Reservoir Dogs

What Happens?

Reservoir Dogs opens in a restaurant with a group of guys talking. The group is involved a planning heist and other than the heist organizers, Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) and his son Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn) the men in the group go only by their code names; Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino), Mr. White (Harvey Keitel,) Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen,) Mr. Orange (Tim Roth,) Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi,) and Mr. Blue (Eddie Bunker.)

Mr. Brown initiates a conversation about the true meaning of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" insisting that the meaning is entirely physical while Mr. Blonde contends that it's about "meeting a nice sensitive guy." Joe pays for the meal telling the group they can take care of the tip by each throwing in a buck. This starts a debate on the merits of tipping waitresses, as Mr. Pink doesn't believe in tipping just because it's expected. He changes his mind when Joe insists. Joe says "Alright, Ramblers, let's get rambling."



The screen turns to black as we hear a radio program "K-Billy's Sounds of the Seventies" announced by Steven Wright  as the credits start and we see the group walking slow motion in black suits and sunglasses. The credits continue over another brief black screen and we hear Mr. Orange and Mr. White talking. Mr. Orange is panicked that he's going to die and Mr. White reassures him. We then see them in a car with Mr. Orange in a white backseat covered in blood. Mr. White holds his hand and continues telling him he isn't going to die.
Mr. White: Are you a doctor?
Mr Orange: No, I'm not.
Mr. White: Ok, so you admit you don't know what you're talking about. So, if you're through giving me your amateur opinion, lie back and listen to the news. I'm taking you back to the rendezvous and Joe's gonna get you a doctor. The doctor's gonna fix you up and you're gonna be ok. Now, say it! You're gonna be Ok.
When Mr. Orange continues screaming Mr.White insists until he repeats it. They arrive at a warehouse and Mr. White lays Orange down on the ground and checks his wound. White tells Orange he can't do anything except wait for Joe. Orange tells White he's scared and asks him to hold him, which White obliges, continuing to reassure him. Orange begs White to take him to a hospital, but White insists that he can't. He tells Orange that while it's very painful, it takes days to die from a gutshot.

Mr. Pink arrives next and finds out about Mr. Orange. He tells them that Mr. Brown got shot by a cop.Pink insists that they got set up, due to the cops arriving on the scene too quickly. White and Pink discuss the set up situation. White recalls the alarm going off, the cops showing up and then Mr. Blonde started shooting everyone. Mr. Pink corrects him, pointing out that the cops didn't arrive when the alarm went off, but when Blonde started shooting. Mr White asks Pink how he got out. Pink says "I shot my way out."

We then take a look at Mr. Pink's escape. He runs down the sidewalk, pushing through pedestrians, with three cops chasing him on foot. Crossing the road, he gets hit by a car, breaking it's windshield. He uses the surprise to pull the woman driving out of her car as the cops catch up. They exchange shots around a corner and Pink takes the car and escapes.

We go back to the warehouse and Pink asks White if he killed anybody.
White: A few cops.
Pink: No real people?
White: Just cops.
Pink asks "Could you believe Mr. Blonde?" White answers "That was the most insane fucking thing I've ever seen. Why the fuck would Joe hire a guy like that?"
Pink: I don't wanna kill anybody. If I got to get out of that door and you're standing in my way, one way or the other you're getting out of my way.
White: That's the way I look at it. The choice between doing ten years and taking out some stupid motherfucker, ain't no choice at all. But I ain't no madman either. They discuss the rest of the crew. Pink reveals that he has the diamonds so they're not worried about anyone taking them. Pink is concerned that whoever set them up could've given the cops the warehouse location. Pink starts trying to eliminate possible rats. asking White about everyone in the crew. Pink suggests Orange could be the rat, but White gets angry saying "Listen, that kid in there is dying from a fucking bullet I saw him take. So don't you be calling him a rat!" Pink answers "Look. I'm right Ok? Somebody's a fucking rat."

We flashback to Mr. White meeting with Joe. The two are clearly old friends, as Joe asks about a girl named Alabama, White's former girlfriend and partner. White explains they're not together anymore and asks about a telegram Joe sent him. Joe explains "Five man job, busting in and busting out of a diamond wholesaler's." White asks Joe if he can unload the diamonds and Joe tells him no problem, asking about a source White had, who White informs him is in prison for twenty years.
White: What's the exposure like?
Joe: Two minutes tops, but it's a tough two minutes. Daylight, during business hours, dealing with a crowd, but you'll have the guys to deal with the crowd.
White: How many employees?
Joe: I'd say around twenty, security, pretty lax.

Back at the warehouse, White checks on Orange, and Pink tells him, he's getting out of there. White insists that he can't leave Orange as he took a bullet for him. White wants to get in touch with Joe, thinking he can get help. Pink reasons that Joe won't be happy to hear from them. They discuss the situation, White revealing that Orange had begged him to bring him to a hospital. White is hesitant to "turn him over to the cops." but Pink reasons they should do it, since he asked, and doesn't know anything about them.
White: But he knows all about me.
Pink: What? Wait, you didn't tell him your name, did you?
White: First name, and where I was from.
Pink: Why?
White: I told him where I was from a few days ago. It was just a natural conversation.
Pink: What was telling him your name when you weren't supposed to?
White: He asked! We had just gotten away from the cops. He just got shot. It was my fault he got shot. He's a fucking bloody mess. He's screaming. I swear to God, I thought he was gonna die right then and there.I'm trying to comfort him, telling him, not to worry, everything's gonna be ok, I'm gonna take care of him. And he asks me what my name was. I mean, the man was dying in my arms. What the fuck was I supposed to do? Tell him, I'm sorry, I can't give out that fucking information? It's against the rules? I don't trust you enough? Maybe I shoulda, but I couldn't.
Pink: I'm sure it was a very beautiful scene.
White: Don't fucking patronize me!
Pink: Do they have a sheet on you where you're from?
White: Yeah
Pink: Well, that's that then.

Pink insists that since Orange knows so much about White they can't bring him to a hospital. White tells him to back off, saying if they don't, Orange will die. Pink says "I feel bad about that. But, some folks are lucky and some ain't." White punches Pink in the face, knocking him to the ground, and the two of them pull guns on each other. Pink insists that he's acting professional and it isn't his fault.

We then see that they're being watched by Mr. Blonde who's leaning on a wall close by. He says "You kids shouldn't play so rough. Somebody's gonna start cryin'" Pink gets up off the floor and asks Blonde what happened. He asks if he knows what happened to Blue. Blonde doesn't answer, just takes off his sunglasses and looks at White and Pink. White gets mad, cutting off Mr. Pink.
White: Enough! You better start talking, asshole! 'Cause we got shit we need to talk about. We're already freaked out. We need you acting freaky like we need a fucking bag on our hip.
Blonde: Okay. Let's talk.
White and Pink explain they think there's a rat. They tell Blonde they don't think the warehouse is safe anymore and suggest he leaves with them.
Blonde: Nobody's going anywhere.
White: Piss on this, fucking turd. We're out of here.
Blonde: Don't take another step Mr. White.
White: [pointing his gun at and approaching Blonde] Fuck you, maniac! It's your fucking fault we're in this trouble.
Blonde: What's this guy's problem?
White: What's my problem? Yeah I got a fucking problem.I got a big fucking problem! When any trigger happy madman almost gets me shot!
Blonde: What the fuck you talkin' about?
White: That fucking shooting spree! In the store, remember?
Blonde: Fuck em. They set off the alarm. They deserved what they got.
White: You almost killed me! Asshole! If I'd known what kind of a guy you were, I never would have agreed to work with you.
Blonde: Are you gonna bark all day, little doggie? Or are you gonna bite?
White: What was that? I'm sorry. I didn't catch it. Could you repeat it?
 Blonde: Are you gonna bark all day, little doggie? Or are you gonna bite?




White approaches Blonde but Pink runs in between them and tries to defuse things. Pink reasons that Blonde is the only guy they can trust as he's "too homicidal to be working with the cops" Pink tells them they need to work together to figure out who the bad guy is. Blonde starts laughing and says "Wow. That was really exciting" Looking at White he says. "Bet you're a big Lee Marvin fan aren't you?" White laughs, and Blonde says "Me too. I love that guy. My heart's beating so fast I 'm about to have a heart attack." He tells them he has something outside to show them, and reveals he has a cop tied up in his trunk. They reason that the cop may be able to tell them something about the set up. Blonde also tells them that he talked to Nice Guy Eddie, who said he's on his way to the warehouse.

We then cut to 'Mr. Blonde" in the past. We see Joe in his office talking on the phone. He's told that Vic Vega (Mr. Blonde) is outside and Joe asks to send him on. Joe says "Welcome home Vic! How does freedom feel?" Blonde tells him "It's a change. Joe offers him a drink and tells him to get comfortable. Blonde says his parole officer won't let him leave the halfway house. Blonde thanks Joe for sending him packages in prison. He asks about Blonde's plans, when Nice Guy Eddie arrives. Eddie hugs Blonde and apologizes for not picking him up himself explaining that he's had his head up his ass. Blonde says "It's funny you should say that because that's what me and your Daddy were just talking about."
Eddie: That i should've picked you up?
Blonde: No, that you got your head up your ass. I walk in the door and he's like, "Vic,Vic, I'm so glad somebody's finally her that knows what's going on. My son Eddie's a fuck-up. He's ruining the business.  I mean I love the guy, but you know he's flushin' everything down the toilet. I mean, that's what you said, right Joe? I mean, tell him yourself.

Joe: Well, I hate for you to hear it like this, but Vic come in, asked me how business was, and you don't lie to a man who's done time for you.
Eddie: That's very true.
Eddie and Blonde start wrestling before Joe breaks it up, saying "You guys wanna crawl around on the floor, do it in Eddies's office not mine." The two keep giving each other a hard time, until Joe gets serious and tells Eddie about Blonde's parole problem. Eddie suggest he come work for them, but Blonde explains he has to keep the parole officer happy before he can work for them again. Eddie suggests that they get him a job as a dock worker. Blonde doesn't want to work, but Eddie tells him he doesn't have to work, but according to the records he'll have a job. Blonde thanks them and tells them he'd like to do some "real work." Joe tells him "Well, it's hard to say. It's a strange time now." He suggests he go along with the dock worker cover for the moment and they'll let him know when something comes up. Eddie has an idea though, to use Blonde on a job, that they wouldn't normally put him on, since he's always been good luck to them. Joe asks "How would you feel about pulling a job with five other guys?" Blonde says "I'd feel great about it."

We then find Eddie driving in the present trying to call his father, explaining to Joe's assistant that Blonde told him things turned ugly and he took a cop hostage to get away. At the warehouse, Pink, White and Blonde are beating the cop. Blonde finds some duct tape which they use to tape the cop to a chair. White and Pink hit him and White tells the cop he's going to talk.

Eddie shows up and Pink tells him about the set up. Eddie is mad and tells them there was no set up and that it's no wonder the cops showed up with all the shooting. Eddie assumes that Orange is dead but White tells him he isn't yet, but will be if they don't get a doctor. Blonde asks where Joe is and Eddie says he's coming down there and he's pissed. They tell Eddie that brown is dead, but no one knows what happened to Blue. Blonde says "Either he's alive or he's dead, or the cops got him, or they don't." Eddie asks why they're beating on the cop. Pink explains they want to know who set them up. Eddie says "If you fucking beat this prick long enough, he'll tell you he started the goddamned Chicago fire. Now that don't necessarily make it fucking so!" Pink tells Eddie he has the diamonds. Eddie suggests that they go get them as well as getting the cars out of the lot, leaving Blonde at the warehouse. White tells him they can't leave Blonde with Orange and the cop, "because he's a fucking psycho." Blonde claims White has been threatening him since he cam to the warehouse, but Pink and White tell Eddie that the job went bad because Blonde started shooting everyone.Blonde explains "If they hadn't done what I told them not to do, they'd still be alive." Whit starts clapping (Blonde joins in) and says "My fucking hero!" Eddie reasons "What does it matter who stays with the cop? We're not letting him go after he's seen everybody." They stick with Eddie's plan and leave Blonde to watch the cop and Orange.

As soon as they leave, Blonde takes off his jacket and approaches the cop, (Kirk Baltz) who insists he doesn't know about any set up no matter how much he gets tortured.  Blonde gets upset with the cop when he reminds Blonde that his boss said there was no set up, insisting that he doesn't have a "boss". Blonde then says "Listen kid, I'm not gonna bullshit you, all right? I don't give a good fuck what you know, or don't know, but I'm gonna torture you anyway, regardless. Not to get information. It's amusing, to me, to torture a cop. You can say anything you want cause I've heard it all before. All you can do is pray for a quick death, which you ain't gonna get" Blonde pulls out a straight razor and turns on the radio, which plays Steeler's Wheel's "Stuck in the Middle With you." He starts dancing to the song, while making his way over to the cop, slashing his face and then cutting off his ear and asking "Was that as good for you as it was for me?" He holds the severed ear in his hand and pretends to talk into it, asking the cop if he can hear it. Blonde runs out to his car and gets a gas can, dancing his way to the cop again before dousing him with gas as he struggles. Blonde pulls the tape from the cop's mouth and the cop begs him to stop, telling him he has a little kid and he doesn't know anything and won't say anything. Blonde just says "You all through?" preparing to light the gas.

We then see Blonde get shot many times and realize Orange is awake and still has his gun. He attempts to get up but can't. Orange asks the cop his name and he answers "Marvin Nash." Orange tells Marvin that he's a cop, but Marvin says he already knows and he also knows his name is "Freddy something." Orange says "Newandyke, Freddy Newandyke." He tells Orange that they were introduced months ago, but Orange doesn't remember. Marvin asks "How do I look?" Orange says "I don't know what to tell you Marvin." Marvin gets upset about being disfigured but Orange asks him to hold on, as there are cops only a block away. Marvin complains again about the disfigurement and Orange yells 'Fuck you! Fuck You! I'm fucking dying here!" He tells Marvin they aren't making a move until Joe shows up and he should be on the way. So "We're just gonna sit here and bleed until Joe Cabot sticks his fucking head through that door."

We then move to the past and see "Mr. Orange." in civilian clothes, announcing to his police contact, Holdaway (Randy Brooks) that he has an in to one of Joe Cabot's jobs. Holdaway is excited to hear it. He tells Holdaway that Nice Guy Eddie set up a meeting with Joe. Eddie picked him up and he met with Joe and Mr. White. As Mr. White didn't look familiar Orange deduced he was from out of town, and finding out White was a Brewer's fan he further knew he was from Wisconsin. Holdaway tells him to look through the Milwaukee files under armed robbery until he puts a name to White's face. Holdaway asks about a referral from"Long Beach Mike." and whether it helped him get on the inside. "Perfecto." Orange says. Referring to Long Beach Mike, he tells Holdaway, "Do right by him, he's a good guy. I wouldn't be inside if it wasn't for him." Holdaway senses trouble and tells Orange "No. No. Long Beach Mike is not your fucking amigo man. Long Beach Mike is a fucking scumbag. He's selling out his amigos. That's what kind of a nice guy he fucking is, alright?" Holdaway asks if he used "the commode story." and we see see Orange and Holdaway practicing the delivery of "an amusing anecdote about a drug deal." Holdaway has given Orange a script, and instructed him to make it his own and remember every detail in the commode where the story is to have taken place. We see Orange practicing at home alone later trying to make it believable. He practices in front of Holdaway again and finally we see him telling Joe, Eddie, and Mr. White the story. He handles their interruptions to ask for details adeptly. The story turns out to be about him using an airport restroom using a urinal with pot on him and running into a group of sheriff's dept. guys who have a drug dog that barks at him, without losing his cool. The story impresses Joe. Holdaway asks about Joe and Orange tells him he's a cool and funny guy."

We see White and Eddie picking him up. He tells himself before leaving "They don't know. They don't know shit. You're not gonna get hurt. You're fucking Beretta. They believed every fucking word, because you're super cool." When Orange gets in the car we see that they have police tailing them. Mr. Pink is also in the car, talking about the differences between white and black women, claiming that black women won't put up with things that white women will. Eddie agrees and tells a story about a black cocktail waitress named E-Lois, whose husband "did things to her"  until one night "he fell asleep. She sneaks up on him and put some Wacko glue on his dick, glues his dick to his belly." Orange gets into the conversation by pointing out some facts about Pam Grier. The four of them are all laughing and having a good time until they arrive at their meeting with Joe, who says
"So, you guys like to tell jokes and giggle and kid around, huh? Gigglin' like a bunch of young broads sittin' in a schoolyard. Well, let me tell a joke. Five guys, sittin' in a bullpen, in San Quentin, wondering how the fuck they got there. What'd we do wrong, what should we've done, what didn't we do? it's your fault, my fault, his fault, all that bullshit. Finally, someone comes up with the idea; Wait a minute, while we were planning this caper, all we did was sit around tellin' fuckin' jokes! Got the message? Boys, I don't mean to holler at ya. When this caper's over - and I'm sure it's gonna be a successful one, hell, we'll get down to the Hawaiian Islands, hell, I'll roll and laugh with all of ya. You'll find me a different character down there. Right now, it's a matter of business."
He reinforces the importance of using aliases and any personal information. He then assigns them all their color names. Mr. Pink has a problem with his and complains, but Joe tells him that's it. Mr. Pink asks why they can't their own colors and Joe says "Tried it once, it doesn't work. You get four guys all fighting over who's gonna be Mr. Black. They don't know each other so nobody wants to back down. " He tells Pink to be thankful he's not Mr. Yellow.

Orange goes over all the details of the plan with Mr. White in a car before the job. We then flash to them in the car after the job. We see Mr. Brown drive his car into another car with blood in his eyes while White and Orange get out. A cruiser pulls up to them and White shoots the two cops in it dead while Orange watches and Brown dies of his wound. They walk away together, and try to steal a car at gunpoint not realizing the driver has a gun. She shoots Orange, who's on the driver's side. Orange then shoots her dead and we see him in the back like he was at the beginning with White reassuring him.

We move back to the warehouse, with Marvin tied up, Orange lying in the same place and Blonde, dead across the room. Eddie gets back with White and Pink and wants to know what happened. Orange explains that Blonde, slashed the cops face, cut off his ear and was about to burn him alive. Eddie doesn't seem pleased and asks "This cop?" before shooting the Marvin dead.  Eddie says "He went crazy? Worse or better?" Orange then insists that Blonde was "pulling a burn" and was planning to kill him as well and was going to kill the rest of them when they returned and leave with the diamonds for himself. White exclaims "That sick piece of shit." Eddie says "It doesn't make sense." White says "It makes perfect sense. You didn't see how he acted during the job."

Eddie says "You're saying that Mr. Blonde was gonna kill you and then when we got back, he was gonna kill us, take the satchel of diamonds, and scram? I'm right about that, right? That's correct. That's your story?"
Orange says "I swear on my mother's eternal soul that's what happened." Eddie says 'The man you just killed just got released from prison. He got caught in a company warehouse, full of hot items. He could've fuckin' walked. All he had to do was say my Dad's name, but he didn't. He kept his fucking mouth shut. He did his time and he did it like a man. He did four years for us. So, Mr. Orange, you're telling me that this very good friend of mine, who did four years for my father, and in four years never made a deal, no matter what they dangled in front of him...You're telling me that now that this man is free, and we're making good on our commitment to him, he's just gonna decide, out of the fucking blue, to rip us off! Why don't you tell me what really happened.

Joe enters the room, and says "What the hell for? It'd just be more bullshit. This man set us up." Eddie apologizes for not knowing what happened. and Joe says "That's alright, I do."
White then interrupts and says "What the fuck are you talking about?"
Joe: That lump of shit's working with the LAPD.
Orange [struggling to speak] I don't have the slightest fucking idea what you're talking about.
White: Joe, I don't know what you think you know, but you're wrong.
Joe: Like hell I am.
White: Joe, trust me on this. You made a mistake. He's a good kid. I understand you're hot. You're super fucking pissed. We're all real emotional, but you're barking up the wrong tree. I know this man. He wouldn't do that.
Joe: You don't know jack shit. I do. The cocksucker tipped off the cops and had Mr. Brown and Mr. Blue killed.
Pink: Mr. Blue is dead?
Joe: Dead as Dillinger.
White: How do you know all this?
Joe: He was the only one I wasn't 100% on. I should have my head examined, I should have my head examined, going ahead when I wasn't 100%.
White: That's your proof?
Joe: You don't need proof when you have instinct. I ignored it before, but no more.
Joe pulls his gun and points it at Mr. Orange. White then pulls his gun and aims it at Joe. Eddie then aims his gun at White. Pink tries to tell them to act professional. Eddie also urges them to put down the guns and settle things with conversation. White says "Joe, you kill that man, you die next." Joe fires, setting the others off. While they're lying on the ground Pink takes off leaving the warehouse. Joe and Eddie appear dead but White is alive. He crawls over to Orange, cradling his head. He says "Looks like we're about to do a little time." We hear cops outside. Orange says "Larry, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." White puts his gun up to Orange's head, wailing in anguish and the cops burst in telling him to drop the gun. He forces himself to shoot Orange before dying.



What About It?

Reservoir Dogs is a crime movie not terribly concerned with the crime itself as much as how people fall apart afterwards. Like most heist movies, you know things will go wrong the question is really how they'll go wrong and what exactly happens to each of the characters, each of whom has his own motivation and fuse. It's a brilliantly entertaining movie, and it's strength largely lies with the acting and the smart original dialogue. The character's are well enough established that they could all be identified simply by how they say speak.

Mr. Blonde, the psycopath is entertainingly twisted. He doesn't appear to be willing to back down from anything. He doesn't hesitate to kill people as punishment for pulling an alarm, even though he just got out after four years in prison. He enjoys making light of Mr.White, the senior man in the heist crew, calling out his tough guy talk while showing no concern whatsoever that White will back it up. He freely admits to Marvin the policeman that he doesn't care about information, but is going to torture him just because he finds it amusing. Blonde obviously does enjoy torture, and pain is not enough but he also has to disfigure, and with everything he does, inspires him to top himself. Slashing the cops face leads to cutting off his ear. As if to ensure humiliation he has to talk into it making a joke to the man. The pain is not enough. He's compelled to overdo it so much as to nearly make it absurd. Rather than shoot the man after disfiguring him, he remembers a gas can in his car and that's not even enough, as he shows by pulling the tape from his mouth to hear him beg and scream. He treats torture as a performance art even dancing rather than just walking over to his victim, as if he wants him to be strangely entertained by his own pain.Yet, despite his sadistic nature, he is also unquestionably loyal and observant of formalities, at least when it comes to Joe and Eddie. Michael Madsen delivers perfectly, playing his part perfectly cool. The contradictions of the character seem perfectly natural in the performance, and we understand we he worries Mr. White and Pink, as well as why Eddie, can't even imagine he'd betray them. His dancing and twisted deadpan have no doubt altered the world's appreciation of "Caught in the Middle With You" forever.

Harvey Keitel's Mr. White is the centerpiece of the group. He's practical and professional, but not afraid to do what he has to do as he illustrates when he tells Orange how to handle a resistant teller. He has no problem smashing someone's nose with a gun butt or slicing off a finger, but he views these things as tools of the trade, not having any interest in inflicting pain for it's own sake. White would rather hae things go smoothly than have to hurt anyone. Violence is simply a practicality, he's a businessman that wants to make money. He does have a strict moral code however, as we see when he's willing to shoot Joe, his old friend rather than allow him to kill a man he feels indebted to. He forms a real attachment to Mr. Orange, based on little more than his feeling and the fact that Orange took a bullet he thought should have been his. White does want to be respected for his experience and this puts him inevitably at odds with Mr. Blonde, whose fearlessness makes him almost effortlessly the alpha dog. White feels compelled to assert his authority, and is only able to back down due to Mr. Pink intervening. He takes the chance to back off, realizing that asserting authority would require one of them ending up dead. His defining characteristic is that he does have a sense of honor and appropriateness. Keitel is terrific as usual, his performance giving the ensemble a solid center and a stabilizing presence.

Steve Buscemi's Mr. Pink, unlike White and Blonde, has no interest at all in macho posturing. He sees himself as a professional only looking to get paid witout getting arrested. He's not afraid to pull a gun or even shoot a cop, but would much rather not be seen at all. He thinks of himself as the smartest guy in the room, and may well be right as he is the only one who has the slightest chance at getting away. He doesn't threaten anyone and no one sees him as a threat. He's the most nuerotic of the group and he would likely be considered almost paranoid if he weren't a criminal with many reasons that make his worries valid. His decision to stash the diamonds before going to the warehouse, shows his attention to detail. And, if he hadn't done that, it could've been a very different movie as the three active me who don't trust each other stuck in a warhouse with all the diamonds would've certainly increased the tension and the odds that one or two of them would have died sooner. Buscemi is perfectly cast here, and he portrays Pink's nervous restlessness very well.

It's Tim Roth however that's easiest to invest in. Unlike all of the others, he's not a criminal at all, he's only acting like one. To him, these are the bad guys and he wants things to fall apart. But at the same time, he's only human. Holdaway's concern for him acting as if an informant is his friend proves valid, as it becomes clear that he has a lot of respect for Mr.White. In the short time they spend together, he comes to think of Mr. White as a friend and certainly has a great deal of respect for the man, helped no doubt by White not abandoning him and even going up against everyone, including his old friend Joe, rather than let him be shot. Their friendship is a mutual debt of sorts, developing due mostly to circumstance. Orange is closer to a criminal than he realizes and when he shoots the woman who shot him, he crosses the moral line, although he doesn't ever forget his job, although staying alive becomes increasingly important after he's shot. Orange has to shoulder all their concerns while concealing his own hidden agenda, all while the clock is ticking due to his gutshot. He remains enough of a cop, that he can't watch another cop get burned to death, although killing Mr. Blonde puts him in a precarious position. Although his gesture does nothing but give the cop a less painful death, the impulse shows he hasn't completely forgotten himself. But at the end the labels don't matter so much. Revealing he's a cop to Mr. White, reveals that he doesn't view Mr. White as simply a criminal, but he respects him (and owes him) as a man. He has to know that White will kill him, but he respects him enough to put that decision in his hands. The fact that much of this part was acted lying in a pool of blood on the floor makes it that much more remarkable. Roth goes all out, shrieking from his gutshot, to remaining composed attempting to reasure Marvin. In his own chapter we see the difficult line he's walking and he convinces us as well as Joe's crew.

The other performances are all dead on as well, Chris Penn is wonderful as Nice Guy Eddie, playing both a convincing son and number two man to Joe's operation. Lawrence Tierney's Joe Cabot is the perfect no nonsense drill instructor and man with a plan. Kirk Baltz as tortured cop Marvin Nash is also as good as someone could be while tied up to a chair, being tortured and waiting. There's not a weak performance anywhere in the film.

This was Quentin Tarantino's first feature, and a hugely influential modern film, which has influenced many films since. Whether you like him or not, there's no denying that he's a powerful director with his own sense of style, which has been imitated in varying degrees wholesale. Reservoir Dogs certainly revived interest in the possibilities of a crime movie, and once Pulp Fiction came out, Tarantino's stamp changed the crime movie landscape. His snappy, sharp and original dialogue has certainly been recognized as effective, so much that you can't do a low budget crime movie without it anymore. (Well you can, but you wouldn't know it based on what followed it.) He's clearly well versed in action/heist movie conventions as well as storytelling in general and the language of music videos, using all of his knowledge to great effect.

In fairness, crime movies, at least the best ones, have always valued great sharp dialogue and smart characters, but Tarantino adds his own blend of pop culture and obscenity, making it more engaging and almost forcing you to listen, perhaps asking youself "Did he just say that Like a Virgin is about a guy with a big dick?" If that bothers you, Tarantino might not be your best director, but whether you find his dialogue lewd or not, it isn't unrealistic, other than it's concentration, and it is original enough to make you listen to the story. Lewdness concerns aside, even the everyday dialogue is entertaining, sustaining a rapid fire pace, while not seeming rushed. If dialogue can be action packed, then Tarantino has that down. He's also very conscious of  the atmosphere that music adds, choosing songs carefully to fit the scenes they're used for, always adding to the whole. The use of "Stuck in the Middle with You" for the torture scene was great not only in that it fit so well, but because it paused when Blonde went outside, resuming again when he entered the warehouse, implying that outside, there's a whole world unaware of the atrocity occuring right there. In Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino shows that he knows how to get your attention and keep it. You may not even realize that most of the film was just a few guys in a warehouse, guys in a diner, and once in a while guys trying to find a car. You don't notice because it always feels like something's happening even if it's only two guys talking knowing that it's going to fall apart any minute.

Reservoir Dogs is certainly a heist movie, although we never see the heist. And like most heist movies, it's largely about the difficulty of getting independent natured people to work together with greed as a motivator. Of course the difficult becomes impossible, when one of the guys is a cop, and another is a psychopath, but such complications are not unusual in these films. You should know from the beginning that it's not going to work out, the only question, again, is how badly it's not going to work.

The central human story is that of the friendship of Mr White and Mr. Orange. While it's not a happy ending, it is an affirmation that no matter your occupation, you can sometimes be surprised to find honor and decency in another human being. It just might affect you enough that you see the debt as more important than your own life. In this case, it is, but Mr. White doesn't take that lightly either. He doesn't want to kill Mr. Orange, but he must, because he has his code, which was the only thing that made him respectable to begin with. Like any great tragedy, these characters are doomed by the only things that made them worth saving. There's no happily ever after, but at least a couple of them manage to go out with dignity.

King of New York

Certain celebrated criminals (Jesse James, John Dillinger) have become folk heroes in a way, likened to Robin Hood due to such behavior as robbing insured banks and giving money back to the poor, or sometimes just for fighting a system that many citizens feel is unfair. Whatever truth there is to such comparisons, is relative I would think. You can't erase a hundred murders because you gave some money to someone who needed it. It does remind us though, that there is often more to a character than a two dimensional sketch. "The King of New York" is a kind of Robin Hood" story, in a more realistic sense than most.

Our first look at Frank White (Christopher Walken) is in prison just before he's released on parole after serving a long stretch. Guards escort him outside where he's picked up in a limousine by two women, Raye (Theresa Randle) and Melanie (Carrie Nygren) Melanie lights him a cigarette and they ride quietly as Frank appears to be in heavy thought watching the prostitutes and other street dwellers. Raye asks him if he wants to stop and he replies "No." We flash from Frank's eyes to the city as he sees it at night. It doesn't look good.

At the same time, Emilio El Zapa takes a break from entertaining prostitutes and walks outside to use a payphone. Before he can make his call, he's blasted with shotguns by several men, one of whom shows the dead man a newspaper headline reading "Frank White Released From Prison"

Meanwhile, Test Tube (Steve Buscemi) and Jimmy Jump (Larry Fishburne) are in an apartment testing some cocaine they plan to buy. Jimmy bugs Test Tube to hurry it up, insisting that he can test it himself quicker. He snorts some of the cocaine leaving a bit on his nose. Jimmy attempts to negotiate with King Tito, whose cocaine they're testing. Tito ignores Jimmy's social conversation. When Test Tube gives it the OK, but Jimmy insists that they need to test more, Tito gets upset demanding his money, adding ten percent to the amount they agreed on for "transportation costs" Jimmy complains about it, but King Tito stands firm, telling him to "take it or leave it." Jimmy says he'll take it, and bows to King Tito before handing him a briefcase. Tito opens it to find it full of tampons. Jimmy says "They're for the bulletholes, puta." and he and Test Tube shoot Tito along with his bodyguards, taking the cocaine and the money.
 
Frank has arrived home at "The Plaza" where he showers and puts on his real clothes. Melanie and Raye are with him, both only partially dressed. He watches Melanie load a gun before putting it in her coat. Raye informs him that he has visitors, slipping a gun into his waistband as she tells him. Jimmy Jump, Test Tube and several others present themselves. Frank appears tense initially sternly asking Jimmy what he's drinking. He answers "Root Beer. Want some?" Frank answers "There's some things I don't do." before smiling and showing them a dance move, which lightens up everyone and starts congratulations on his release. Jimmy informs him that the Colombians are dead, and Frank says, "Wow. I must've been away too long because my feelings are dead. I feel no remorse." They present Frank with King Tito's gloves and Emilio Zapa's money. They joke with each other until Frank turns serious for a moment saying "Jim. How come you never came to see me?" Jimmy answers, "Who wanted to see you in a cage?" Frank nods as his gang leaves.
 
Frank meets his lawyer, along with Joey Dalesio (Paul Calderon) for dinner at a nice restaurant. Frank insists on visiting his lawyer's "junior partner" Jennifer (Janet Julian,) who is talking with a journalist, who has written many stories about Frank. Frank clearly disapproves and tells her "You should be more careful of the affairs you attend, counselor. One is known by the company one keeps." before seating himself at their table. When told by a woman at the table that she's heard a lot of bad things about him, he claims he's reformed and declares that he wants to be mayor. They laugh but he says "thinks I'm kidding." He also asks Joey to get him a meeting with mob boss Arty Clay (Frank Gio) While Joey leaves to do this,Frank talks with Jennifer (while flirting with her)about the legal process when she remarks that she didn't think he believed in it, he says "I thought guys like me were the legal process."
 
Joey shows up at Arty Clay's place and finds him involved in a poker game. Joey tells him that Frank wants a meeting. Arty tells Joey, "You tell him that I don't talk to nigger lovers."  Joey persists, ignoring the comment and asking where and when. Arty says "You tell him in fucking hell, that's where." and explains that he was making a lot of money from the Colombians. Arty kicks Joey out.
 
Frank meanwhile is taking an erotic subway ride with Jennifer. They have a car to themselves, when several thugs approach them demanding his watch and wallet. They grab Jennifer's purse and Frank shows them the gun in his waistband prompting them to return it. He then throws them a wad of cash and tells them he has work for them if they come by the Plaza Hotel and ask for Frank White. 
 
Frank then shows up at Arty's place with Melanie and Raye and tells Frank, again playing poker, "I got your message."  Arty says "You stupid son of a bitch." Franks says "You running games here? I want to play." One of the player's welcomes him to the table along with his friends but Frank say "Nah. I want to play with Arty. More of Franks crew enters as well and Frank start looking at the cards on the table, while Arty gets more angry and threatening. Frank throws a card at Arty and tells him to pick it up. He refuses so Frank does it for him showing him the Ace of Spades. He then tells Arty he wants in on everything that happens, down to a nickel bag sold in the park. Arty laughs and Frank says "You guys got fat while everybody starved in the street. It's my turn." Frank turns to leave, when Arty threatens him, prompting Frank to turn back around and shoot him dead. He then tells everyone else at the table to come to the Plaza Hotel and join him if they're tired of getting ripped off by guys like Arty.
 
 
Frank next runs into a councilman at a play he attends with Jennifer. Frank is upset that a South Bronx hospital failed to get funding. The councilman explains that he did the best he could but the money wasn't there. He suggests to Frank that if he's so concerned he should fund it himself. Frank says "Maybe I will." prompting the congressman to tell him the hospital needs 16 million by the end of the quarter. Frank says, "Tell your friends they'll have their money." Frank tells the councilman "Privileged districts shouldn't be the only ones with hospitals." Frank is confronted at the bar by three cops, Roy Bishop (Victor Argo,) Thomas Flanigan, (Wesley Snipes,) and Dennis Gilley (David Caruso) They escort him outside and into their car, over his lawyer's protests. They claim to be taking him in for questioning, but instead bring him to a dark alley where they show him Zapa's body in the trunk of the car. He claims he doesn't know anything about it although Bishop tells him it's his last chance to talk. Flanigan gets upset about his refusal and tries to intimidate Frank, who knocks him around before the other two step in. Gilley puts a gun to his face, but Bishop stops him from shooting. They get in the car and leave, Bishop warning that they're on to him and planning to shut him down.
 
Bishop, Flanigan and Gilley attend a wedding, where Gilley makes jokes with everyone and Bishop appears uncomfortable, reaching for his heart pills and leaving early in physical distress. Frank sends Joey to meet with Larry a mob boss in Chinatown. Larry isn't eager to deal with Frank, mentioning that he's no Arty Clay. Jimmy Jump goes into a  fast food place for lunch, and ends up getting jumped by the cops who arrest him for King Tito's murder, telling him that one of the bodyguards lived and they have a witness. 
 
Frank invites Larry to the South Bronx hospital. He offers to partner with Larry providing his manpower to push Larry's drugs, greatly increasing his profit. Larry tells him "If I was into socialized medicine, I would've stayed in the Peking province."  Larry tells him he's only interested in cash for his drugs. He leaves telling Frank he's crazy. Frank hears about Jimmy's arrest and the surviving witness. He arranges to have Jimmy's million dollar bail paid, against Jennifer's advice. Jimmy harasses the three cops outside the police station who show up as he's leaving. Gilley spits in Jimmy's face. Jimmy laughs it off and the cops attempt to intimidate Jennifer who tells them to take it to the judge.
 
Not wasting any time, Frank's crew goes after Larry next, killing his men and making him show them where his drugs are, before killing him too. Frank then sets up a televised fundrasier for the hospital featuring the singer Freddie Jackson. This outrages Bishop, Flanigan and Gilley. Gilley comments that Frank's a movie stair. He offers a sarcastic toast to Frank being "The King of New York." comparing their salaries to Frank's.  Gilley tells Bishop that there's only one way to get rid of Frank. When Bishop doesn't agree right away he tells him they can make it look like another gang. Bishop appears hesitant, asking Gilley if he's going to kill everyone he can't arrest. He counters that everyone Frank kills is their fault.
 
Frank and Jennifer take a moment outside looking at the New York skyline. He tells her that he's lost too much time and can't waste any more. "If I can have a year or two, I'll make something good. I'll do something. Something good." Bishop confronts Frank's lawyer at breakfast, giving him bloody photos of the Colombian murder victims. Later that night Frank and his crew parties at a secret nightclub.  Joey comes in with with a prospective drug buyer, who is actually a plant who lead Gilley and Flanigan and their crew to the nightclub. The cops come in disguised and start firing away, killing most of Frank's crew.
 
Frank gets in his car and grabs Jimmy who unmasks one of the attackers discovering they're cops. Gilley and Flanigan trade shots with Frank and Jimmy while they drive, smacking cars into each other as well. Gilley end up flipping his car over, losing Frank. The two cops sit in the car which won't start assuming that Frank is gone. Jimmy returns in a car and rams into them, flipping it over again. The cops leave the car to chase him on foot and Jimmy surprises Flanigan, shooting him half a dozen times. Gilley sees it happen too late and shoots Jimmy several times leaving him lying on the ground while he unsuccessfully attempts to revive Flanigan. Even in severe pain Jimmy won't stop laughing until Gilley can't take it anymore and shoots him in the head.  
 
Bishop and Gilley attend Flanigan's funeral, but Gilley attempts to leave early and finds his car won't start. Frank pulls up next to the car in a limousine and calls "Hey.You."  shooting Gilley in the face with a shotgun when he looks up. All of cops at the funeral are surprised and scramble to see what happened. Bishop sees the limo driving away. Frank heads back to his crew and we see that Joey is being beaten for his part in leading the cops to them. He claims they gave him references which checked out and he had no reason to suspect them. Frank doesn't buy it and say. "Just tell me why. Don't lie to me and just tell me why."  He breaks down and tells Frank that they offered him more money than he'd ever seen in his life and to set him up in the protection program. Frank asks where the money is and they inform him that they have it as he was carrying it around. Frank says, "Bury it with him." Joey apologizes and begs until they drag him off and shoot him.
 
Bishop arrives home to his dark apartment and finds Frank sitting in a chair in the dark. Frank explains his problems with the dead gang leaders.
 
Frank: When the D.A's office investigated the sudden death of Arty Clay, they found that he left a $13 million estate. How do you explain that? There there's Larry Wong, who owned half of Chinatown when he passed away. Larry used to rent his tenements to Asian refuges, his own people, for $800 a month to share a single toilet on the same floor. How 'bout King Tito? He had thirteen-year-old girls hooking for him on the street. Those guys are dead because I don't want to make money that way. Emil Zappa, the Mata brothers, they're dead because they were running this city into the ground.
Bishop: You expected to get away with killing all these people?
Frank: I spent half my life in prison. I never got away with anything, and I never killed anybody that didn't deserve it.
Bishop: Who made you judge and jury?
Frank: Well, it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. For the likes of Arty Clay and the rest of those bums...you slap a tag on me for fifty thousand dollars? You make me public enemy number one? Is that some kind of joke? I got a message for you and your friends.You tell them I've got a $250,000 contract on any cop involved with this case.

He has Bishop handcuff himself to a chair and leaves. Bishop scrambles to find a gun and shoots the cuff chain and chases Frank into the subway finding him in one of the cars. Frank takes a nearby woman hostage holding a gun to her head. Bishop doesn't back off and Franks surprises him, shooting and killing him, although Bishop gets off a last shot. Frank leaves the subway and walks up to the street into the crowd holding a hand inside his coat on his bullet wound. He gets in a cab and tells the driver "Just drive." We see him in the back seat pulling out his gun and examining his bloody shirt as sirens approach from all over. The driver sees his gun and leaves the car, while cops approach on foot through now stopped traffic, approaching the car cautiously with guns drawn. Frank lays his head down and his hand, still holding the gun drops limp beside him.

"The King New York" is an interesting look at a man who wants to be much better than he is. Frank White is as much (or more) of a killer as any of his competition. He reasons that he's never killed anybody who didn't deserve it. and his victims in the movie do prove his point to a degree. He can't abide the powerful criminals who weaken their community and his contempt for their selfishness is clear. Watching the people in the streets going without has an immediate effect on him and his resolve to help his community puts his character in the Robin Hood tradition. His crew seems to share his compassion for their surroundings, as evidenced by Jimmy Jump making a donation to a mother in a restaurant just before his arrest and the fact that they don't kill anyone indiscriminately, only those who Frank picks out as draining the community. It's interesting to watch Frank and Larry taking a tour of the hospital as Frank tries to sell the "cause" angle of his proposed partnership. Larry equates Frank's idea to "socialized medicine." which is an interesting commentary on the difference in Frank's motivation, framing their dispute as a capitalist/socialist debate. Of course it isn't truly as simple as that, but viewing the Robin Hood story as one of a passionate socialist is certainly an interesting approach.

It's worth keeping in mind though, that Frank himself is a capitalist, and has no trouble posting one million dollars to bail Jimmy out of jail. He doesn't leave himself impoverished to give to others. He isn't looking to equalize everyone's resources, but he reasons that for all the money the drug dealers make, giving something back to the community isn't much too ask, and perhaps even a sensible business move. He does see himself as part of the city, rather than an untouchable crime boss high above the common man.  He despises racism as much as greed, embracing the racially mixed culture of his surroundings. Frank's crew is mostly young black men and he doesn't make color distinctions, except in the case of Arty, where he makes a point of showing Arty the "Ace of Spades" to answer Arty's remark that he's a "nigger lover" Of course killing him soon after also states his position clearly.

Frank isn't joking when he claims that he wants to be mayor. But the position isn't what he's after, but the power to affect the city. It's likely that Frank would be content to be in control whether officially in power or not, as suggested by his dealings with his councilman, and specifically his frustration over the lack of results towards the hospital. Bureaucracy is also a problem in "The King of New York." The struggles are first pointed out with the Councilman, but later frustration with legal protocol is what incites the cops to step outside the law and attempt to shut Frank down. When Gilley and Flanigan organize their fellow cops as a disguised hit squad, they enter squarely into Frank's moral grey area, although their motives are vindictive, unintentionally giving Frank the moral high ground. Gilley's main problem seems to be that he wishes he was Frank. Watching the hospital telethon, not one of the cops notes that helping the local hospital is a worthy cause, they only see their enemy getting positive attention and Gilley can't stand to see him celebrated, while he and his fellow cops work without recognition of any kind. Their problem and proposed solution could also be argued as socialist, as they resent Frank's earning and achieving more than they do. It's obvious however that these positions won't unite them, and it illustrates that Frank is truly not the socialist, merely community minded.

Bishop plays the voice of reason, although a biased and ineffective one. He's willing to bend the rules a bit, ie. coercing a confession from Frank over a body in the trunk, but he quickly attempts to deescalate the situation when Flanigan and Gillis get out of hand. While he doesn't condone his partner's attempting an assassination, his discouragement of their idea is weak, desiring Frank off the streets, but still recognizing that their job has limits. None of them see the irony that they plan to kill a drug lord illegally, to punish him for killing drug lords illegally. When Frank points out the reason for killing the other drug lords, it fails to register with Bishop, who can only tell him that he won't get away with killing all those people. He could've easily said the same thing to his partners, who probably killed as many people in their raid on Frank's place as Frank had killed in the movie. He does ask Gilley "Are you going to kill everyone you can't arrest?" although Gilley lacks the depth to understand the question.  Perhaps Bishop thinks that not joining their raid is dissent enough, but this proves false when Frank announces the bounty he's placed on Bishop's head. Bishop's failure is that he doesn't see the larger implications of personal actions. When he tells Frank, during their subway stand off, "This is just you and me." he demonstrates how wrong he is. just as Frank does by taking an innocent woman hostage. It isn't just about the two of them, their conflict is all about their community and as far as Frank goes, his altruism isn't above hostage taking, and both of them pay the price for their flaws each cancelling the other out.

Ferrara does an amazing job creating a realistic unpolished city for his story, using the actual city to portray itself. Within the city he presents a varied environment, from the lush Plaza hotel, to the subway cars and nightclubs. This gives the characters a great realism themselves, and we sense that no one is untouchable here and no plan is fool proof. Although the cast is terrific, this is Walken's show and it's great to see him get the spotlight. He's an actor who takes over every scene he's in. Even when he's subdued there's no question who the scene is about. Frank is a combination of loud flamboyant action and deep personal thought. The close ups on his eyes give us the sense that he's struggling with something important and constantly trying to think things through. He's rehearsed his every gesture in his head and does very little spontaneously. He invites Larry to the hospital to offer an opportunity, but has no doubt already planned the massacre of his gang when he refuses. Yet even Frank is limited and he knows this, feeling the loss of all the time in prison.

We can't call Frank a good man, as even his attempts to do good require violence and destructive behavior to happen. Neither can we say he's completely bad, as he does have some wonderful goals, even if his methods are questionable. The real test of his worth is to examine what effects his actions have on those around him. Most of his crew ends up dead, and the hospital doesn't get their money. A few reprehensible drug dealers are put out of work, but as Frank would point out, someone will replace them before long. Ultimately his methods don't work well towards his goals, beyond putting some money in a few people's pockets for the brief amount of time they're likely to live. Of course, Frank isn't alone in this predicament, nobody in this film lives up to their own ideals. Bishop, Flanigan and Gillis, give up their own code and like Frank become victims of their own bad methods. Nobody is safe in this world, everyone gets consumed by not managing to be what they imagine they are. Good doesn't win, and neither does evil. Capitalism and Socialism find a similar stalemate. Nobody wins here, it all gets cancelled out, because no one is as pure as they think they are and every effort gets lost in compromise or overkill.

Miller's Crossing

In Miller's Crossing the Coen's created a world suited entirely to Tom Reagan(Gabriel Byrne). Sometimes grim and gritty, other times like a comic book in its over the top, prohibition era gangster imagery. They succeed in creating the 1930's that would have been  if Dick Tracy and Jimmy Cagney collaborated to make the world.

Tom is clearly a loner by nature, quicker with a wisecrack and smarter than anyone he knows. He's also deeply pessimistic, and mean spirited, but highly principled. Tom doesn't want to run things though, he's happy playing number two to his close friend Leo (Albert Finney) the Irish crime boss who runs the town. Running things wouldn't be a privelege to Tom, only pointless work. Tom and Leo start off as close as brothers, Tom being the only person Leo listens to, but they both have a blind spot when it comes to Verna (Marcia Gay Harden), Leo's girlfriend who Tom is also sleeping with.

The problems start when Verna's brother Bernie (John Turturro) anger's the local Italian gangster Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito). Bernie's costing Caspar money and Caspar wants him dead. Leo won't allow it because he promised Verna he'd protect her brother. Tom can't talk Leo into budging although he tries, thinking that Bernie's not worth a gang war. With neither side budging, a gang war is clearly on the way, the perfect time for Tom and Leo to have a falling out. Tom switches sides and is forced to kill Bernie to prove his loyalty. Tom manages to spare Bernie, while convincing Caspar that he killed him.

Byrne's Tom is an instant classic, he has serious drinking and gambling problems, which have his creditors chasing him throughout the film. It's telling of the character that when they catch up to him and explain that the beating he's about to get is policy, Tom just takes it and says, "Tell Lazarre, No hard feelings"  and the thug replies "Jesus Tom, he knows." Tom always pays what he owes (whether it's the money or taking the beating). Leo has even freely offerred to clear his debts, but Tom insists that he pays his own way.

It's clear that Tom always has a plan, what we don't know for sure is how far he's in over his head. His advantage is that no matter how deep he's sunk, Tom doesn't lose his head. He's got principles but all the same he's naturally sharp and can't help cutting people down to size with his remarks. But smart as he is, he can't control everything, he has to do a lot of adjustments on the fly, particularly when his good deed of sparing Bernie comes back to bite him, when Bernie realizes that being alive gives him leverage over Tom.

The dialogue, and the stereotypes are as over the top as the scenery. Everybody's larger and smaller than life, except for Tom. Tom's the realistic contrast with his environment, as if he's the only photograph in a comic book. That doesn't take away from other performances. Leo in particular is amazing in a scene where he's attacked in his house by a ridiculous number of bullets and charges forward guns blazing while in his bedclothes, untouched like a force of nature. Verna's a great bad girl and Tom's kindred spirit. For all their sparring they can't keep from being attracted to each other, despite the fact that they both care deeply for Leo. Whether they love or hate each other is not really a choice, as both emotions are mixed too thoroughly to be seperated. Turturro is tremendous as Bernie a sleazy opportunist with no principles at all, beyond the quickest buck he can make. His character becomes less likable every minute he's on screen.

Tom's what it's all about though. He's too smart to be likeable as many people point out in the movie. It's tough to like a guy that won't owe you anything. Tom is too smart for the world he's in, so the world has to throw everything it can manage in his way, and the over the top nature of the world makes the violence and pressure he endures that much more intense by contrast. Watching the results of his doublecrosses, we worry less for Tom than wonder where his true loyalties lie and how they'll pay off. He's a great distillation of all the hard-bitten smart-asses in gangster movie/film noir history, but thanks to Byrne's performance, the character doesn't feel borrowed. Here, the Coen Brothers craft a fine love letter to the old crime genres and create a great character to fit into that tradition.