Narrative Analysis: Reservoir Dogs
A few years ago, I learned that this is not a great first date film. In terms of narrative design however, it is a great example of Tarantino’s slick writing and characterisation that put his name on the filmmaking map. While Pulp Fiction may be the more popular film that implements a similar narrative technique, I prefer Reservoir Dogs as it acts as the stepping stone for Tarantino’s style that Pulp Fiction bounces off. In this post, I will be examining the film’s narrative in three sections: Character, Setting and Movement and how it combines these elements to subvert the standard heist narrative.
What’s interesting about the film’s movement is that the actual heist, the essential plot point that brings the characters together, is never shown. This gives the event a sense of enigma and pulls the audience in, making them question What happened between the opening credits and Mr. Orange being shot? Various details are mentioned by the characters throughout the rest of the film but the identity of the key movement of the entire film is kept elusive. The movement of the narrative is therefore defined in other sections; the discussion of Madonna’s Like A Virgin is a memorable section of the film but does little to serve the plot. A technique applied in a lot of Tarantino’s work, Jimmy bragging about his quality coffee in Pulp Fiction, is another example.
What it does provide, however, is deep characterisation. The opening diner scene reveals Mr. Pink’s hot-headed ignorance for tipping and Mr. White’s compassion which often clash with each other — “It’s the world’s smallest violin playing just for the waitresses”. This friction is seen throughout and grows with the characters to the point where they end up fighting like children, demolishing the cool and frightening criminal personas they once possessed and showing true character.
The characters, therefore, are the movement of this film; the human frustration and anger they hold due to the situation drives the action between characters. Most of the film takes place in the warehouse rendezvous where various characters enter after the shootout with police. This limited setting connotes a theatre production with characters entering and exiting, mostly by dying. Theatre gains a lot of its resonance with the audience through its characters and therefore their ambitions and personalities need to be evident and engaging. Another memorable scene is Mr. Blond cutting off Officer Marvin’s ear; although Mr. Blond torments and teases Marvin, again the action is off camera. While it can be argued that this is a censoring issue, Tarantino hardly strays away from bloodshed (Uma Thurman slaughtering hundreds with a samurai sword in Kill Bill comes to mind). The scene is again fuelled by character and an introspective look into Mr. Blond’s disturbed mind.
In conclusion, I think it’s interesting to examine media through the Character, Setting, Movement model but understand that its not a rigid form. Reservoir Dogs exploits this fact and produces a story loaded with character but leaves movement shrouded in enigma.
