Reservoir Dogs

One of my favourite types of film is the good old gangster film. Reservoir Dogs was one of the those films that people told me I needed to watch, but I had just never go round to it. Then I came across it in a shop for under £5 and thought it was too good an offer to pass up. So I watched it, and found myself amazed that I hadn't seen it before. It was incredible.

Some of my favourite films ever have been directed by Quentin Tarantino, and Reservoir Dogs joins the list of fantastic films he's directed. This was his first film, and shows so many of his characteristics, most notably, the violence and the story which does not take place in the order of time.

The film itself depicts the events around a diamond heist which goes wrong. We don't actually see the robbery itself, but the assembly of the team of men and the aftermath of the robbery are the focal points of the film. One character, Joe, is assembling six different men to do this robbery for him. These men don't use their real names, and none of them actually know each other. However, something goes wrong and Mr Orange gets shot. The rest of the film explains how the team was assembled, and then the attempts of four of the men to work out who it was that tipped off the police about their robbery.

The casting in this film is brilliant. Tarantino himself makes an appearance as ever portraying Mr Blue, but the rest of the cast includes Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Harvey Keitel and Lawrence Tierney. It's a great collection of actors who all work so very well in their roles. I thought Tim Roth, who spends most of the film lying on the floor surrounded by an expanding pool of blood, was brilliant, and Michael Madsen was entrancing as the psychotic Mr Blonde. For the majority of the film Tim Roth is in a state of pain, and he portrays this, as well as his fear of dying so exceptionally well it is astounding. Michael Madsen is also terrifying and his dancing in the build up to the stand-out moment is horrifying in the light of what he is about to do.

Every great film has a stand out moment which everyone will recognise. Star Wars has "No, I am your father", Pulp Fiction has the image of Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta with the guns. In the case of Reservoir Dogs it's the infamous 'ear scene'. Michael Madsen is so convincingly psychotic that I was a little bit scared of what he would do to the policeman he's captured, and I was right to be. Cutting off his ear with a razor blade and then talking into it, asking if he can hear? Terrifying.

The shoot-outs in this film are epic. At the end of the movie, Joe, his son, and Mr White are all pointing guns at each other, and all three end up being shot. The relationship between Mr White and Mr Orange was brilliant. Mr Orange is 'just a kid' whereas Mr White is older and more experienced. There's clearly a bit of father-son chemistry between the two after Mr Orange has been shot, to the extent that Mr White 'bonded' with him, and told him his real name, which was forbidden. Also, Mr Orange reveals that he is the mole to Mr White just before the end. This clearly impacts on Mr White, and understandably affects Mr White who has thrown away everything in defence of this kid, who turns out to be a traitor.

After the robbery, Mr Pink takes the diamonds and stores them in a 'safe' location. At the end of the film we see him take the diamonds and sneak out after everyone has been shot. It is assumed that he makes off with them and successfully avoids capture. However, this is not the case, and if you turn the sound up really loud after he walks out you can hear him being captured.

Reservoir Dogs will be popular with any one who likes Tarantino, like gangster films, likes a twist in a movie, and doesn't mind a bit of violence. It's definitely not a quiet night in film, but it's well worth watching it.

Casino

Casino is a spectacular film. It's another classic Scorsese-De Niro partnership and it is masterfully produced. It tells the story of Sam 'Ace' Rothstein who starts out in sports gambling but hits the big time and runs a casino. Joe Pesci plays the 'enforcer' Nicky Santoro, and Sharon Stone completes the star studded cast, playing Ace's wife Ginger. Like most Scorsese films it starts with a scene from later on in the film and then explains how things got to that point.

The plot basically follows the lives of these three characters over an unknown period of time, and it's written superbly. It's definitely the sort of film that you need to pay attention to. You can't have it on in the background and expect to understand it, but if you do get into it, it's really enjoyable. It is based on a true story, like Goodfellas, and this makes the film even more impressive. Some of the details are changed for cinematic effect I assume, for example the casino that Ace runs is called the Tangiers, but this is a fictional casino. It also has a really cyclical nature to it. Ace starts the film gambling on sports events, and that's exactly where he ends up at the end of it.

Scorsese, as ever, does not hold back on the violence either. Joe Pesci's scene at the end is as pretty grim, but the icing on the cake is the 'vice scene'. Anyone who has actually seen the film will know what I'm on about, and for anyone that hasn't, don't try to find out about it if you're a bit squeamish  Also, he doesn't hold back on the profanity, and Casino ranks fifth on the list of films to frequently use the word 'Fuck'. This all contributes towards a very heavy going, yet gripping film.

Robert de Niro is, unsurprisingly, completely sublime, perfectly portraying the character of a casino owner. Every microcosm of detail is covered by his acting, and once again, I found myself marvelling at his portrayal of Ace Rothstein. De Niro is perfectly at home in the gangster role, as Goodfellas evidenced, and so Casino is no exception. His protection over his daughter, and his reaction towards Ginger at various points in the film   and his relationship with Joe Pesci compliments his style perfectly.

Joe Pesci is also at home as the loose cannon enforcer whose violent 'dealings with' people often put a stain on Ace's legitimate appearance. As with the 'dance scene' in Goodfellas, the 'vice scene' in Casino is disturbing and stands out from the rest of the film. His character is interesting though, and Joe Pesci plays him perfectly. Whether he's comforting Ginger or asking Ace for help or if he's being warned about his lifestyle and the effect he's having on Ace's reputation there's always the feeling that he could fly off the handle. His protection of his brother at the end of the film is a touching addition to his character, but the end that he meets matches his lifestyle and the punishments he's dished out perfectly.

Sharon Stone's character changes dramatically throughout the film. She starts off as a really nice and delightful woman, and you get the impression that her and Ace are a good match. However, as the high roller lifestyle catches up with her she becomes more and more dislikable. The scene where she's trying to get into the house to get her things exemplifies this, and her need for the jewellery and money that Ace promised her is also very dislikable. However Casino seems to be a classic example of two guys who are close friends for years, and it only takes a woman to tear them apart. She does very well in this role.

Casino is a heavy-going film, and I'd really only recommend it to people who genuinely liked Goodfellas and other similar gangster films. It's not a light film, it's not a short film, and it takes some effort to watch it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.