RESRVOIR DOGS

I was little more than a teen, when RESERVOIR DOGS finally hit the UK screens after a debacle by the UK censor. The film was explosive for many different reasons, it electrified the then staid cinema conventions and wasnt half bad. And all this after Tarantino directed THE BIRTHDAY PARTY (watch at your own risk.) Much had been made of his life prior to his success, he was a video store clerk in Manhattan Beach, California, he wrote scripts and he talked alot about film. Then 1992 came. Hollywood was ruptured and his explosive first feature, RESERVOIR DOGS, was unleashed. A criminal gang set out to rob a jewellery store. Joe (Lawrence Tierney) had assembled them. He is the biggest con on the block and all of them know him. He knows who they are but doesnt want them to know each others names so they get color-coded aliases (Mr. Orange, Mr. Pink, Mr. White and of course Mr. Brown). When it all goes wrong, those surviving robbers find their way back to their prearranged warehouse meeting point. A piece of the story drips out. One guy shooting up the place. Another gets shot in the stomach. Someone in the group is a traitor, who tipped off the police. They couldnt have got there so quick as they did without it. But dog will go against dog, to find out that it is the one you least expect.

I suspect it is likely you have watched this. If you are reading this, then you have spent many an hour watching many a film and likely, Tarantinos first film, has come your way. I say this because of a few simple reasons. Tarantino aura is felt deep and hard in cinema. His films have had millions run eyes and mouths over them. So you dont really need me to wax lyrical about it in a critical sense. You also dont need someone saying things like ‘its aged badly’, ‘feels less electric than on release’ or even ‘Tarantino’s worst film’ (I dont believe any of these things by the way.) His films have progressed from this and landed now onto more genre conventions that delight in extracting, contorting and reapprasing cinemas literate explorations of modernity. Albeit without that excessive sense of outrage!  What you probably would like to hear is my thoughts on the UHD and the extras on this 2 disc release. One is the 4K UHD and the other Blu Ray.

I wonder sometimes if it is all worth it. The Blu Ray is the same 1080p encode from previous releases (mine is from the US). It wasnt great but at least was a jump above the DVD version. The talent, work, technological input delivered to create the UHD is to be applauded. Coming from the same UHD encode from Lionsgate US release, it is solid. There are few issue in overall quality. The colours are richer than before. A classic low budget film looks great for once and the UHD benefits it well. Light levels are not weak or flat. They are crisp and structured. Often they settle to avoid the feeling of dull or darkened interiors. Flesh is rich and depth is excellent. This is all enough to level an average Blu Ray. Which was equally average now and then. What however offended me was that there are no extras on the UHD and the Blu Ray has the same old stuff as before. Why have we to bear this tired exucse of film content on new discs?

Blu-ray Special Features
Deleted Scenes

• Background Check   (4:41)
• No Protection   (2:59)
• Doing My Job   (2:33)
• Cutting Off The Ear – Alternate Take A   (1:01)
• Cutting Off The Ear – Alternate Take B   (1:25)

Playing It Fast and Loose (15:44)
Profiling the Reservoir Dogs (7:05)