Reservoir Dogs is a 1992 neo-noir crime thriller directed by Quentin Tarantino in his feature film debut. The film stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn, Lawrence Tierney, and Quentin Tarantino.
A group of criminals is assembled by veteran gangster Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) and his son “Nice Guy” Eddie Cabot (Chris Penn) for a meticulously planned diamond heist. To maintain anonymity, none of them know each other’s real names and are instead given color-coded aliases: Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), a seasoned thief; Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), a young and eager recruit; Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), a psychotic ex-convict; Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), a professional and paranoid thief; Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino), a minor player; and Mr. Blue (Eddie Bunker), a veteran criminal.
The film begins in the heist’s aftermath, which has gone horribly wrong. Mr. White flees to a safehouse with the badly wounded Mr. Orange, who has been shot in the stomach and is bleeding out. As Mr. Orange writhes in pain, White reassures him and vows to get help. Soon, Mr. Pink arrives, revealing that the heist was a disaster due to a police ambush. Convinced that one of the crew members is an undercover cop, Pink grows suspicious of everyone.
The narrative unfolds nonlinearly, cutting between present-day events and flashbacks that provide insight into each character’s background. Flashbacks reveal that Mr. Orange is actually an undercover cop named Freddy Newandyke, who has infiltrated the gang to bring down Cabot’s criminal operation. He is seen rehearsing his undercover persona and forming a seemingly genuine bond with Mr. White, who treats him like a protégé.
Back in the present, Mr. Blonde arrives at the safehouse, dragging with him a kidnapped police officer, Marvin Nash. Blonde, seemingly unfazed by the botched heist, insists they wait for Joe Cabot before making any drastic moves. As tensions rise, Blonde’s sadistic nature is revealed when he tortures Marvin Nash, slicing off his ear while dancing to “Stuck in the Middle with You” by Stealers Wheel. Just as Blonde is about to set Nash on fire, Mr. Orange, summoning his last reserves of strength, shoots him dead, revealing his true allegiance.
Shortly after, Nice Guy Eddie arrives, furious about Blonde’s murder. Mr. White, Mr. Pink, and Eddie argue over the rat’s identity. When Joe Cabot finally arrives, he immediately identifies Mr. Orange as the informant. White refuses to believe it and stands by his injured friend. The confrontation escalates into a Mexican standoff: Joe shoots Orange, White shoots Joe, and Eddie shoots White. Pink, who had been avoiding the conflict, hides as the bullets fly.
In the final moments, a dying Mr. White cradles Mr. Orange, who, with his last breath, confesses that he is indeed a cop. White is devastated and, after hesitating, puts a gun to Orange’s head just as the police storm the warehouse. Gunshots ring out, and the film cuts to black, an ambiguous ending to White’s fate.
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