Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fictions are stories about memory and meaning, and how fleeting the human understanding of a chaotic world can be. They are stories about the breakdown of social order, and of trying to find some way to navigate increasingly turbulent and unstable times.
Through stories, the men in Reservoir Dogs teach each other to be men. When the lessons are learned, they kill each other. It's a world in which the only alternative to business is death, and male violence is as inevitable as it is irrational.
What is the meaning behind the name Reservoir Dogs?
The closest thing Tarantino's ever given resembling an explanation is that the title popped into his head when he visited a production company. The company was full of unmade scripts and they were jokingly described as 'reservoir dogs' – as in, dogs trapped in a reservoir tank and fighting for attention.
The film has received substantial criticism for its strong violence and language. One scene that viewers found particularly unnerving was the ear-cutting scene.
The criminal themes and violence (most notably the torture sequence) in Reservoir Dogs had therefore to be revisited in the light of potentially harmful effects – particularly to younger viewers – in the home viewing environment. In fact, the BBFC concluded that these issues could be robustly defended at 18.
Series creator Vince Gilligan is a noted cinephile, and as a result, he filled Breaking Bad with references to classic movies. From recycling The Godfather's orange symbolism to borrowing Reservoir Dogs' “Mr. White” character name, Gilligan packed Breaking Bad with more movie references than Family Guy.
Tarantino's pulp fiction character, Jimmie Dimmick is the brother of Mr. White in Reservoir Dogs as is John Travolta's character Vincent, who is also the brother of Vic Vega, portrayed by Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs.
First off, it's important to remember that Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction are connected, without them being set on the same day nor one being the secret sequel to the other. The main link between them are the Vega brothers, Vincent and Vic a.k.a. Mr.
Now cited as one of the greatest independent films ever made, Reservoir Dogs paved the way for other cultural behemoths such as Pulp Fiction. Even after all these years, the film stands out as a fine example of a very unique filmmaking technique which seems preposterous at first.
In fact, the rat is perhaps the one you'd least suspect, the quiet one and the diner and the one who is badly wounded in the heist. It's Mr Orange. That Mr Orange, played by Tim Roth, is the culprit is revealed to us once he shoots Mr Blonde and reveals to the tortured policeman being held hostage: “I'm a cop”.
Quentin Tarantino had plans for a prequel called Double V Vega that would have combined his iconic films Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. The movie would have followed the Vega brothers, played by Michael Madsen and John Travolta, during a weekend together in Amsterdam.
Mr Orange died shortly after the Mexican standoff. Having seen Mr White sacrifice everything for the sake of protecting him, he felt he had to tell Mr White the truth. Since Joe Cabot was dead, Mr Orange's mission was over, so he wouldn't have forsaken his duty as a police officer.
The characters mention someone named "Marcellus Spivey" which is a direct reference to two of Tarantino's villains: Marcellus Wallace from "Pulp Fiction" and Drexl Spivey from "True Romance".
Monte Hellman: Some big name actors were up for roles in Reservoir Dogs. George Clooney was up for a part but he wasn't very enthusiastic. Samuel L Jackson almost got the part of Holdaway [Mr Orange's guru]. James Woods was also offered a part but there was some sort of problem and he never read.
I was in the audience to see Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut, at the Vista Theater, an aging movie palace at Sunset Junction on the border of Hollywood and Silver Lake. Tarantino was a 28-year old last employed at Video Archives, a video shop in a mini-mall in Manhattan Beach.
Freddy Newendyke, better known as Mr. Orange, is the deuteragonist of the 1992 crime film Reservoir Dogs. He is an undercover police officer of the LAPD infiltrated in the Joe Cabot's gang of robbers. He is portrayed by Tim Roth, who also played Pumpkin in Pulp Fiction and Oswaldo Mobray in The Hateful Eight.
Should I watch Pulp Fiction before Reservoir Dogs?
In truth, the best and definitive Quentin Tarantino viewing order is going by release date: Reservoir Dogs (1992) Pulp Fiction (1994) Jackie Brown (1997)
Pulp fiction gets its name from the paper it was printed on. Magazines featuring such stories were typically published using cheap, ragged-edged paper made from wood pulp. These magazines were sometimes called pulps. Pulp fiction created a breeding ground for new and exciting genres.
Was Samuel L Jackson supposed to be in Reservoir Dogs?
“The first time I met Quentin was when I auditioned for Reservoir Dogs,” Jackson explained. “He was one of the people that was reading with me. He and Lawrence Bender, the producer. I was supposed to audition with Harvey Keitel and Tim Roth, but these two guys showed up.
David Duchovny has shared the kind feedback Quentin Tarantino gave him for his Reservoir Dogs audition. The X-Files star was rejected for the director's feature film debut about a group of diamond thieves whose heist goes badly wrong.
With another Quentin Tarentino film, there is a few references to the 1992 movie Reservoir Dogs. There are two characters in Reservoir Dogs named "Mr White" and "Mr Pink" connecting to Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.
