Movie Minx

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Plot: Five suited men named after colours are involved in a bungled diamond heist. When some meet in their warehouse HQ later, they realise one must be a rat. But which? Cue accusations and one unattached ear.

But is it any good?

I was about 13 when Tarantino’s debut feature Reservoir Dogs hit the screens. There was no way in hell I was getting into the theatre to see it (I looked about 5), and it therefore made no blip whatsoever on my cultural radar. When Pulp Fiction was released a few years later, I did sneak into the cinema, being still affected by the R18 label, and loved it. So I returned to Dogs and I remember being distinctly unimpressed with it - the snappy dialogue was there, but it just wasn’t as mind-blowing as PF.

Last night I checked it out again to see if age (mine and its) had affected my opinion. And it has, a little. What hits me this time around is that these actors put their hearts and souls - and other body parts - into this movie, which was headed by a young, geeky unknown at the time. His cameo at the beginning - discussing the big dick metaphor of Like a Virgin - is almost all we see of him, although apparently he was going to be Mr Pink (but of course no one out-weasels Buscemi).

Keitel apparently rustled up the necessary funding and gave his career a nice revival in the process. He’s the gruff baddie with a heart in this flick, although Tim Roth steals the show, no question. Despite most of his lines coming from his bloody, dying body on the warehouse floor, he’s the most powerful character there. His recounting of the bathroom scene, with gossiping cops and a suspicious German shepherd, is the highlight of the film, in my opinion, with the film’s final minutes and the naming scene (”I don’t wanna be Mr Pink!”) coming up close behind.

Which brings me to Dogs’ stand-out scene. It might be memorable, but it’s certainly no highlight. Michael Madsen effectively does psycho, dancing around to “Stuck in the middle with you” with a bloody ear in his hand while I tried not to be sick. I think the worst part is that the camera actually backs off just prior to this, so you don’t see it happening - far more disturbing than watching it.

The soundtrack itself is almost a character too - Steve Wright’s near-catatonic voice announcing chirpy ’70s hits is hilarious, and as always Tarantino has the perfect ear (can’t stop thinking about ears) for music. It’s just a shame that “I can’t stop this feeling” became Ally McBeal’s tune of choice for her bizarre baby fantasies a few years later.

So has it aged? Of course. The “bitch, fuck and nigger” speak the Q man loves is not as shocking now as it was then - although nigger never quite became acceptable. And you can’t help but compare it with Pulp, the more successful younger brother. Many of the actors pop up again, there are snappy pop culture references in diners, the narrative’s messed up. Dogs is almost entirely male, it’s slow to get started (although that tipping debate is pretty intense), it’s obviously lower budget and some scenes look almost theatre-like, as though the warehouse is the stage. Camera tricks like pulling away or inching closer are just a little too obvious.

But despite all that, stand Dogs alone for a minute without context and it’s still very good. It was clear QT was going places, the actors keep it kicking and it’s still very cool. Bloody as hell - that may describe Vince Vega’s steak in Pulp Fiction, but it also sums up QT’s films. If you don’t like the red stuff you’ll hate it. But for a slick, smart piece of filmmaking, look no further. Hey, it’s one of Hollywood’s modern auteurs. I just question its place in the Classic section of my local video store.

Imdb’s rating: 8.2/10
My rating: 7.5/10

Next movie to be reviewed: The Apartment

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