks, and Steven Wright also play supporting roles. The film incorporates…
Directed by Quentin Tarantino · Shot by Andrzej Sekuła · Cut by Sally Menke · Ratio 2.35:1 · 99 min
How it was made
- The warehouse scenes were shot in an unused mortuary still containing caskets, funeral equipment and embalming fluid, with Mr Orange's apartment built as a set on the building's second floor.
- Tarantino deliberately chose not to film the diamond heist itself, both for budgetary reasons and to keep its details ambiguous, comparing the approach to how the unseen burglary is only discussed, never shown, in Glengarry Glen Ross.
- Costume designer Betsy Heimann and Tarantino developed the cast's black-suit look after discussions about French noir films starring Alain Delon.
- Lead actor Lawrence Tierney was fired partway through the shoot after a difficult first week; Tarantino says the crew broke into applause when he announced it at the breakfast table.
- Tarantino directed a short proof-of-concept version of the film at the Sundance Institute in June 1991 before securing full financing.
Behind the scenes
Elsewhere
More by Quentin Tarantino
This is the plain index, shown because JavaScript is off. Every lesson here is a free video published by the channel credited on it and plays through that channel's own embed — FilmSkool hosts nothing.