Reservoir Dogs (2007, Blu-ray Disc)

In case you've never heard of or seen Reservoir Dogs, let me set one thing straight right at the outset: The film has nothing to do with canines living in a place where water is collected and kept for use when wanted.

The story is actually an intriguing crime drama about a diamond heist gone wrong. The oddest thing about the film is that we never see the crime--the entire thrust of the story was comprised of the events leading up to and following the robbery, but not one frame of film is dedicated to a straightforward depiction of the events that took place within the shop. Opting instead to inform his audience by way of flashback and remembrance, director Quentin Tarantino introduced the movie-going public to his unique brand of disjointed storytelling.

"Reservoir Dogs" mixed intense violence (both seen and implied) with humor and a love of popular culture. The heist was organized by main mobster Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney), and overseen by his son, Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn). The image of the gang walking down the street in their "uniforms"--black suits, white shirts, black ties and dark glasses--is quite well known and, coming at the beginning of the film as it does, serves as our introduction to the characters: Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), Mr. Blue (Edward Bunker) and Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino).

While they may all be dressed alike, we're given the chance to focus on their faces and see their differences. By this point in the film we've already been privy to a casual conversation between these guys, and we know a bit about them. This, combined with the forward-facing focus, makes us care about the people on the screen.

"Reservoir Dogs" is a film of men. Angry, white men who feel that the world is against them. The only women in the film are victims, and the only black man is in a position of power. This isn't a declaration of Tarantino's outlook, however; it's just the world in which these men live. It's their mindset informing reality. The film is tightly acted, well-shot and just as fresh and exciting today as it was a decade ago.

This is the second release of "Reservoir Dogs" on DVD, the previous version coming in 1996. While we finally get a slew of extras, the image quality has gone downhill in the intervening years; colors in a few scenes are washed out, blacks look grey and the picture lacks contrast and depth. It looks decent on your screen, but isn't the complete high-quality package that this release should have been.

Fortunately, any weakness in picture is more than made up for in content--"Reservoir Dogs" is a two disc set (widescreen on disc one, pan and scan on disc two), and there are one-of-a-kind features on both.

Disc One has a full-length commentary pieced together from various interviews with Tarantino, producer Lawrence Bender, and several other cast and crew members. There are six original interviews with Chris Penn, Kirk Baltz (officer Marvin Nash), Michael Madsen, Lawrence Bender (again), Tim Roth and Quentin Tarantino himself.

Five deleted scenes have been included; the scenes flesh out characters, provide transitions, or show angles that we haven't seen before. The finished film, however, is better without their inclusion--for instance, alternate angles that show more graphic violence (in the "ear scene," for those who know)--though it's still nice to get to see them. The disc is finished off with the original theatrical trailer.

The menu for Disc two is quite nice, using the geography of the film's penultimate Mexican standoff as a base. Nice Guy Eddie gives you the scene index, Joe will play the movie, Mr. White leads to special features, and Mr. Orange is the setup (heh). Again, the special features are the best part.

"The Critics' Commentaries" has three audio tracks over scenes from the film, each running approximately 20 minutes: Amy Taubin (Film Comment) discusses the role of relationships and rules in Reservoir Dogs; Peter Travers (Rolling Stone) discusses the music, naturally; and Emanuel Levy (author of books dealing with American independent film) analyzes the structure of the film and the motivations of the characters.

"K-Billy Radio" has some obviously scripted discussions with a "real" criminal about his "real" crimes, which is good in a pseudo-noirish way, but not worth more than one listen; even then, find something else to do while it's on. This section also includes an interview with Gerry Rafferty (singer/songwriter for "Stuck in the Middle With You") and outtakes of Steven Wright recording his deadpan K-Billy voiceovers while Quentin and the crew crack up.

"Class of '92" has five avoidable interviews with the minds behind the most popular entries at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival (where "Reservoir Dogs" debuted). There is also recovered footage from the Sundance Institute's June 1991 Film Lab, in which Tarantino ran tests of the film. While it's amusing to see the film at such an unpolished stage (and to see just how bad of a movie it could have been), you can catch glimpses the flair and visual sense that would drive Tarantino to success.

"Tributes and Dedications" offers just what the name implies, while "The Film Noir Web" delves into the pulps and films that gave birth to the movie. "Small Dogs" covers the production of "Reservoir Dogs" action figures (yes, there are toys of these violent killers), "Securing the Shot" reveals a few interesting details about the location scouting, the "Reservoir Dogs Style Guide" is nothing more than a brief puff piece, and the "Poster Gallery" has only three images--rather a letdown.

You can choose between five different packaging variations when you purchase this set: covers featuring Mr. Blonde, Mr. Pink, Mr. White, Mr. Orange, and Mr. Brown are available. Each features a booklet with photos and quotes from the man on the front, though the content of the discs within does not differ at all. For big spenders, there's even a four-disc gift pack that features everyone but Mr. Brown.

Finally, there's the question of the title, "Reservoir Dogs." Tarantino has never conclusively said, and there are several theories: first, and most banal, is that Quentin conflated his inability to pronounce the French film "Au Revoir Les Enfants" with Sam Pakinpah's shockingly violent "Straw Dogs." Boring.

There's the literal interpretation that these criminals are hardened in the same way that a junkyard dog would be; protective, fierce and dedicated to their own survival. My favorite, however, is a play on words: a reservoir is a dam, and every male dog is the son of a bitch. Reservoir Dogs? They certainly are.